Event | UVA Arts

Get ready, Hoos—Sesame Street is making a special stop at Arts on the Hill! Some of the magic-makers behind Sesame Street are bringing joy, laughter, and a little behind-the-scenes Muppet magic...

Sesame Workshop is the global nonprofit behind Sesame Street and so much more. For over 50 years, the Workshop has worked at the intersection of education, media, and research, creating joyful experiences that enrich minds and expand hearts, all in service of empowering each generation to build a better world. Its beloved characters, iconic shows, outreach in communities, and more bring playful early learning to families in more than 150 countries and advance the Workshop's mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Learn more at www.sesame.org and follow Sesame Workshop on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, & X.

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All UVA faculty, staff, and students are eligible to enter the LOTTERY. The deadline to enter the lottery is 11:59pm on Sunday, March 16. Winners will be notified by no later than 5pm on Tuesday, March 18.

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Meet the Artists

Matt Vogel is one of the Sesame Street Muppet Performers and plays Big Bird, The Count, Mr. Johnson, and others.

As part of Sesame Street’s directing team, he has earned a total of ten Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Directing in a Children’s Series.” Vogel directed the Primetime Emmy Award-Winning special, Once Upon A Sesame Street Christmas, for HBO. He is also an Emmy Award winning co-producer on Sesame Street as well as the show’s Puppet Captain. Vogel is also one of the core Disney Muppet performers and plays Kermit the Frog, Sgt. Floyd Pepper, Uncle Deadly, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Camilla, Sweetums, Pops, Constantine, and others.

Vogel is the creator and host of the podcast Below the Frame, a behind-the-scenes discussion with Muppet Performers and others from Sesame Street and the Muppet universe. He has a BFA in Theatre from The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University in St. Louis and is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, AEA, DGA, and PGA. Vogel lives outside New York City with his wife and their five children.

Jason Weber, Creative Supervisor, is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with an MFA in theatrical costume design. He began working with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in 1985 as a freelance fabric painter and dyer. After freelancing with the company and several design jobs with companies such as Dance Theatre of Harlem and Alvin Ailey Dance Co, he was invited to become a member of the staff in 1996. Since then he has worked on numerous projects such as Muppets Tonight, The Muppets Christmas Carol, Muppets Treasure Island, Muppets from Space, Elmo in Grouchland, The Jim Henson Hour, The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, and many others.

In 2002, Weber stepped into his position as Creative Supervisor for the Creature Shop’s work on the internationally renowned Sesame Street. He continues to serve in this position today, overseeing all Sesame Street projects and acting as art director and a designer for the series’ domestic production, international co-productions, home video, PR appearances, and photo shoots. He has been awarded ten Emmys for his work on the Sesame Street team.

Since 2010, Weber has been part of the leadership of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, serving as Creative Supervisor for all New York-based projects.

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Arts on the Hill is a recurring event on Carr's Hill featuring artists and scholars from our faculty and student body, as well as visiting artists and scholars from around the globe. President Jim Ryan hosts guests each month during the academic year for performances and discussions around the Arts at UVA with FREE drinks and snacks to boot!! Arts on the Hill is an ongoing collaboration between UVA Arts, the Office of the President & the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost.