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When
is your next album coming out?
What's your favorite song?
Do you have kids?
Do you write all your songs?
Who makes the puppets?
How do you make the puppets?
Is this your job?
Where do you do your shows?
How did you get started?
Who made the puppet stage?
Where can I get more information about Elizabeth McMahon?
When is your next album coming out?
The Classroom
Boogie came out in 2003. Don't
Kiss a Codfish came out on CD in 2005. At this point, I'm focusing on adding
new songs to the puppet show, working with Otter and Moo, and marketing the CDs that I already have. To find out the
latest, sign up on the email mailing
list.
You can hear some new Tom Knight songs on a CD called Toddlers' Tango.
What's your favorite song?
My favorite song is usually the one I'm working on at
the moment. Of the songs on the new album, my favorite right now is
"Wiggle Worm," because I get to dance around and act goofy when I sing
it.
Do you have kids?
No, I don't. I just like working with kids, and seem to
have an affinity for writing and performing for that unique audience. I might have
kids of my own someday, but for now, I like making friends with all the kids who
come to my performances. To top
Do
you write all your songs?
I write almost all the songs I do for kids. The few
exceptions are "Place in the Choir" by Bill Staines,
"Habitat" by Bill Oliver, and "Waltzing with Bears" by Dale
Marxen. I recorded a couple songs by Elizabeth
McMahon on the Easy as Pie album. To top
Who
makes the puppets?
I make all the puppets myself. I learned a lot about
puppet making from Elizabeth McMahon (see below). Most of the puppets are made
out of foam and fabric. I do as much sewing on the machine as possible, and then
sew the rest by hand. I also made the shirt I wear, the puppet stage, and
all the props. To top
How do you make the puppets?
First, I try to figure out what I want the puppet to
do - speak, or gesture, or move in a certain way. For a speaking puppet, I
make one with a mouth. For a puppet that gestures, I make a puppet with hands,
or a stick puppet.
Then I make a model out of clay, and copy that model in
foam. If I'm trying to make an animal, I usually get a book from the library
that has pictures of the animal.
Then I cover the foam base with fabric, and add things
like hair, eyes, mouth, and clothes.
Depending on the complexity of the puppet, it may take
an afternoon, or a couple weeks to finish it.
It’s fun to take something from my imagination and
bring it to life. To top
Is
this your job?
I've been making a living as a puppeteer and musician
since 1992. I feel very fortunate to be able to make a living doing
something I love. I write songs and record them, I make up puppet skits, and
perform in front of an audience, and something I made up becomes a part of
people’s lives.
I really love being able to use my creativity in so many
different ways to connect with people. That’s the whole point of what I do and
that’s what makes it all worth it. To top
Where
do you do your shows?
I perform at libraries, museums, schools, festivals,
pre-schools and theaters throughout the Northeast. I’ve done tours of
libraries in Northern Virginia and Pennsylvania, as well as a tour of
libraries in Las Vegas.
In 2004, I did a show at the Museum of Natural History at the
Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. To top
How
did you get started?
I started working with puppets in 1986. I was an assistant
teacher at the Ithaca Montessori School. Another teacher there, Monica MacNamee
was the leader of a puppet troupe called the Punchinella Puppeteers. Monica
found out that I was a musician and asked me to play music for the puppet shows.
We did things like "You Can’t Make a Turtle Come Out," and
"Caps for Sale."
One of the other members of the Punchinella Puppeteers was
Elizabeth McMahon. Elizabeth’s son was one of the kids at the Montessori
School.
In 1988, Monica MacNamee left Ithaca, and the Punchinella
Puppeteers broke up. Elizabeth and I decided to create our own puppet
group, the Peanut Butter and Jelly Puppeteers. I did the music, and
Elizabeth did the puppets.
We worked together for 9 years. Over time, Elizabeth
started writing and performing her own songs, and I got more involved in the
puppetry. She came out from behind the puppet stage, and I went behind it.
By 1997, we both decided to create solo puppet shows.
Now I do about 150 shows a year. To top
Who made the puppet stage?
I made the puppet stage out of parts from a tent. This is
the 5th puppet stage I’ve made. This is the lightest, most compact,
and easiest to travel with. Plus, if I ever need a place to stay, I can just
camp out in my puppet stage. Not really. I also use the stage for doing shadow
puppets. To top
Where can I get more information about Elizabeth
McMahon?
You can find out more about Elizabeth by going to www.MrsMcPuppet.com. Call her at (607) 844-8734, or email her at
MrsMcP@aol.com. To top
[home][puppets][puppet video][swing
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][lyrics][my favorite
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