Sesame Street Puppet Workshop
Sesame Street Puppet Workshop
Thursday, March 20 • 9:30-11:30am • Helms Theatre • FREE by Lottery
Please plan to arrive early to check in and for some fun surprises before the workshop begins.
Have you ever wanted to learn how to be a puppeteer? Do you wonder how they make our characters come to life? Please join Sesame Street Muppet performer Matt Vogel as he gives a lesson in Muppeteering 101. Come learn how to puppeteer in the Muppet style and you may even get to put on a real Muppet.
BYOA (Bring Your Own Arm)
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. While UVA students will be given priority, if space allows, we will welcome UVA staff & faculty!
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Get ready, Hoos—Sesame Street is making a special stop at UVA! On Thursday, March 20, some of the magic-makers behind Sesame Street are bringing joy, laughter, and a little behind-the-scenes Muppet magic to UVA. Muppet performer Matt Vogel (Big Bird, The Count, and more) and Jason Weber, Creative Supervisor of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, will give an exclusive look into the world of Sesame Street. Expect fun surprises and a chance to relive childhood nostalgia—all for FREE! Don’t miss your chance to hang with the Muppets and make your day a little smarter, stronger, and kinder!
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Sesame Workshop
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.
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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There is one more chance to be involved!
Check out ARTS ON THE HILL: Sesame Street on Thursday, March 20 • 12:30-1:30pm (doors open at 12pm) • Carr’s Hill • Drinks & Snacks • FREE by Lottery • Please plan to arrive early to check in and for some fun surprises before the main event begins. Click belore for full details...