D23 - Disney's Muppet Studios

I was thrilled to be asked to work with the Muppets for the D23 Expo. For the presentation I performed two chickens, was crammed into a tiny boat with fourteen other people, and loved every minute of it.

You can see a small snippet of the performance below. I performed the two chickens on the lower left hand side of the screen.

Disney's Mars Needs Moms - TwoCat and Cat puppeteer

Recently, I worked as a puppeteer for the upcoming Disney feature film, Mars Needs Moms starring Seth Green and Dan Fogler. I puppeteered a loveable mechanical robot named TwoCat and a puppet cat.

This puppeteering helped the actors to have a point of focus and something to respond to. It will be used to guide the animators on this motion capture project as they move through the animation phase as well.

Look for this film in 2011.

Gogol Project - Medji, Newsboy, Mail Clerk, Tailor, Others

The Gogol Project, produced by the Rogue Artist Ensemble, was a live stage show involving puppets, mask work and mime work. I joined the cast as a puppeteer and played a variety of characters.

I sang an over the top love song as the dog Medji with my fellow dog, Fidele, played by Joel Jimenez. I worked with a team of four puppeteers to bring the larger than life tailor to life. And I helped the rod-puppet clock dolls drive Aksenty crazy.

A great review from the LA Times:

          "...the detached proboscis of a pompous bureaucrat (Tom Ashworth) assumes a           respectable place in society, while his dog (expertly manned by puppeteer April           Warren) trades hilarious love letters with another pooch."

Pozaki Puppets - The Magic Bubble Box and Sticker Island

I perform throughout Southern California with Pozaki Puppets at children's birthday parties and special events. We provide a twenty-minute live show with a meet and greet of the puppets following.

Children's educational entertainment (especially involving puppets) has always been my passion. I feel very lucky to get paid to work with an amazing group of artists.

Little Red Puppets - Sock Zombie

I can also be seen in a series of web shorts about Sock Zombie, the sock puppet that, alas, just cant understand why she is so misunderstood. So what if she enjoys eating the other socks in the dryer?

Training - The Jim Henson Company's Puppet Up, Michael Earl

I recently joined the Puppet Up training class that meets once per week on the Henson lot. Puppetry is taught by Sean and Patrick Johnson and improvisation by Patrick Bristow. I feel honored to be part of such an amazingly talented group of puppeteers and improvisors.

* Puppet Up is a show that combines Henson style puppetry with comedy improvisation. It is now headed to New York under a new name, Stuffed and Unstrung.

I have also studied with former Muppeteer, Michael Earl in his beginning and advanced puppetry classes.