The Ghost of Faffner Hall

The cast of The Ghost of Faffner Hall (from top to bottom); Farkas Faffner, Fughetta Faffner, Mimi, the Wild Impresario, and Riff.

Jim Henson with the cast of The Ghost of Faffner Hall.

cast and crew totebag

iTunes UK listing

The Ghost of Faffner Hall was a music education series which ran on HBO for 13 episodes in 1989.

Faffner Hall is a grand music conservatory where the residents -- human, animal and monster -- enjoy making music of all types. After the Hall's founder, Fughetta Faffner, dies, her ghost continues to haunt the hall. Eventually the Hall falls into the hands of her villainous, music-hating great-great-grandnephew, Farkas Faffner. He moves in, and wants to rid the Hall of its collection of musical instruments. Fughetta's ghost is forced to work overtime to defeat Farkas's schemes. Fughetta is aided by youngsters Mimi and Riff, and the eccentric Wild Impresario.

Each episode studies a certain music curriculum created by Candian University of York professors John Paynter and R. Murray Schafer.

Louise Gold starred as Fughetta Faffner, with Mak Wilson as Farkas, Richard Hunt as the Wild Impresario, Karen Prell as Mimi and Mike Quinn as Riff.

This show featured puppets made both by the Creature Shop and the Muppet Workshop.

Episodes

1. Your Body Is an Instrument

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2. Delighting in Sounds

3. Sounds Become Music

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4. Music Is More Than Technique

5. The Voice Is an Instrument

6. Reacting to Sounds

7. If You Can Play, It's an Instrument

8. Improvised Music

9. Notation: The Sign That Gets the Sound

10. Discovering New Sounds

11. Music Brings Us Together

12. The Power of Music

13. Anyone Can Make Music

Cast

• Richard Hunt as The Wild Impresario
• Louise Gold as Fughetta Faffner
• Mak Wilson as Farkas Faffner
• Karen Prell as Mimi
• Mike Quinn as Riff (credited as "Mike Quinby")
• Richard Coombs
• Phil Knowles
• Angie Passmore
• Bob Smeaton

Crew

• Jocelyn Stevenson: Producer/Creator
• Jim Henson: Executive Producer
• Tony Kysh: Director
• Ed Welch: Musical Director
• John Paynter, R. Murray Schafer: Creative Consultants
• Richard Hunt: Production Consultant
• Puppets by Jim Henson's Creature Shop (Ron Mueck, Chris Barton, Maria Boggi, Peter Brooke, Magot Forster, Jane Gootnick, Mike Osborn, Quentin Plant, Kenny Wilson)
• Andy Walmsley: Art Director
• Marian Keating: Workshop Supervisor
• Peter Coogan: Production Manager
• Sara Paul: Stage Manager
• John Moore, Phil Hawkes: lighting
• Trish Kinane: Executive in Charge of Production for Tyne Tees