Stage Talk with Rick Koster
Where every show has something to say.
A Pathway to Passionate Puppetry — “Fraggle Rock” Style
At 3 p.m. Sunday, the Garde Arts Center will be overrun with mirth, music and Muppetry when “Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock Live” takes the stage.
Not only is the production suitable for all ages, it’s DESIGNED to delight all ages. The cast includes Vincenzo Garuolo, a New York City-based puppeteer, puppet designer/fabricator, actor and singer — who also happens to be a recent graduate of UConn’s Puppet Arts program. Given the “homecoming” nature of Vincenzo’s return to Connecticut, we thought it would be fun and enlightening to talk with him about what it’s like to be a young artist embarking on a career in a high-profile capacity.
We spoke with him by phone in Washington D.C. where the “Fraggle Rock” cast was enjoying a day off. He was investing his time wisely, touring the Smithsonian Institute when his phone rang with our call.
In conversation, Vincenzo, 23, exhibits a boyish sense of wonder and, at the same time, a passion for his art that demonstrates wisdom beyond his years. Here are excerpts, edited for space and clarity.
The Garde: You’re in the Smithsonian as we speak. Is that a pretty cool experience?
Vincenzo: It is very cool. I went here when I was super little, so I haven’t been here in a while, but it’s great. They actually have some Muppets on display, which is fun. They have Elmo and Rosita and Oscar the Grouch from “Sesame Street,” and then they have some of Jim Henson’s early Muppets from “The Muppet Show” and “Sam and Friends,” too. So, I was super excited when we found out we were coming here.
Garde: Could you try to steal any of the muppets?
Vincenzo: No. But, well, let me think about it. I think security is a bit too high in this place, unfortunately, but maybe if I see an opportunity.
Garde: You know, art theft is, is becoming a thing again, so you might as well give it a shot.
Vincenzo: Yeah, why not just jump on the bandwagon a bit, right?
Garde: Do you remember the first time you saw a puppet? Was it on TV? In person?
Vincenzo: Well, I grew up watching “Sesame Street” and “The Muppet show” on DVD. I always loved anything (having to do with) Jim Henson or anything with puppets or Muppets from the time I was very little.
I loved stuffed animals and things like that. My mom said when I was like an infant, I would just gaze at the little toys hanging from my cradle. She said I would talk to them and stuff. She also said I would always bring everything to life, whether it was a paper bag or a paper plate. Anything. I would try bringing it to life and make it talk.
Garde: Do you remember the first time you saw a person with a puppet?
Vincenzo: I remember when my first-grade teacher was teaching us our vowels and syllables using this silicone lizard puppet. And I’ll never forget, I was just mind-blown and obsessed with how she was able to manipulate and move its mouth to show us exactly how to, you know, say the different vowels or syllables.
I was obsessed with how she was bringing this puppet to life. To me, it’s like no one else was in the room, including the teacher. It was just this talking lizard and I was learning from it. I still think about that a lot.
Garde: You’re 23. I’m not trying to sound old, though I am, but do you appreciate how
amazing it is to discover something that magical in the first grade? At least in the context that it became your career and your passion?
Vincenzo: Definitely. My whole life, I’ve known I wanted to be a puppeteer. I’ve always played with puppets, performed with puppets. Any talent shows at school, I would always perform with a puppet. That’s what I’d do in my free time.
Garde: Now you’re in a national touring production of the incredibly popular and enduring “Fraggle Rock.” First, in general, talk a little bit about the demographics of the show from night to night. Obviously, the expectation is that children and the younger audience will go nuts. But I suspect parents, many of whom show up because, well, they’re in attendance so the kiddos can see the show, have a great time, too. Is that accurate?
Vincenzo: I gotta tell you, “Fraggle Rock” has one of the best and broadest fan bases ever. I mean, the fans are just incredible. Every night, the energy that radiates from the audience onto the stage is amazing. But you’re right: one of the real special things about this show is that it is literally for ages from one to 100. Going in, people may THINK it’s a kid show and, of course, we get a lot of children and young adults. But we get just as many adults who grew up with the show in the ’80s.
Here’s an example of the range of fans. I and a couple other cast members were a part of an off Broadway run at the New Victory Theater early last summer. And we actually had two Adult Nights, as we called them. Adults only, and they sold adult beverages and stuff. Both shows sold out and the reaction was insane.
And one more: We do VIP Meet & Greet experiences before the show. You get to meet two of the Fraggles and have your picture taken with them. Yesterday, we had 71 people in line, and I would say probably thirty percent were children. The other seventy percent, I kid you not, were adults.
Garde: You’re right. I wouldn’t have expected that. But I love that affection for the show transcends age and, if you’re a fan, you’re a fan.
Vincenzo: Credit John Tartaglia. He wrote, directed it, choreographed it, produced it, and he is just … like a magician. I mean, he’s an incredible puppeteer, artist, writer. And he’s done such an incredible job with this show along with the TV show. He does all those things as well. And he also, uh, is the puppeteer and voice of Gobo, Sprocket, Architect Doozer and many others. We have such an amazing cast and ensemble. We all have a lot of responsibilities and the love and energy that goes into this is everything you could want for a show.
Garde: What ARE your responsibilities in this production?
Vincenzo (laughs): Well, like I said, we all do a lot. For me, I’m one of the puppeteers on the show. I have a primary puppeteer track (the precise path of movements the puppet must follow), but we all have a swapping rotated schedule and share the different tracks. My primary track is puppeteer track, but um, I also swing in for two of the five Fraggles.
Garde: I’m someone whose expertise in puppetry is sadly confined to Marks A Lot facial features drawn on a sock, so can you give an example of how you move the mouth in a full body puppet?
Vincenzo: Sure! Those large full body walkaround style puppets are pretty much like costumes, but different from a sports team’s mascot suit in the sense that the face isn’t frozen. There’s a bike-brake mechanism cable that runs from the head down the arm, and we pull this trigger and it actually moves the mouth. So, we’re lip syncing in real time to the show track.
Garde: And there must be dozens of such intricacies going on at any given moment. But, aside from being onstage as a member of the company, what else do you do?
Vincenzo: I’m the puppet captain, which means I maintain all the puppetry in the show. I’m in charge of making sure all the puppetry elements and performing elements of the show are as good as they should be.
I’m also the puppet wrangler, which means I’m the on-set puppet builder for the show. If a puppet breaks, or if a puppet needs a quick repair, or if a Fraggle comes running offstage and needs help getting out of costume — maybe to fix a chin strap and then get dressed again and back out there very quickly, that’s my job. I’m basically in charge of all the puppets in the walk-around costumes on the road. Um, I clean them. I maintain them. I make sure that they’re looking their best.
Garde: You basically need to be able to think instinctively and at top speed.
Vincenzo: Yeah, you pretty much have to be a fast thinker and problem solver. A puppet wrangler might have three seconds to fix this eyeball that came off one of the puppets, or if an arm rod came out, or if the neck sleeve is starting to come undone. And, you know, I want to do it all with integrity. To me, being in charge of these puppets that, you know, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop built and designed is a huge, huge honor and responsibility.
Garde: Let’s back up a bit. You had the passion and desire early on, and now you’re on tour with “Fraggle Rock” doing multiple tasks beyond just performance. I assume going to UConn and graduating from their puppetry arts department was a huge help. In high school, were you even aware colleges HAD puppetry arts programs?
Vincenzo: I’m thinking back. I’ll just say that, when I found out that UConn had a puppet arts program, it just became a no-brainer. I don’t really even think I was surprised or shocked. I went straight to, “OK, great, well, now I know where I’m going to school.”
Garde: Did you walk onto campus equipped with all the puppets you’d made. Like, “I’m ready!”
Vincenzo (laughs): It’s sort of funny, but it wasn’t until the UConn’s puppet arts program that I even started building puppets. As much as I was into puppetry, I never MADE one, for some reason. I was kind of intimidated and didn’t really know where to start. Which is sort of silly since you can go on Youtube and learn to build just about anything.
But I went to a performing arts high school and had focused on performing and singing because I didn’t really think about a curriculum actually devoted to puppetry. Anyway, I got to UConn and I was like, “Oh my gosh. This is something I can literally do for a living. I can do this the rest of my life!”
Literally my first weekend on campus, I started building a puppet. Normally in the program, you don’t really start building puppets until spring semester of your sophomore year. That’s when you really start to get into fabrication classes. Before that, it’s a lot of the Gen Ed classes, and a lot of technical theater classes. But I didn’t want to wait. I started building a puppet. I started figuring it out. I just started asking questions.
Garde: And the program was everything you hoped for?
Vincenzo: Everything! I wanted to take advantage of every second of my time there, take advantage of the resources, take advantage of Bart Roccoberton, who’s director of the program. He’s just a wealth of knowledge, and it was an honor to learn under him the last four years. That program is like puppeteer heaven.
Garde: It’s reassuring to hear someone talk with such passion about their career, and who speaks so highly about the educational process to get there.
Vincenzo: UConn really equipped me with everything that I need to pursue this professionally. I remember one of the first things Bart said in my first interview with him. He said, “Our students come out of our program being very well rounded; being able to do many things in in many different artistic disciplines.”
He wants his students to be able to, to say, “Hey, I can build that if they need a carpenter” or “Hey, I can fabricate or make molds of faces.” The idea is to be ready for anything and I’m very proud to say I can do that now.
Garde: And Sunday you’ll continue to do so when “Fraggle Rock” comes to the Garde, just a few miles down the road from your alma mater. I assume you’re looking forward to it.
Vincenzo: It will be great to be back in Connecticut and hopefully see some friends and colleagues. I hear wonderful things about the Garde. We look forward to the opportunity to perform and share “Fraggle Rock” with its message and outpouring of love.
People see the show and send us messages to let us know how much the show means to them — particularly at this time in the world. They were able to get out for one night or afternoon and feel positive and have fun and be energized. It’s incredibly special and we’re incredibly lucky to have a small part in people’s lives in that way.