The Circus is coming to town, the Epidermis Circus that is! Ingrid Hansen and SNAFU are bringing their unique brand of puppeteering to Toronto for a very limited engagement. Along with the performances, Ingrid is also running a puppeteering workshop! I was able to send Ingrid some questions about her career as a puppeteer, working with some very famous names, and what the workshop process is like.

1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers and your role with Epidermis Circus?

Sure!

I puppeteers on television for Sesame and Henson. I play Heart, a lovable orange monster on Helpsters, Sesame Workshop’s Emmy-Award-Winning series for AppleTV+. I also puppeteer and voice characters on Henson’s new Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock series. I’m touring to Toronto with SNAFU’s spicy puppetry cabaret Epidermis Circus, and then heading to an Off-Broadway run in New York!

2. You’ve worked on some incredibly popular franchises like Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock! Do you have a fun story from your day with the Jim Henson company that you could share?

Puppeteering on the Jim Henson Company’s Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, has been a dream. I play the body of the Monstrous Matriarch Ma Gorg, wearing a huge puppet costume (that I can’t really see out of). We were getting really hot and sweaty inside these full-body puppets, until our amazing puppet wrangling team discovered the use of battery-powered leaf blowers. They poke the nose of the leaf blower up your puppet’s sleeve or down the back of your puppet’s neck, and give a blast, and instantly you’re relieved with fresh cool air.

3. Epidermis Circus is billed for ages 14+, but puppets are usually considered a medium for younger audiences. What’s it like designing a show geared towards adults?

There’s lots of great puppetry aimed at adult audiences.

There’s Mr. Meaty, a hilarious tv series filmed in Ontario about teens working in a dingy mall food court, which, was produced for tween audiences but is a GREAT watch for adults (the tapeworm episode will give you nightmares)

And theatrically, check out BIG NAZO, (Gwar-style monster band.)

Locally in Toronto, Eric Woolfe does some great weird puppetry at Red Sandcastle Theatre that, while not explicit, is great for adult audiences.

4. I see that JIMBO is doing your costume design for this production! What was it like getting to work with them?

I have always been a huge fan of Jimbos clowning, the weirder the better.

I asked Jimbo to design an over-the-top goddess costume for me for a GRAND ENTRANCE to the show. I then promptly take it off to reveal puppeteer’s black clothes—I need to blend into the background so that the puppets pop.

5. I see that you’re also running a puppeteering workshop in connection with your performance. What’s your favourite part about teaching these workshops?

I love when the participants in the puppetry workshop come up with new shapes, designs, and puppet characters, they always surprise me. No workshop is ever the same.

I want to thank Ingrid so much for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions. Make sure you check out Epidermis Circus at Sweet Action Theatre March 1 – 3. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.snafudance.com