Download From Puppet Pizzazz Extracted from Scene 2010

INTERVIEW WITH GREG RUHE: From Puppet Pizzazz
Extracted from Scene 2010-11 December Issue 2
INTERVIEW WITH
GREG RUHE
From Puppet Pizzazz
How old were you when you got hooked
on puppets for the first time?
My passion for puppets began when I
was a toddler. The Ed Sullivan variety show,
famous for launching the Beetles rock group
in America, aired on television after my
bedtime. However, whenever the Italian
mouse puppet, Topo Gigio, was on an
episode, my parents allowed me to get out of
bed to watch the magical and memorable
puppet performance. I remember thinking,
that little puppet mouse was the most
adorable creature on the planet and I wanted
desperately to be his friend.
When I was little, there was no pre-school
or group playtime for me. My best friends
were the puppet characters on another
famous American television show, “Mr.
Rodger’s Neighborhood” Traveling to the land
of make believe where all the puppets ruled
was my favorite part of the show. I grew up
with those puppet friends. I am certain those
characters have greatly influenced not only
my personality but also my career. The show
aired throughout most of my life. Even when I
was in junior high school, and I was sick and
had to miss a day of school, I would secretly
watch “Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood” and that
always made me feel better.
When I was approximately 5 years old my
Grandmother took me on my first “big boy”
bus trip into downtown Pittsburgh. I remember
going to the fancy Kauffman’s department
store to shop for my birthday present.
Grandma told me, I could have whatever I
wanted as long as it was under $5. I wanted
a puppet! I selected a small donkey hand
puppet that resembled the Mr. Roger’s puppet
character of a Donkey named Hodie. I named
my puppet Donkey Hodie and immediately
started to perform. I loved the repeat episodes
of “Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood” the best,
because I could act out Donkey Hodie’s parts
along with the television character’s lines and
action. I still have that donkey puppet. It sits
on my desk as a talisman to keep my
puppetry energy flowing.
What shape did your studies take in
puppetry while you were at West Virginia
University?
Attending a university was instrumental in
my development as a puppeteer. When it
came time for college the only thing I wanted
to study was theatre. I was determined that I
would become one of the few lucky rich and
famous actors. My father was a practical
man, who worked most of his life in a steel
mill. He declared that he would pay for
anything but a “theatre” education. Luckily, I
was accepted to West Virginia University on a
full talent scholarship. Dad softened up after
that and has since always encouraged me to
follow my dreams.
Puppetry education was offered at WVU,
and is still taught under the guidance of the
remarkable Joann Siegrist. Joann cast me in
my first university production as a puppeteer. I
played the roles of Baby Bird and Sammy the
Grass Snake in the play Little Red Riding
Hood. It was thrilling to be a freshman and
part of a big show, but I was most interested
in being an actor, not a puppeteer. However,
the confidence I gained from this first puppet
performance most likely lead to my being cast
in many college productions as an actor.
During my second semester at WVU I played
the part of Puck, in A Mid-Summer Nights
Dream. Thirty years later, I still have
nightmares that I cannot remember all those
lines!!! Acting never came easy for me. I
wanted desperately to be on stage but I
would at times become emotionally unglued,
filled with performance anxiety. While acting in
those college productions I often wished for
the security of having a puppet character in
front of me as I did in that first show.
Immediately after graduating I moved to
Houston, Texas to perform as an actor at the
Alley Theatre. I worked for nearly slave-wages,
but I had the opportunity to be in several main
stage shows earning equity points in a large
union house. I worked with incredibly talented
actors, who at the time seemed ancient to
me. Some of them were in their 50s, 60s, and
possible older. They were still living like
gypsies, always searching for their next job.
Their instability, in spite of their talent, terrified
me. I decided then that only way to guarantee
work in the theatre was to create your own.
Where and when did the events
entertainment side of your business
come from? And… How was The
Children’s Theatre of Houston significant
in your journey?
After my contract was finished with the
Alley I teamed up with one of the other young
company members and we began our own
touring company, called The Children’s
Theatre of Houston. We wrote our plays, and
performed in them. We made the costumes,
sets and puppets. Suddenly I was not just
acting. I was using everything I studied in
college and creating award winning theatre.
Our little company was voted number one in
arts and education by the Cultural Arts
Council of Houston, for two consecutive
years. It was wonderful to have our artistic
achievements recognized but this did not help
pay the rent so I began to supplement my
income by working as a waiter for an upscale
catering company.
Suddenly I was thrust into a world of
charity balls. I loved being a part of the
dramatic elements these gala events had. I
was on the wait staff to work the opening of a
new arts centre in Houston. As part of the
celebration, a performance art group was
brought in from New York City to provide
strolling entertainment at the inauguration
dinner. Most of the acts consisted of actors
mixing with the guests while wearing elaborate
costumes. Some puppetry elements were
included. One act was a man and woman in
safari attire with a giant snake coiled around
the couple. All three characters were somehow
all manipulated by one actor. I was transfixed. I
found myself forgetting about my waiter duties
and I followed around the performers instead
of attending the guests. This was my
inspiration to create Puppet Pizzazz.
Soon I began to create my own
characters with party entertainment in mind.
My specialty became full body puppet
characters of outrageous party guests that
crashed events and engaged the guests in
comedic conversation. The unique feature of
my puppets was that the performer’s legs
were actually the legs of the puppets, making
it possible for my characters to stroll, sit, or
“get down on the dance floor”.
In spite of it being required to take
costume construction in college, my
technique of sewing was more hot glue rather
than needle and thread. This worked well
enough over the first few years but as time
went by and the events I was entertaining at
became more sophisticated, so my puppet
construction and puppet wardrobe needed to
follow suit. I eventually hired Marsha
MacDonald, a friend experienced in fine
couture and costuming, to make dresses for
my puppets. As time went by and I could
afford more help, Marsha took over most of
my party puppet construction. She has a
talent for construction, and particularly
enjoyed refining my ideas. This afforded me
the time to concentrate on building my
business and developing my performances.
Puppet Pizzazz now has a branch of
operation based in Paris, directed by the
French puppeteer, Charles Rabhi. Together,
we have been taking our unique entertainment
around the world, performing for princes and
presidents. Charles recently awed Prince
Albert of Monaco at a small private birthday
party in the south of France. I once almost
caused former president George Bush senior
a heart attack, when I gave him a hug while
dressed in my giant 8 foot tall mother rabbit
character. As I approached the president he
had a genuine look of horror in his eyes.
Perhaps he thought I was a terrorist, or maybe
he was not a fan of the play “Harvey”…
I love the duality of my career. During the
day I often play the role of the wholesome
puppeteer, touring schools with my educational
puppetry productions as well as conducting
puppet making and manipulation workshops. I
love sharing my puppet expertise with children
and educators, but am very happy that
“puppets are not just for children” and at night I
can be “the life of the party” playing the part of
a wild and naughty Carmen Miranda, or
Eduardo, the latin lover with a chiseled six pack.
How did the work for the Very Special
Arts project come about?
It was 1996 and I had been practicing a
career as a puppeteer for many years but still
was very much the struggling artist, still
needing to supplement my income by being
the catering waiter. Out of the blue, my
puppetry professor, Joann, offered me the
chance of a life time. On a day when I was
feeling particularly insecure about my career,
Scene | 2010-11 December Issue 2 | 7
Joann called me up and asked if I would like
to spend my summer working in Asia, touring
China, India, and Thailand. I was hired by the
organization called Very Special Arts to
conduct workshops for special needs
educators, instructing them in how to
incorporate puppetry into their everyday
curriculum. The experience was extremely
fulfilling and gave me the confidence to come
back to Houston and give up being a waiter
and become a full time puppeteer.
Can you give examples of puppets being
used to raise money at events, such as
raffles, auctions and product promotion?
Performance at special events demands
that our puppet characters be the “life of the
party”. We walk around an event and make
the guests laugh. Our humor is never put
down jokes. If we make fun of anyone, it is
our own character or the other puppet we are
teamed up with. We want the guests to feel
great about themselves. “Darling, you look
fabulous!!!! For a moment I was confused and
I thought I was looking in a mirror. That dress
looks better on you than it ever looked on
me… I am going to let you keep it!” “Excuse
me Mister, please tell me that you are single
and available and that pretty woman with you
is your sister!”
Often our puppets are engaged to perform
practical duties at an event such as the difficult
feat of encouraging the guests to move from a
cocktail hour to sit down and dine. Or we are
hired to encourage the guests to buy raffle
tickets or bid at a silent auction. We are also
proficient at getting attention and promoting
products at trade shows or conferences.
Sometimes our job is all about getting guests
out on the dance floor. What might seem
obnoxious for a real person to do can seem
funny when a puppet performs the same action.
As a performer I totally lose my inhibitions
behind my puppet character. I believe that the
party guests also lose their inhibitions because
they are dealing with a puppet. They forget that
there is a real person just behind our puppets,
and are able to engage in a fantasy world and
play again like a child.
Can you give us a glimpse into the type
of shows you perform?
“A Puppet Pizzazz Extravaganza” is the
big educational and fun variety show which I
have been performing an evolving version
since my early days of puppeteering.
In this 45-minute high energy
performance I share my unique world of
puppet magic while demonstrating an array of
intriguing puppetry styles. I typically start
small, demonstrating something cute and
cuddly or terribly funny and I build up to the
grand finale of bringing to life a giant puppet
character. Some puppets dance others tell
jokes or act out stories. I always feature a
character made entirely out of recycled
materials. If the venue allows for shadow
puppetry that is a favorite component of the
show. It’s not over until the giant space alien
lands or the eight foot cow does a square
dance!
This performance is appropriate for all
ages. I love to look out at my audience, at the
top of the show, and see teachers who
quickly put their papers or computer down
and enthusiastically enjoy the performance.
Honestly, when I was a child I was bored
with most of the puppet shows. I was so
curious about what was going on back stage
8 | Scene | 2010-11 December Issue 2
and how the illusions were created. So this
performance basically turns things inside out.
I allow my audience to see how everything is
made and manipulated, and after giving away
all my puppetry secrets I encourage my
audience to go home, make their own puppet
and perform.
An ideal situation is to perform the Puppet
Pizzazz Extravaganza along with puppeteer,
Charles Rabhi, the director of our Paris based
branch when we are brought together as
guest artists. Charles travels with half of the
show’s puppets from the best of our Parisian
puppet collection and I transport half of the
show from our Houston base. This is what we
did recently when we performed shows in a
500-seat amphitheatre at the Khartoum
International and Community School. The
money raised by ticket sales was being
donated to the schools charity community
outreach programme. We wanted to make
the show extra spectacular.
What did the guest artist residency in
Khartoum consist of?
We were fortunate to be invited twice in
2009 and 2010 to the Khartoum International
and Community School know as KICS.
Our KICS Residency included the
following components:
• Performed assembly shows introducing the
unique world of puppetry to students from
pre-school through year 12 IBDP students.
• Visited classrooms and conducted a variety
of hands on puppetry workshops.
• Taught a week long after school puppetry
class. The students made giant shadow
puppet creations that were used in a class
project.
• Facilitated a teacher workshop dedicated
to the subject of recycling. Over 100
educators from the greater Khartoum area
made and performed with puppets created
from plastic bags and other found objects.
• Performed and conducted workshops at
the Jaref Home for Boys and the Cheshire
House, a care facility for children with
disabilities.
• Helped raise money for sponsored charities
by providing featured entertainment at the
KICSPA (Parent organization) Annual Street
Fair, a fundraiser open to the community
and visited by 2000 patrons.
• We “astonished” guests with larger-than-life
puppet creations at private parties hosted
by diplomats and the KICS school director.
What personal and professional goals do
you have for the foreseeable future?
And… How do you see Puppet Pizzazz
continuing and developing in the future?
I am certainly leaving myself open to any
possibilities. There is always the hope I will be
offered my own Las Vegas review, or a
leading puppet role in a new smash
Broadway show, or perhaps a reality television
show based on my party puppets, (or win the
lottery!) Seriously, I am always searching for
other guest artist positions around the world.
Puppets and travel are my favorite things in
life so to combine the two makes for a very
satisfying career in the dramatic arts.
PUPPET PIZZAZZ’S REPERTOIRE OF
WORKSHOPS
Taken from:
http://www.puppetpizzazz.com/puppet_pizza
zz_educational_programs.html
Teacher Workshops
Capture your student’s attention with the
power of Puppetry. These creative and
instructional hands on sessions explore how
you can easily add the excitement of puppetry
into any lesson plan. Sessions will be created
to fit your special interest or the curriculum
you intend to teach.
Shadow Puppetry
Perfect for all ages. Explore the ancient
world of shadow puppetry. Make a stage from
a cardboard box, or sheet and pull the old
overhead projector out of the school storage
closet. Consider this fast, easy, fun and
affordable way to create endless puppetry
possibilities.
Recycling and Puppet Making
Turn trash into treasure and help save the
Planet Earth while making puppets. Learn to
create an array of fascinating characters
without spending a lot of money on supplies.
These workshops for young or old are
designed to match your interests and
availability of items needing recycling.
Penguin Pizzazz
Geared for early child hood education.
Imagine giant loveable, huggable and friendly
Professor Penguin entering the classroom and
sharing knowledge about the life and habitat
of real penguins. Plenty of fun and excitement
will abound from this memorable interactive
creative dramatic experience.
Table Top Puppetry
Learn to make and perform with simple
rod puppets, using puppets from the Puppet
Pizzazz collection. Or we can teach you how
to create your own puppets and plays.
Mask Making and Performance
Create your own unique masks and
learn how to use them in your own
dramatic production. Great for older
students and the artistically inclined.
Charles Rabhi joins Greg Ruhe at
Puppet Pizzazz, directing Les
Marionnetees En Folies in Paris.
Charles will join ISTA staff at the
forthcoming Middle School Festival in
Geneva, focusing on puppetry.
Charles Rabhi’s theatrical skills
were honed at the Theatre studio 516 at
la Salle Pleyel in Paris where he studied
under the direction of the renowned
Madame Teresa. After many satisfying
years of acting in both comedies and
dramas Charles jumped the pond to
apprentice at Puppet Pizzazz where he
performed at hundreds of events across
the United States and eventually became
co-director of the company. While in
Houston, Charles orchestrated Puppet
Pizzazz’s work at the Children’s Museum
of Houston, Texas Children’s Hospital,
MD Anderson Cancer Research Center,
and River School for special needs
students. After working in Houston for
seven years, Charles opened Puppet
Pizzazz’s European group “Les
Marionnettes en Folies” based in
Paris. Charles enjoys traveling across the
globe sharing puppet performances and
educational puppetry experiences. In
2009 Charles was thrilled to be a guest
artist at the Khartoum International and
Community School in Sudan. Charles’s
favorite performance to date was
entertaining Prince Albert at a party in
Monaco.