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[[Image:Logo.puppetup.png|right|300px]]
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[[File:Puppet Up Logo 2009.jpg|thumb|300px]]
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[[Image:Improv.jpg|right|300px]]
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[[File:Puppetup_cast.jpg|thumb|300px|''Puppet Up'' puppets.]]
 
[[Image:Puppet up 1a.jpg|thumb|300px]]
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[[Image:puppetupcast.jpg|thumb|300px|Clockwise from top, Allan Trautman, Brian Henson, Paul Rugg, Victor Yerrid, Drew Massey and Julianne Buescher with characters from ''Puppet Up!''.]]
 
 
[[Image:Puppet up 2a.jpg|thumb|300px]]
'''''[[The Jim Henson Company]]'s Puppet Up!''''', also known as ''Puppet Up! - Uncensored'' and originally titled ''Jim Henson’s Puppet Improv'', was started "to demonstrate what happens when the perilous and provocative forms of traditional comedic improvisation are mixed with the art of puppetry" [http://www.puppetup.com]. The show is strongly advertised for "adults only" and as "uncensored." However one rare and "exclusive" set of shows "for children" was held in Edinburgh in 2006.
 
   
 
'''''Puppet Up!''''' is a show that was started "to demonstrate what happens when the perilous and provocative forms of traditional comedic improvisation are mixed with the art of puppetry."<ref>[http://www.puppetup.com PuppetUp.com]</ref> The show was originally titled ''Jim Henson's Puppet Improv'', and has since evolved into ''Stuffed & Unstrung''.
The sketches in the live show are not pre-planned, and the shows contain all true improv. The puppeteers in the Henson improv troupe trained with Groundlings performer [[Patrick Bristow]] for nine months to perfect their improv skills prior to their first show. Just like the Groundlings, the Henson Improv sketches are performed based on audience suggestions.
 
   
 
The sketches in the live show are not pre-planned, and the shows contain all true improv. The puppeteers in the Henson improv troupe trained with Groundlings performer Patrick Bristow for nine months to perfect their improv skills prior to their first show; and monthly performer training classes continue to this day. Just like the Groundlings, the Henson Improv sketches are performed based on audience suggestions.
==History==
 
[[Brian Henson]], producer of the show, recalled the genesis of the show in a 2006 interview stating, "we began doing puppet improv workshops to hone our comedy skills and realized that we were having so much fun that audiences might enjoy watching too." In the fall of 2005 a show was performed in the sound stage of [[Charlie Chaplin Studios|the Jim Henson Studios]] for friends and invited industry guests. The two shows were so successful that the group was invited to [[Colorado|Aspen]] for the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
 
   
  +
The show is strongly advertised for "adults only" and as "uncensored." First introduced in 2006, ''Puppet Up!'' was the Henson Company's first project under the [[Henson Alternative]] banner, a brand of productions with more mature themes and content than those traditionally associated with Henson Company.
The U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (March 8-12, 2006) was the show's first public debut. The Jim Henson Puppet Improv performed two shows featuring the talent of [[Brian Henson]], [[Bill Barretta]], [[Julianne Buescher]], [[Leslie Carrara-Rudolph]], [[Drew Massey]], [[Paul Rugg]], [[Allan Trautman]] and [[Victor Yerrid]].
 
  +
{{quote|In terms of The Jim Henson Company, my dad first started with adult-minded comedies very early on. He also worked in an era where most of the airwaves were highly censored. But he was always a very naughty, irreverent performer and this basically captures that same level of naughtiness and irreverence, but in a contemporary setting. Having said all of that, I think it's very important that everybody always knows that this is for adults only. This is our opportunity to let our hair down and get crazy every now and then, even though generally we are very safe with the material we do.}}
  +
::- Brian Henson <ref name="TBS.com">"[http://www.tbs.com/stories/story/0,,106836,00.html Puppet Up! Uncensored - Interview with Brian Henson]", TBS.com. 2007</ref>
   
  +
The troupe performed monthly shows at the Avalon Hollywood until ''Stuffed & Unstrung'' began.
In June 2006, ''Jim Henson’s Puppet Improv'' began performing under a new name, ''Puppet Up!''. The troupe performed four shows over three nights at the world famous Improv in [[Hollywood]].
 
   
 
==History==
In August 2006, ''Puppet Up!'' traveled to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for 30 shows. Two versions of the show were performed - the regular "adult only" version and, for the first time, a family-friendly "for kids" show.
 
  +
[[Image:ComedianImage.jpg|thumb|300px|Brian Henson and Victor Yerrid in an early puppet improv workshop.]]
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[[Brian Henson]], producer of the show, recalled the genesis of the show in a 2006 interview stating, "we began doing puppet improv workshops to hone our comedy skills and realized that we were having so much fun that audiences might enjoy watching too."<ref>Press Release: [http://www.henson.com/press_releases/2006-10-31.pdf TBS Gets Ready to PUPPET UP!]</ref> In the fall of 2005 a show was performed in the sound stage of [[Charlie Chaplin Studios|the Jim Henson Studios]] for friends and invited industry guests. The two shows were so successful that the group was invited to [[Colorado|Aspen]] for the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
''Puppet Up!'' performed two shows in Las Vegas, [[Nevada]] in November 2006. These shows were filmed as part of [[HBO]] and AEG LIVEs "The Comedy Festival", taking place at Caesar's Palace. [[TBS]] produced an hour-long [[Puppet Up! - Uncensored (TV special)|''Puppet Up! - Uncensored'' television special]] from these shows, that aired five days later on TBS. TBS also ordered 30 web-exclusive episodes of [[Puppet Up! - Uncensored (web series)|''Puppet Up! - Uncensored'']] for their "Laugh Lab" video server on TBS.com. The web series debuted on TBS.com on Wednesday, March 7, 2007.
 
   
 
The U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (March 8-12, 2006) was the show's first public debut. The Jim Henson Puppet Improv performed two shows featuring the talent of [[Brian Henson]], [[Bill Barretta]], [[Julianne Buescher]], [[Leslie Carrara-Rudolph]], [[Drew Massey]], Paul Rugg, [[Allan Trautman]] and [[Victor Yerrid]].
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==Puppets==
 
[[Image:ComedianImage.jpg|thumb|300px]]
 
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[[Image:Puppet improv.jpg|thumb|300px|Clockwise from top, Paul Rugg, Allan Trautman, Drew Massey, and Victor Yerrid with characters from ''Puppet Improv''.]]
 
[[Image:Improv2.jpg|thumb|300px]]
 
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Early on the improv show featured many puppets [[Puppets Recycled in Puppet Up!|recycled]] from past Henson Company projects. As the show grew new and original puppets joined the show. In 2006 all of the new ''Puppet Up!'' puppets were designed by [[Julianne Buescher]] and [[Drew Massey]]; the puppets were built by Buescher, Massey, [[Patrick Johnson]], and [[Sean Johnson]] with help and guidance from veteran Muppet designer/builder Jane Gootnik.
 
   
 
In June 2006, ''Jim Henson’s Puppet Improv'' began performing under a new name, ''Puppet Up!''. The troupe performed four shows over three nights at the world famous Improv in [[Hollywood]].
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==Sketches==
 
βˆ’
*Eye Witnesses
 
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*Foreign Victim/ Lecture
 
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*Customer Service Help Line
 
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*Aliens in America
 
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*The Grinder
 
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*Couple's Therapy
 
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*What are the Hot dogs Doing?
 
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*50’s Manners Movie
 
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*Job Performance Review
 
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*Cable Show
 
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*Unusual Board Game
 
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*Expert Talker
 
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*Home Shopping Network
 
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*Repeats
 
βˆ’
*Parent Techer Confrence
 
βˆ’
*Film Scene
 
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*Spot Scene
 
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*Car Pool
 
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*Game Show
 
   
 
In August 2006, ''Puppet Up!'' traveled to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for 30 shows. Two versions of the show were performed - the regular "adult only" version and, for the first (and only) time, a family-friendly "for kids" show.
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==Trivia==
 
βˆ’
* Patrick Bristow, Julianne Buescher, and Kevin Carlson first performed together on the TV Series ''Riders In The Sky'' in [[1990]] which also featured many Groundlings performers and many of the same cast/production members from ''[[Pee-Wee's Playhouse]]''.
 
   
 
''Puppet Up!'' performed two shows in Las Vegas, [[Nevada]] in November 2006. These shows were filmed as part of [[HBO]] and AEG LIVEs "The Comedy Festival", taking place at Caesar's Palace. TBS produced an hour-long ''Puppet Up! - Uncensored'' television special from these shows, that aired five days later on TBS. TBS also ordered 30 web-exclusive episodes of ''Puppet Up! - Uncensored'' for their "Laugh Lab" video server on TBS.com consisting of clips from the troupe's various live performances and shows. The web series debuted on TBS.com on Wednesday, March 7, 2007.
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==Credits==
 
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'''Producers'''
 
βˆ’
: [[Brian Henson]] and [[Lisa Henson]]
 
   
  +
In spring 2007, the troupe took the show to [[Australia]], performing at the Big Laugh Comedy Festival in Sydney and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in Melbourne. The performances at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival were recorded and presented as ''Puppet Up! - Uncensored: Live in Melbourne, Australia'', a 76-minute film exclusively licensed by the Jim Henson Company to the [[Center for Puppetry Arts]]. The film debuted at the Center in April 2009.
βˆ’
'''Host and Director'''
 
βˆ’
:[[Patrick Bristow]]
 
   
  +
Starting in August 2007, ''Puppet Up! - Uncensored'' began performing monthly shows at the Avalon in Hollywood.
βˆ’
'''Musical accompaniment'''
 
βˆ’
:[[Willie Etra]]
 
   
  +
The show grew and inspired into the stage show ''Stuffed and Unstrung'', which opened in [[New York City]] in March 2010. Commercials for the show featuring [[Tinseltown|Bobby Vegan and Samson Knight]] have aired stressing that the puppets are not Muppets.
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'''Performers:'''
 
βˆ’
:[[Bill Barretta]], [[Julianne Buescher]], [[Tyler Bunch]], [[Kevin Carlson]], [[Leslie Carrara]], [[Brian Clark]], [[Marcus Clarke]], [[Alice Dinnean-Vernon]], [[Brian Henson]], [[Sean Johnson]], [[Patrick Johnson]], [[Karen Maruyama]], [[Drew Massey]], [[Ted Michaels]], [[Michael Oosterom]], [[Colleen Smith]], [[Paul Rugg]], [[Allan Trautman]], [[Victor Yerrid]]
 
   
  +
==Known Muppets in Puppet Up!==
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==See Also==
 
βˆ’
*[[List of Puppet Up! Shows|List of ''Puppet Up!'' Shows]]
+
The following have appeared in "Puppet Up!"
βˆ’
*[[Puppet Up! - Uncensored (television special)|''Puppet Up! - Uncensored'' television special]]
 
βˆ’
*[[Puppet Up! - Uncensored (web series)|''Puppet Up! - Uncensored'' TBS.com web series]]
 
βˆ’
*[[:Category:Puppet Up! Characters|''Puppet Up!'' Characters]]
 
βˆ’
*[[:Category:Puppet Up! Performers|''Puppet Up!'' Performers]]
 
βˆ’
*[[:Category:Puppet Up! Merchandise|''Puppet Up!'' Merchandise]]
 
   
  +
* [[Captain (CityKids)|Captain]]
==External Links==
 
  +
* [[DJ 2]]
* [http://www.puppetup.com/ PuppetUp.com] - Official Site
 
  +
* [[Dooley the Armadillo]]
βˆ’
* [http://www.muppetcentral.com/news/2006/020806.shtml Muppet Central News Story] (US Comedy Festival)
 
  +
* [[Dread]]
βˆ’
* [http://comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=15603 Comingsoon.net Review of Henson Comic-Con Presentation]
 
  +
* [[Frankie Frank and the Footers]]
βˆ’
* [http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060810/en_nm/arts_fringe_puppets_dc;_ylt=AgATMEJzxvQIZuJWpB9oZspxFb8C;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ-- Yahoo News Story]
 
  +
* [[Jackie the Orangutan]]
βˆ’
* [http://www.stv.tv/out/showArticle.jsp?source=opencms&articleId=/out/edimburg_festival/comedy/patrickbristow_interview stv.tv Interview with Patrick Bristow]
 
  +
* [[Libido]]
βˆ’
* [http://www.henson.com/podcast/Henson_Podcast_005.htm Henson.com Puppet Up! Podcast Interview] with Patrick Bristow, Drew Massey, Allan Trautman, Paul Rugg, Julianne Buescher, and Victor Yerrid
 
  +
* [[Lieutenant]]
*[http://www.tbs.com/shows/puppetup/ Puppet Up! Uncensored on TBS.com]
 
  +
* [[Penelope the Yellow-Footed Tortoise]]
  +
* [[Pokey]]
  +
* [[Whatnots]]
  +
* [[Yorick the Salmon]]
  +
<!--Can someone add the rest of the featured puppets that appeared here?-->
   
  +
==Sources==
  +
<references />
   
 
==External links==
[[Category:Stage Shows]]
 
βˆ’
[[Category:Puppet Up!]]
+
{{Henson-Alternative|Puppet Up! - Uncensored}}
  +
{{Henson-Alternative|Stuffed and Unstrung}}
 
* [http://www.puppetup.com/ Puppet Up! - Uncensored] - Official Site
  +
* [http://www.stuffedandunstrung.com Stuffed and Unstrung] - Official Site
 
* [http://www.twitter.com/puppetup Puppet Up! - Uncensored] on [[Twitter]]
  +
* [http://www.twitter.com/stuffedunstrung Stuffed and Unstrung] on [[Twitter]]
 
[[Category:Henson Company Stage Shows]]

Revision as of 10:51, 23 October 2014

Puppet Up Logo 2009
Puppetup cast

Puppet Up puppets.

Puppet up 1a
Puppet up 2a

Puppet Up! is a show that was started "to demonstrate what happens when the perilous and provocative forms of traditional comedic improvisation are mixed with the art of puppetry."[1] The show was originally titled Jim Henson's Puppet Improv, and has since evolved into Stuffed & Unstrung.

The sketches in the live show are not pre-planned, and the shows contain all true improv. The puppeteers in the Henson improv troupe trained with Groundlings performer Patrick Bristow for nine months to perfect their improv skills prior to their first show; and monthly performer training classes continue to this day. Just like the Groundlings, the Henson Improv sketches are performed based on audience suggestions.

The show is strongly advertised for "adults only" and as "uncensored." First introduced in 2006, Puppet Up! was the Henson Company's first project under the Henson Alternative banner, a brand of productions with more mature themes and content than those traditionally associated with Henson Company.

β€œIn terms of The Jim Henson Company, my dad first started with adult-minded comedies very early on. He also worked in an era where most of the airwaves were highly censored. But he was always a very naughty, irreverent performer and this basically captures that same level of naughtiness and irreverence, but in a contemporary setting. Having said all of that, I think it's very important that everybody always knows that this is for adults only. This is our opportunity to let our hair down and get crazy every now and then, even though generally we are very safe with the material we do.”

- Brian Henson [2]

The troupe performed monthly shows at the Avalon Hollywood until Stuffed & Unstrung began.

History

ComedianImage

Brian Henson and Victor Yerrid in an early puppet improv workshop.

Brian Henson, producer of the show, recalled the genesis of the show in a 2006 interview stating, "we began doing puppet improv workshops to hone our comedy skills and realized that we were having so much fun that audiences might enjoy watching too."[3] In the fall of 2005 a show was performed in the sound stage of the Jim Henson Studios for friends and invited industry guests. The two shows were so successful that the group was invited to Aspen for the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.

The U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (March 8-12, 2006) was the show's first public debut. The Jim Henson Puppet Improv performed two shows featuring the talent of Brian Henson, Bill Barretta, Julianne Buescher, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Drew Massey, Paul Rugg, Allan Trautman and Victor Yerrid.

In June 2006, Jim Henson’s Puppet Improv began performing under a new name, Puppet Up!. The troupe performed four shows over three nights at the world famous Improv in Hollywood.

In August 2006, Puppet Up! traveled to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for 30 shows. Two versions of the show were performed - the regular "adult only" version and, for the first (and only) time, a family-friendly "for kids" show.

Puppet Up! performed two shows in Las Vegas, Nevada in November 2006. These shows were filmed as part of HBO and AEG LIVEs "The Comedy Festival", taking place at Caesar's Palace. TBS produced an hour-long Puppet Up! - Uncensored television special from these shows, that aired five days later on TBS. TBS also ordered 30 web-exclusive episodes of Puppet Up! - Uncensored for their "Laugh Lab" video server on TBS.com consisting of clips from the troupe's various live performances and shows. The web series debuted on TBS.com on Wednesday, March 7, 2007.

In spring 2007, the troupe took the show to Australia, performing at the Big Laugh Comedy Festival in Sydney and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in Melbourne. The performances at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival were recorded and presented as Puppet Up! - Uncensored: Live in Melbourne, Australia, a 76-minute film exclusively licensed by the Jim Henson Company to the Center for Puppetry Arts. The film debuted at the Center in April 2009.

Starting in August 2007, Puppet Up! - Uncensored began performing monthly shows at the Avalon in Hollywood.

The show grew and inspired into the stage show Stuffed and Unstrung, which opened in New York City in March 2010. Commercials for the show featuring Bobby Vegan and Samson Knight have aired stressing that the puppets are not Muppets.

Known Muppets in Puppet Up!

The following have appeared in "Puppet Up!"

Sources

External links