Hello my new puppet-loving friends! I joined the Puppet Showplace staff as the full-time Marketing and Communications Associate in May 2022, and it has been a whirlwind of puppet shows, big birthday bashes, and giggling audiences ever since.
I began my career as a graphic designer, and have since expanded to all kinds of marketing and communications, including web design, social media, email marketing, and marketing analytics. I am excited to apply these skills to help increase the awareness of puppetry in the Boston area and grow the audience at Puppet Showplace!
Although I am new to working in the world of puppets, it is not entirely out of left field to find myself here. I am a former “theater kid” and have always wondered when I would return to the theater. And here I am, merging my childhood dreams and passion with the trade of my adulthood! I am also a casual life-long puppet enthusiast; when I was two years old I named my first doll “Baby Shari,” after watching Shari Lewis’ Lamb Chop's Play-Along. As a teenager, I attended the yearly shows of Paperhand Puppet Intervention in North Carolina, an experience that made me realize that you can combine whimsy, artistry, and pointed political messages into a performance that entertains and entrances all ages.
As an undergraduate at Duke University I became preoccupied with how to communicate about environmental issues to the broader public. I ended up designing a unique major in Sustainable Art and Design so that I could explore these issues through the lens of multiple disciplines, including traditional and experimental visual art. In hindsight, I realize that my exposure to Paperhand Puppet contributed to my conviction that art was an essential method for bridging the gap between the general public and typical fact-focused environmental campaigns. I also regret not taking the one puppetry class offered at my school, missing out on a great opportunity to combine my two passions of visual tactile art and theater performance. (Perhaps a regret that can be assuaged by Puppet Showplace’s adult educational opportunities in the future!)
While all art has the power to inspire, delight, and educate, I find that puppetry is intrinsically suited to push the boundaries of what an audience thinks is possible. When you’ve already suspended your disbelief in order to accept that a fuzzy monster hand puppet’s problems are real, you are primed to open your mind to new perspectives and information. This creates an incredible opportunity for education, for both young and adult audiences. In the last six weeks I have already seen this in action, and I look forward to helping get those audiences to the theater for future shows!
And finally, I’d love to hear about your experience at Puppet Showplace! You can email me at info@puppetshow.org, or message me on any of our social profiles.
