Special Events | Ages 18+ | At Our Location and Online
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Live Discussion with Henson Legends

Join us on April Fool’s Day for a one-of-a-kind program crafted by a brain trust of early Muppet creatives. Dave Goelz, Bonnie Erickson, Rollie Krewson, Fran Brill, and Steve Whitmire will join us live at the Center — with Frank Oz joining virtually — for a panel discussion celebrating the early working culture in Jim Henson’s studios. They’ve been digging into their own personal archives and cooking up fun ways to tell tales of the day-to-day workings of the workshop —­­­­­­­­­­ an environment lovingly described as Affectionate Anarchy — and the elaborate pranks they pulled on each other.

Please be aware that this is a live event, and no recordings will be made available afterward.

Upgrade to VIP with Gift Bag

  • Commemorative poster signed by puppetry legends Fran Brill, Bonnie Erickson, Dave Goelz, Rollie Krewson, and Steve Whitmire
  • The Jim Henson Legacy book
  • Center for Puppetry Arts keychain
  • Complimentary drink ticket

Pricing

VIP Gift Bag Ticket$150

*VIP tickets are listed in Row B-E on the ticket purchasing page

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Can’t Make It In Person? Join Us on Zoom!

Virtual tickets are available via Zoom. Once your ticket is purchased, you will be emailed a Zoom link for the event. *Please note that you must purchase at least one hour prior to the event to receive the Zoom link.

ONLINE TICKETS

Meet the Panelists

(In Person)

Fran Brill
Fran Brill puppeteered on Sesame Street and several other projects for The Jim Henson Company. Main characters she performed are Prairie Dawn and Zoe from Sesame Street. She was just awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for her many years being a Muppet performer. 
Bonnie Erickson
Bonnie Erickson began her career as a Broadway and Off-Broadway costume designer whose specialty costumes and masks attracted the attention of Jim Henson. Among the many Muppet characters she created, her most famous is Miss Piggy and the heckling old men in the balcony, Statler and Waldorf of The Muppet Show.
Dave Goelz
A longtime puppet designer and performer, Goelz was picked up by Jim Henson and company to design Muppets for various television projects in the early 70’s. By the time Jim Henson and Frank Oz were beginning work on “The Muppet Show”, they managed to convince Dave to come work as a puppeteer. He soon began to perform and develop such memorable characters as Great Gonzo. In addition to his most iconic role as Gonzo, Goelz has puppeteered Beauregard, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf, Zoot and many others for The Muppets Studio, as well as Boober Fraggle and Uncle Traveling Matt and others for The Jim Henson Company.
Rollie Krewson
Rollie Krewson has contributed as a designer, builder, project leader, wrangler, and performer for almost every Henson production since the 1970s, as epitomized by her work throughout several seasons of the internationally renowned series The Muppet Show. Krewson continues as Master Builder and Designer for Sesame Street, including both the series’ domestic production and its international co-productions.
Steve Whitmire
Steve Whitmire is best known for his career with The Muppets as Kermit the Frog, Ernie, Statler, Rizzo the Rat, Beaker, Wembley Fraggle, Bean Bunny, and Sprocket. Since starting on The Muppet Show in 1978, Whitmire performed in virtually every Muppet project for nearly forty years including Fraggle Rock, and Sesame Street, as well as non-Muppet fare such as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Witches, Dreamchild, and DINOSAURS. Whitmire also created “CAVE – iN”, a monthly call-in live stream YouTube broadcast, featuring Weldon the I.T. Guy, an internet troll who takes your calls and thrives on hearing your stories of the miseries in your life.
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Attending Virtually

Frank Oz
Frank Oz is an actor, director, and puppeteer, best known for puppeteering iconic characters such as Miss Piggy and Yoda in Star Wars. He also directed films including The Dark Crystal, Little Shop of Horrors, and What About Bob?
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Affectionate Anarchy: Creating with Jim Henson Special Exhibition Included with Panel Tickets

This panel will kick off our special museum exhibition celebrating the artists, innovators, and creators who collaborated with Jim Henson in the first 25 years of The Jim Henson Company. It highlights the contributions of figures like Frank Oz, Jerry Juhl, Don Sahlin, Caroll Spinney, Bonnie Erickson, and others, offering visitors a deeper insight into the creative process behind The Muppets and more.

*Included with Affectionate Anarchy: Muppet Prank Culture panel tickets.

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