"This is a pretty professional group of students," said Frith, the art director for the production, who is known for his work with Jim Henson. "We're using their excitement and enthusiasm. We give them the experience of working with television puppeteers." When completed, the video, which is being produced by a London-based aid group called No Strings International, will then be shipped to hospitals, schools and any other outlets with television access.
The staff encourages amateur and professional puppeteers to perform new material and test unfamiliar forms of puppetry, ranging from marionettes to shadow-boxing, with noted professionals who work at the top of their field. Rick Lyon, a producer and creator of the puppets used in the musical Avenue Q, said in a telephone interview that he regarded the conference as an opportunity for inexperienced performers to gather advice from puppet masters.
"People learn by trial and error," he said. "I, for the most part, am self-taught. It's a difficult field to gain job training before entering the job market."
The program allowed aspiring puppeteers like Briggs the chance to experiment in a field that she might not otherwise have had the chance to explore. "There's only so much practicing you can do in your living room with a monitor," she said. "The idea is to push the limits of puppetry and to push yourself."
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