As we announced back in April, the amazing Jim Henson’s Fantastic World exhibit will be dropping anchor in New York City (well, Astoria, Queens) for a solid six months starting on July 16. The Museum of the Moving Image just released their calendar of events for the exhibition, and there are more than a few surprises!
The biggest of which are the celebrity guests. Austin Pendleton (Max) will be presenting The Muppet Movie. Kathy Mullen (Kira) will be presenting The Dark Crystal. Fran Brill (Colleen Barker) will be presenting Dog City. And Jane Henson will be presenting an afternoon with, well, herself. Add in some Craig Shemin, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, and Noel MacNeal, as well as folks like production designer Stephen Hendrickson, costume designer Calista Hendrickson, storyboard artist John Davis, and music consultant Larry Grossman, and the Museum of the Moving Image must be turning Henson employees away at the door!
The Muppet and puppet workshop events are listed below with our don’t-miss recommendations highlighted in bold. More events may be added as time goes on (including the Kevin Clash documentary “Being Elmo”), and we’ll be sure to keep you updated!
* July 9 & 10, September 3 & 4 – Magic and Movies workshop
* July 16 – The Muppet Movie screening with Austin Pendleton
* July 17, 23 & 24 – The Muppet Movie screening
* July 23 & 24 – Shadow Puppets workshop
* July 30 – “Hands Up! Heads Down!”: An Inside Look at Puppetry for Television with Craig Shemin and Stephanie D’Abruzzo
* July 30 & 31 – Muppet History 101 with Craig Shemin
* August 6 & 7 – The Dark Crystal screening
* August 13 & 14 – The Dark Crystal screening with Kathy Mullen
* August 20 – The Muppets Take Manhattan screening with production designer Stephen Hendrickson and costume designer Calista Hendrickson
* August 21 – The Muppets Take Manhattan screening with costume designer Calista Hendrickson and storyboard artist John Davis
* August 27 & 28 – Muppet Treasure Island screening
* September 3 & 4 – The Great Muppet Caper screening
* September 10 & 11 – Muppets From Space screening
* September 17 & 18 – Dog City and The Storyteller: “The Soldier and Death” with Fran Brill
* September 17 & 18 – Puppet-Making with Noel MacNeal
* September 18 – An Afternoon with Jane Henson: “Look Both Ways and Go”
* September 24 – Muppet Music Moments: A Weekend Celebration of Jim Henson’s Birthday with music consultant Larry Grossman
* September 25 – Muppet Music Moments: A Weekend Celebration of Jim Henson’s Birthday
Click here to hope that Austin Pendleton brings his shiny green hat on the ToughPigs forum!
by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
