Interview #1: Dr. Leigh Lafosse

What’s your elevator description of what you do?  Who you are?

• I’m a curious creator; an experience enabler. My primary professional job is a musician with The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”, and my personal time is filled with stained glass and puppetry.

 
How long have you been involved with the NCPG? Why are you involved?

• I’ve been a member for 6 or 7 years, and most of that time I’ve served on the board.  My mom got me a membership for my birthday, and the progression from sidelines to involved was quick and imminent after realizing the incredible caliber of the people in this community.

 
What is a highlight moment from being with NCPG?

• The way our crew rallied to build the first virtual festival back in 2020 is a memory that will always make my spirit smile.  The resilience, teamwork, and service showcased by our people was (and still is) a constant source of inspiration for me.

Most influential puppeteer on your life?

• Honestly it would be whichever educator was leading a puppetry workshop back in 1985 at a Colorado camping resort when my family happened to be spending the weekend.  Those socks changed the trajectory of my life path overnight. 

 
Proudest puppetry moment? 

• Definitely convincing military leadership to let me build caricatured puppets of the Big 3 Army Leaders for the 2019 Birthday Ball- and the laugh we got at the climax of the performance was a personal triumph.

Most unusual puppet build?

• Probably my biggest Audrey 2 for a living room, 2-person puppet rendition of Little Shop.  We used an inflatable, watermelon kiddie pool for the lower jaw and a massive, painted umbrella for the top half of the plant. (Some imagination required. ;) 

 
Hardest part about the professional life you’ve chosen?

• As a creative spirit, being in the military offers a recurring set of challenges. I’ve spent the last 17 years learning how to navigate those complications, but not without a reasonable share of frustration and internal questioning.

 
Goals? Dreams? Vision for your future?

• Oh, how I long to own a theater.  That would be at the top of my dream vision board. More realistically- becoming a stage manager after I retire from active duty.  And while I’m still serving- striving to become the enlisted leader of the band (and beyond!)

 
Words you live by?  Advice to other creative spirits?

• Everything starts by doing.  Maintain a curiosity mindset, embrace the discomfort of change, and trust that people still want to believe in magic.

 
Why do you think Dino is THE best puppet character?

• Um, his origin story, clearly. That kind of attitude does not simply appear- it’s forged in the fires of evolutionary necessity. ;)