Local puppeteer with Fraggle Rock connections is in the running for a spot on Sesame Street. Photo by Stephen Strand
A local puppeteer not only has a connection to Fraggle Rock, but could be moving to another big name puppet show.
DerRic Starlight is a Blackfoot comedian-puppeteer from the Tsuut’ina Nation, and is making a name for himself in the puppetry world.
According to Starlight, working for the Jim Henson company was a lifelong journey.
Starlight adds that when you are trying to grow as a puppeteer, you’ve got to be involved as much as you can, because it is a difficult artform.
Not only that, but they are seeing the image through a monitor, and they have to hold the puppets way above their heads and make sure the puppets are looking in the right direction.
In the early 2000’s, Starlight had met the Jim Henson Company a few times when they were filming the Muppets’ Wizard of Oz and It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, and even though they had given him a tour, Starlight says it was still very hard to get his foot in the door.
Starlight has been a puppeteer for 28 years and has done puppetry work for APTN, and when Covid hit in 2020, he was not able to do his regular work.
But, Starlight says that he was contacted to do some puppetry videos for television.
During that time, Starlight was also working as a wrestling promotor, alongside the Hart Family , and they were trying to figure out how to do put on a wrestling show online.
One of the producers involved with the wresting show then called Starlight to let him know that Fraggle Rock was to begin shooting the first season of the Fraggle Rock reboot.
At the audition, there were about 50 puppeteers trying out for a spot on Fraggle Rock.
Starlight says that he is a stand-up comedian with his puppets, so Fraggle Rock was something a bit different than what he was used to.
At the audition, Starlight felt like he couldn’t find his place at the audition, and went home feeling like he wouldn’t be offered a spot.
But, an email on his birthday in 2020 told him he was hired to be on Fraggle Rock.
Starlight played numerous puppets on the show, ranging from the little green Doozers to cave creatures to the World’s Oldest Fraggle.
Season 2 of Fraggle Rock, which was filmed in Calgary, won two Emmy’s. One for Outstanding Costume Design and Styling and one for Outstanding Children’s and Family Viewing Series.
While he was on Fraggle Rock, he got contacted by Sesame Street, asking him to send in an audition tape, because they wanted to hear from him.
Sesame Street has never had an Indigenous puppet, and they are looking for one.
After sending in his tape, it took a while for Starlight to hear back from them, but after filming season 2 of Fraggle Rock, he went to a workshop in New York with the Sesame Street puppeteers.
Now, Starlight is on a very short list to play the first ever Indigenous puppet on Sesame Street, and is now moving to Toronto to work towards filling that role.
If he gets onto Sesame Street, Starlight says he wants to teach about shyness and help encourage people to follow their dreams.
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