S02 E14: The World of Puppetry with David Stephens

Author: Daniel Lamb & Anna Rosa Parker / David Stephens
Published: Mon 20 Sep 2021
Episode Link: None

“I didn’t go where the road took me, I wasn’t open to the universe at large or whatever. I was like: This is it. This is where I’m going.”

— David Stephens

Who doesn’t smile when they see a puppet?

Our guest for this episode, David Stephens, has made a career of bringing smiles to people’s faces. For over 20 years, he’s used the art of puppetry to bring folk and fairy stories to life, traveling nationwide with an entire cast of characters in his suitcases.

While David believes he may have done better in a job with some structure, storytelling has always been his calling.

And it’s remained so, even through the ups and downs of creative work.

“A lot of things that happen in the creative world, they fluctuate — they come in waves.” David says. “You have real high points, and sometimes you can have really low points. And it’s just knowing how to get through and staying on course… because the mandala will go around.”

In this conversation, David talks about how he managed to keep his puppet business afloat during the pandemic, why storytelling is the force behind all of his creative pursuits, and what it was like to work on Sesame Street.

In‌ ‌this‌ ‌episode of the podcast,‌ ‌you’ll discover:‌

The interplay between character and construction during the puppet creation process
The rich history of puppetry that no one really knows — but should!
Why it’s important to find inspiration outside of your usual creative realm

About David Stephens: For over 20 years, David Stephens has been delighting family audiences with his humorous interpretations of classic fairy tales. Working exclusively as a solo puppeteer, he has traveled extensively throughout the United States. His mission and his passion with All Hands Productions is to create original, quality puppet theater for children and their families.

Highlights:‌

00:17 Introduction

00:54 Meet David Stephens

03:33 Making his first puppet

07:11 The career ‘click’

09:39 Creativity in the pandemic

11:47 What you don’t know about puppetry

13:06 Modern puppeteers

14:53 Sesame Street

16:12 Success, mindset & struggles

25:06 Working within limitations

28:37 Find David