Shootin' The Lights Out in Plymouth

Plymouth is a cool little village in Eastern North Carolina, just upstream of the Inner Banks region. Clustered around the southern bank of the Roanoke River, it has the feel of a water town.

After a pleasant drive from Charlotte, I pulled in to town at dinnertime for two school performances the following day.

My taste buds were set on a fish sandwich and a cold beer. I envisioned dining at some riverside dive with my newspaper and the view to accompany me. However, it looked like the sidewalks in downtown Plymouth were rolled up pretty tight. I did have a peek inside the super cool Maritime Museum and while I stood gawking at a beautiful handmade 12’ Bateau that was being raffled off at the Community Art Center; I heard a pickup pull up behind me. A nice guy jumped out and asked me if I wanted to buy some raffle tickets. Ahhh, you have to love the small towns. He explained the boat was donated by its maker in an effort to raise money for the guy down at the Bike Shop who had to go in the hospital and had one hell of a bill to pay. I was “all in” to help out and gave him my address so that he could mail the raffle tickets. I should have asked him where to eat.

The fish sandwich wasn’t happening, but I vowed to seek out some local place, rather than succumbing (shudder) to the fast food chains back out on the big road. I saw a sponsor’s banner, “Mama’s Pizza” on the school ball field fence as I drove out of Plymouth proper. It sounded sort of promising. Mama’s Pizza wasn’t hard to find, it was nestled in a small strip center that was anchored by the Piggly Wiggly.

The place had a good vibe. A hearty mix of locals filled the joint; farmers, fisherman and golfers. They all talked across their tables about their children’s baseball games earlier that night. Cool.

It turned out to be a fine meal; a one trip salad bar followed up by a really great grilled vegetable ravioli. Fantastic. They even had that cold beer I was after. Plymouth you rock.

The next morning found me up and out of the hotel and standing in the office at Pines Elementary School promptly at 7:45am for a 9:00am performance. Things did not start out spectacularly. It went something like this:

Me: Good morning, I’m Drew Allison with Grey Seal Puppets. I’m here to set up for the puppet performance this morning.

School Secretary: (blank look of confusion.)

Me: (Stare back with expectation)

School Secretary: OoooooKayyyy. Where was it supposed to be, in the gym?

Me: I’m not sure.

School Secretary: Which grades were supposed to see it?

Me: I’m not sure.

School Secretary: (whips out walkie talkie) Mrs. Pendergast? Mrs. Pendergast?

Other School Secretary: She isn’t here. She’s gone to a meeting.

School Secretary: (with the slightest of tones) I’m going to have to go out to the Bus Ramp and ask the Assistant Principal where you’re supposed to be.

Suffice it to say that 20 minutes of my set up time was spent waiting in the office to be told where to go. Nobody’s fault really, but still kind of exasperating. Leave it to the students to save the day. They were a great audience and it was a blast performing for them.

I struck the show and grabbed a perfect veggie patty sub at the ubiquitous Subway, resplendent with pepper jack cheese, jalapenos and banana peppers. A great sandwich artist put that baby together. Then it was on to Creswell, NC for the afternoon performance.

Creswell Elementary had the thing that all school-bound troubadours are looking for; a custodian who runs the show. This guy was great. He got me primo parking inside the cones, turned on the stage lights and showed me the only outlet that I never would have found without him. Awesome.

So, you’re probably wondering about the title to this little piece. Well, there’s a scene in the show I was doing, A Show of Virtues, where a tiny bit of water is shot through a plastic syringe and sprinkles the audience. It has to do with the story of the Little Hero of Holland, the finger in the dyke, all that. The little plastic syringe is pretty amazing. I can hit the 8th or 9th row with this thing. Except for this time. Something went wrong with the trajectory and the water went straight up into the aforementioned stage lights. These were ancient scoop-like fixtures for you lighting techie-types. At any rate, the water shot up and in an instant one of the bulbs burst and along with the water a shower of glass clattered down all around me. It was pretty cool and rock star-like. I heard a 1^st grader instantly assess the situation: “He blowed the bulb out.” Indeed I did.

We all regrouped and the rest of performance went just fine. The Creswell students were as amazing as the Pines students that morning. As I packed up, the custodian returned. I heard a student say, “He’s coming with the vacuum to get that bulb up.”

Hilarious. Many thanks to the Washington County Schools and sweet Victoria Fields for a great day of puppeteering along the Roanoke River.

Classic Audience Comments

There's a special time at our studio when we all sit around the conference room table eating lunch. It's here that we take time to read aloud the amazing letters and drawings that children send us after watching a show. If you're ever feeling low, read some of these. Nothing makes you feel better. We also rehash some of the simply classic statements that are overhead during a performance. Little jewels that emanate up from the mouths of the innocent.

It's true. Children say the most wonderful things. We love to revel in the comments heard during our performances. Children seem to have a profound sense of succinctness that is delivered with perfect comedic timing.

Following our recent run of "The Emperor's New Clothes" at The Children's Theatre, I believe we have added another classic to our list. The show opens with the puppeteer creating a palace set piece; an abstract looking set of draperies fashioned from three pieces of fabric. It's a quick, non-verbal scene set to a jaunty piece of music. Following the scene, with a perfect delivery, a voice in the front row chimed, "you make an awfully good-looking window." How do you continue a performance after that hilarity?


Here's another classic from that same production, this one uttered years ago. Upon seeing the non-existent outfit in "The Emperor's New Clothes," our Counselor character stammers that the Emperor will be so, will be so . . . . and here was inserted perfectly by a 5th grader in the audience, "cold?"

Another time, pre-schoolers were enjoying, maybe, a performance of "Tangle of Tales. " It's a collection of short stories, perfect for the younger ones. As the first story finished and the lights came up for the second story, I distinctly heard an exasperated voice from the stage right side of the house peep, "Oh no, not another one. We're tired for Pete's sake!

Here's a random sampling of some things students said before, during and after my two performances of "A Show of Virtues" last month at Hawk Ridge Elementary School in Charlotte.

• At one point in the show the character I play, a salesman, rolls up his sleeves. After this, a small voice said, "he's got hair on his arms."



• After the Salesman wonders aloud, "how long will her courage last?" a voice from the audience confidently said, "6 minutes."



• As the audience left the multi-purpose room following the 2nd performance, a 3rd grader turned around and said to me, "so long, young man."

It kind of makes you wonder what's waiting around the corner at the next performance. I can't wait to find out.

Detroit after Christmas

It's not easy changing gears from holiday mode to work mode the day after a great family Christmas. But change gears I did, for a three day run at the super cool Detroit Institute of Arts.

The trip began ominously enough. I opened The Charlotte Observer early Saturday morning and read about someone lighting their pants on fire aboard a plane from Amsterdam to . . . Detroit. I tucked the headline away so that my wife wouldn't see it until I was airborne.

Happily, the flight and surrounding security pleasantries were fine and just like that I was unpacking the previously-shipped crate containing our show called "Bathtub Pirates" for a 2:00pm performance. The DIA's Michael Hill was a great sponsor and the three days of performances were a blast.

In between performances I would stroll the museum galleries, lodge at the unbelievable Inn on Ferry Street, watch some bowl games, try not to hear the couple in the room next door having an absolutely fantastic weekend and dine at the nearby Wasabi Korean and Japanese Restaurant.

Whenever I'm at the DIA, I love to study their collection of armor, marveling at the various pieces and what they must have been through. The Museum was recently renovated and has wonderful, extensive collections from many different eras and artists.

The Inn on Ferry Street is a comfortable collection of three turn of the century houses that have been converted into amazing rooms for travelers of all sorts. If you're ever in Detroit, you must check this place out.

I was without a vehicle and therefore would light out on foot each night in search of dinner. The first night at the aforementioned Wasabi, I enjoyed a wonderfully light and tasty plate of gyoza; little steamed veggie dumplings that were finished to a browned crisp in a wok. A nice glazed salmon and a cold Kirin completed the meal. I found myself there again the next night as the Creperie I had my sights set on was closed on this snowy cold night, despite the "Open" sign crackling in their window. So, it was a great selection of sushi and Sunday Night Football back at my spot at Wasabi's bar. Perfect.

After Monday's performance, I packed up the show for its return to Charlotte. I said my good byes to Michael and his colleague Lisa who were such a blast to work with. I was driven to the airport by a man with a Bluetooth thing in his ear and a pen and legal pad balanced on the steering wheel. He would take turns looking at the road, talking another language into the Bluetooth, scribbling on the pad and nodding off.

Security had been ratcheted up at the airport, but all went well. My wireless microphone case that I "carried on" with me caused much more of a stir this time, but that's OK. I was waiting for my suitcase at the carousel before I knew it.

The trip that started with an ominous newspaper article ended with the inherent goodness in people everywhere. As I waited for my bag, I heard someone behind me say, "Don't you worry, sweetheart, we will find it." I turned to see a vision-impaired man with a cane talking to his vision-impaired wife with a cool dog assisting her. They hurried up to an exit door and asked a complete stranger if this was indeed "Door D." The stranger said it was and they hurried on their way. Maybe you had to be there, but in a world where someone feels passionately enough to light himself on fire for his cause, somehow there was an equal passion of kindness here as well. Kindness between the man and his wife, their beloved dog and by the stranger who helped them.

What's In a Name?

People often ask us where our name "Grey Seal Puppets" came from. Sometimes solicitors call on the phone asking for Grace Hill. Sometimes folks wonder why there aren't seals in our performances. Sometimes people think we're crusaders, bent on saving the seals of the world Sea Shepard-style.

It's really much more humble than that.

Back in my high school days, I was the youngest of four siblings. My two older brothers and one older sister were all away at college. My father's job involved a lot of travel and my mother very much fancied to go with him whenever she could.

This left me home alone a lot, which I really rather enjoyed. I owe my love of cooking to this time in my life. It was sort of a do or die type of situation. My mother would leave some food in the refrigerator along with detailed directions on how to prepare it. I loved toiling away at my creative cookery, often becoming adventurous and veering off the neatly supplied instructions. I took great delight in these culinary forays.

But that doesn't really have anything to do with the name of our company.

Many times these parental trips would span a weekend. This provided me with the perfect venue for some pretty awesome parties. High Schoolers, a weekend and a parent-free house. Modestly enough, I have to say these parties grew to legendary status.
It was during my ceremonious prep time for these parties, sort of my pre-party warm up if you will, that I would put on Elton John's now-classic double album, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." If you know the work then you know that buried in the deepest of cuts is a sort of mournful little tune called,of course, "Grey Seal."

I can't remember what I liked so much about this song that it drove me to name a fledgling little puppet company after it, but that's exactly what I did. Oh, back then we had a much loftier sounding moniker, "Grey Seal Productions Puppet Studio." Impressive, aye? Over the years it was thankfully shortened to a more manageable "Grey Seal Puppets."

So now you know. If you get the chance, take a listen to this catchy little tune. In the meantime, here's the lyrics, which were written by Bernie Taupin.

Why's it never light on my lawn
Why does it rain and never say good-day to the new-born
On the big screen they showed us a sun
But not as bright in life as the real one
It's never quite the same as the real one
chorus
And tell me grey seal
How does it feel to be so wise
To see through eyes
That only see what's real
Tell me grey seal
I never learned why meteors were formed
I only farmed in schools that were so warn and torn
If anyone can cry then so can I
I read books and draw life from the eye
All my life is drawings from the eye
[repeat chorus]
Your mission bells were wrought by ancient men
The roots were formed by twisted roots
Your roots were twisted then
I was re-born before all life could die
The Phoenix bird will leave this world to fly
If the Phoenix bird can fly then so can I
[repeat chorus]

Ultra-cool School in Monroe, NC

I had a great couple of days performing in Union County, N.C. last week. I found myself at the swanky Central Academy of Technology and Arts, a magnet high school in Monroe. It was one of those situations where school groups were bussed in to the beautiful campus auditorium. These were very young children attending the performances, so it was definitely time for our venerable production called "Tangle of Tales." It seems to work well for younger audiences because rather than one long story, it's a collection of shorter ones. Therefore, it tends to hold young attention spans better.

The day started with the obligatory fly by the school office. This had a little different feel, it being high school kids and all. This was immediately apparent when I encountered an earnest conversation between the school secretary and a high schooler with a "Hooters" T-shirt on. The student insisted that the t-shirt was part of his right to free speech, the secretary was just as sure that the Principal would make him turn the shirt inside out for now.

With the coveted "Visitor" sticker in place on my Grey Seal T-shirt, I headed around to the back of the theatre for the load in. Drama Teacher Larry Robinson met me there with his students to help roll in my stuff. What a luxury!

The two performances went swell enough. But what made this gig so neat was the high school students themselves. I got to meet and talk with Larry's Senior and Freshman drama classes. They were fantastic. What was even more refreshing was these same students were able to see the performance of Tangle of Tales too. It was cool to hear the reactions from the pre-schoolers and then the adult laughter of the Drama students as they responded to a different layer of humor. After the performance, I chatted with the Freshman class. They asked the most amazing questions about the performances, puppetry and life as a puppeteer. Then I asked them a question and received an amazing answer, "do you all have drama every day?" The answer? "We sure do!" Awesome!

So, hooray for Larry Robinson and the important work he is doing at the Central Academy of Technology and Performing Arts. Hooray to the Union County School System for implementing such a wondrous campus. But most of all, hooray to the students there. They were confident, very together and focused on their goals. It was great being with them.

Chugging Away In the Workshop

I always think it's neat when our dusty old "business plan" seems to be working the way it's suppose to. When we started Grey Seal away back in the roaring '70's, the idea was to have several "irons in the fire" at all times. That way, if one iron cooled off, hopefully, another would heat up. Our three irons have always been live performances, on-camera performances and custom-built characters.

So, now I'm seeing long Summer road trips around the country to perform in libraries and theatres give way to Fall building projects here in the studio. We are so lucky to have a really neat myriad of projects to work on.

We just finished a HUGE project for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. They are launching the largest cruise ship in the world, the Oasis of the Seas, and we built 29 super-cool masks to be a part of the on board entertainment. Cheralyn Lambeth headed up the project here and did a great job. The masks had to be virtually indestructible and involved cool materials like "alumacore" inserts, 1/16" airline cable, aluminum pool poles and about a gazillion 10/24" nylock nuts and bolts. A lot of work, but we were very happy with the end results!

Now it's on to a slew of sports team mascots. This is the time of year the pro guys get their costumes tweaked or rebuilt. On the workshop tables now are a new Hugo the Hornet for the New Orleans Hornets, Roofus the Charlotte Bobcat, Sir Purr from the Carolina Panthers and Norm from the Charlotte 49ers. Oh, and the local hospital's favorite fish, Dr. Gil Getwell, has come in for a new stethoscope and some seam repair.

On the very near horizon are two on-camera projects as well. We have begun construction on puppets for an oral hygiene DVD aimed at 4-6 year olds. Next week we begin construction on puppets for another pilot as well. More on that when the non-disclosure is lifted! Grey Seal Puppets will be providing puppeteers for both of these projects too.

So, we're chugging away in the workshop. It's awesome to have these hot irons in the fire!

Never Heard That Before

As a traveling performer I've seen and heard and experienced a lot of wacky stuff. But in over 20 years on the road, I'd never heard what was uttered amidst the audience the other day at a performance of "Tangle of Tales" at the Gaston County Public Library.

Heck, I've seen a stark-naked child walk across the stage during a performance. Puppeteer Donald Devet was manipulating a character in front of our puppet theatre that was perched atop a large street festival stage one hot summer day. From backstage I heard a collective sort of gasping chuckle from the audience. I peeked out to see a young boy, let's say 4 or 5ish. He was completely naked as he casually strolled from stage right to stage left, inches from Donald and his puppet, Bruno, the ugliest man in the world. But then again, this was in Asheville, so what the hay.

Then there was the time in New York City when Death caught on fire. We were at the Asphalt Green Theatre doing "The Nightingale." In the Emperor's dramatic dying scene, he is surrounded by lighted candles as Death approaches. Death was a marionette. As I deftly manipulated Death past the candles and towards the reclining Emperor, I realized that I wasn't deft enough. Smoke and a small yellow flame appeared around Death's shinbone. I heard a woman in the second row, with a thick Brooklyn accent, say "He's on fye-yah." Alarmed, but keeping a stage face, I dramatically stepped on Death in hopes of extinguishing the flame. I removed my foot to see fresh flames and more smoke as strings began burning in two and Death was left dangling by his elbow string, the only one that remained. The woman in the second row spoke a little louder this time, "he's still on fye-yah!" I threw theatre to the wind and stomped on Death and finally extinguished the flames. I dragged him by his one string upstage and out of site.

But let's get back to the scene at the Gaston County Library the other day. Now, I didn't hear this, but I was told about it after the performance by the librarian. It seems that as the 250 folks filed into the theatre, security was summoned after an exchange between two mothers that went like this:

"If your child sits in front of my child, I'm going
to kick your ass."

Can you believe that? The affronted woman went to the librarian to tell her what had happened. The unflappable librarian replied, "Well, I suggest you sit over there, then."

So, there you have it. Another one for the books. Or the blog. As someone told me years ago, gee whiz it's just a puppet show!