Me, Elmo, and Devora Reiss Hanging Out at a Sesame Photo Shoot |
My journey down Sesame
Street began with a wish to meet and
interview Kevin Clash, the Muppeteer of the show's wildly-popular Elmo and the
co-author of Being
Elmo: My Life as a Furry Red Monster. The wish became reality
and I found myself sitting across from Kevin at Sesame Workshop, listening to
him talk about his amazing life story. At Kevin's suggestion, I went on
to interview longtime Sesame cameraman Frank Biondo. Having worked on set since
the show's inception, Frank had endless and wonderful stories to tell.
From Mr. Biondo, also called The Mayor
of Sesame Street, I moved on to interview a bunch of other folks who have been
integral to the success of Sesame - Carroll Spinney, Fran Brill, Bonnie Erickson, Martin Robinson, and Annie Evans. Through various visits to the set of the show out in Astoria , I developed an
immense appreciation for the amount of physical labor, teamwork, and
attention to detail that goes into each of the episodes we see on television.
Quite astounding is how the Muppeteers perform in awkward and often tedious
positions, pretzeling their bodies into impossible shapes and
configurations. They do so with grace, humor, respect for one another, and
complete adherence to the highest professional and production standards
imaginable.
Recently, in
yet another chapter of my Sesame adventures, I developed
a new level of admiration for the people who work behind the scenes to create this
global juggernaut. (Sesame is broadcast in more than 140 different
countries.) When last on the set (in Mr. Hooper's store!) I had the
pleasure of meeting Louis Henry Mitchell, Associate Design Director of Special
Projects. When Louis invited me to visit an all-day Sesame Street
photo shoot, I was thrilled, and viewed it as an opportunity to see
another wing of the work that makes Sesame Street all that it is.
When I arrived at the studio, a
friendly Australian shepherd named Betsy greeted me at the door. I followed her back two
rooms and found a group of people, including Louis, who were setting up
and taking still shots of various Sesame Muppets sans their
Muppeteers. I immediately saw a familiar face - Lara MacLean
- who had demonstrated puppetry for television at the recent Jim Henson exhibit at MOMI. We exchanged hellos and she briefed me a bit on her
history with the show.
Lara and Louis were part
of the team that worked together to create flawless photos of the
characters that are watched daily on television. Similar to the filming
of Sesame
Street episodes, it took
a village to create the final product. There were folks who expertly set
up the shot, literally splitting, brushing, combing, and arranging hair and fur
to make the Muppets look their absolute best. Another set of people sat
behind computer screens, looking at the shots and making suggestions on how to
improve them. They would request that a Muppet's head be moved forward or back,
or a gaze raised or lowered. There was a lot of conversing, a lot of
give and take. Lots of minds and hands and eyes working in
conjunction. The results were always gorgeous.
An hour into the shoot, another guest
walked in and the day got even brighter. Devora Reiss, a student at F.I.T.,
showed me photos of a
whole line of puppets, mostly marionettes, which she had designed and
built. Devora and I had a great conversation about religion,
family, puppetry, and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who
back you in going after your dreams.
During the lunch break and some relaxed
late-afternoon moments, I got to chat with individual members of the crew and
find out about their lives and their connection to this work. (Ask someone
on a set "How did you find your way to Sesame Street?" and you will inevitably
get a memorable answer.) Folks who are part of this show come from
different walks of life, but they are all firmly invested in Sesame's
mission.
At one point, one of the crew came
over and gave me a Rowlf the Dog keychain, a great memento. It was a small
gesture, but it meant a lot. Every time I look at it, I will think of how
much fun I had that day, and how I walked away with an even deeper
understanding and appreciation of the hard work, teamwork, creativity, and
attention to detail it takes to keep the magic of this show alive.
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