Epidermis Circus: Interview with Puppeteer Ingrid Hansen
“Epidermis Circus” is an outlandish and ingenious theatrical experience created by master puppeteer Ingrid Hansen that is scheduled to premiere at the SoHo Playhouse on March 20. Danish-Canadian puppeteer Ingrid Hansen is most famed for her work with the Jim Henson Company where she contributed to the iconic show “Fraggle Rock.” Her Off-Broadway work is more adult — and artistically abstract — but is still rooted in themes of creativity and playfulness. “Epidermis Circus” features Ingrid creating puppet characters on stage and then interacting with it, and the audience, live from stage. In fact, even her bare hands become part of a puppet’s anatomy in a way that is much more direct than the cloth-covering on “Sesame Street” ever let on.
“Epidermis Circus” has enjoyed sold-out performances in Montreal and elsewhere, but the SoHo Playhouse marks its New York debut. Ingrid recently discussed this show, her work, and more via an exclusive interview.
Meagan Meehan (MM): What came first, your interest in theater or your interest in puppetry?
Ingrid Hansen (IH): When I was six my siblings and I started making our own (terrible and hilarious) puppet TV show with our teddy bears and my grandmother’s VHS-cassette-tape camcorder. It was called “BatBear and Brobin.” We recruited all the neighbor kids to play extra characters and wiggle flashlights to make siren lighting effects.
MM: How did you learn the craft of building puppets and performing with them?
IH: I learned a lot from Canadian puppeteer Tim Gosley, who, among many other accomplishments, performed Basil the Bear on the Canadian Sesame Street. He’s incredibly generous, funny, and kind, and meeting him changed my life.
MM: What was it like to work on shows like “Fraggle Rock” and “Sesame Street”?
IH: A dream, just…the best. Performing on the Sesame Workshop series “Helpsters” in New York was totally surreal, especially as a small-town Canadian, to suddenly be sprinting through parks of Brooklyn wearing a giant orange monster puppet holding hands with Danny Trejo (Machete), or singing with Andrea Martin, or dancing with Alan Cumming. I was the only Canadian on the project and spent most of my childhood climbing trees and building epic snow forts, so I’m not very good at recognizing famous people. I’d introduce myself to celebrity co-stars on set and ask them their names, because I genuinely didn’t know who they were. We had 25 puppeteers on the set of “Fraggle Rock” and that is a lot of gregarious dorks in one studio. We had a blast. I got to play a new character this season, who speaks only in gibberish and is a real delightful doofus. Season 2 of the new Fraggle Rock comes out on Apple TV+ at the end of March!
MM: “Epidermis Circus” is very experimental and creative, so how did you come up with its unique concept?
IH: Lots of hands-on experimentation. Very little talking or theorizing. The audience sees behind-the-scenes as I perform a live puppet film on stage, animating cheeky vignettes with my hands, face, and projecting them onto a huge screen. The show is always changing! Recently I bought a tiny smoke machine to make tiny smoke billow over the puppet table.
MM: How and why did you decide on that title?
IH: In the show many of the surreal puppets include my bare hands, so I started with words for skin.
MM: What is your favorite part of the show and why?
IH: The audience reactions. I had one elderly audience member tell me after the show that she was really glad she was wearing Depends, because she laughed so hard …
MM: How does the audience typically react to the performance?
IH: Giggles, gasps, screams, sometimes they just yell “Oh no!!!” We had one audience member come back and see the show six times.
MM: How is creating artistic and experimental work for adults similar to, and different from, your work on children’s shows?
IH: Not that different, you’re just making art and keeping it weird. With very young audiences you need to consider modeling safe and kind behavior, so the puppets can’t be jerks.
MM: “Epidermis Circus” has run in other cities, so how do you think its introduction to New York will compare?
IH: It was sold out in Toronto and Montreal, so we’ll see!
MM: What has been the best thing about working in the theater and puppetry industry so far?
IH: The snacks. No, the people. No, the people with the snacks.
MM: What projects are coming up for you soon and is there anything else that you would like to discuss?
IH: We’re creating a new family-friendly show using the same tabletop and camera techniques. That and I’ve discovered I really like swimming in cold water.
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To learn more about “Epidermis Circus,” visit the official website of the Soho Playhouse. To see a 30-second video clip of the show, see here.