Jill Kyle-Keith

NCPG: BOARD INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
(As asked by Dino….;)
 
What’s your elevator pitch of what you do? Who you are? 
Jill Kyle-Keith: Owner and Queen of Beale Street Puppets. Jill of all Trades, really! Performing, building, selling on Ebay due to Covid! Pulling a living out of the thin blue sky since 1988!

How long have you been involved with the NCPG? Why are you involved?
Um, let's see- I first joined in 1980 or 81, after I moved to NYC. I was a member of both the NY guild and NCPG for about 5 years. I'm involved because who understands puppeteers better than other puppeteers? You all are my weird tribe!

What is a highlight moment from being with NCPG?
Pretty much all the Regional Festivals of the past, most notably at Bryn Mawr. Young, full of vim, vigor and whatever booze people had in their doom rooms, we stayed up til all hours talking puppetry and life's ambitions! 
 
Most influential puppeteer on your life?
Everyone says Jim Henson. But I have to say, though admiration for the Muppets got me starting to think about doing it for a living, really, it was Judy Brown and Bob Brown who showed me what puppetry could be like as a profession. And a huge, huge part of why I am here is Jim Rowland and Paul Malerba of Apupetsho Productions. I worked for them for 8 years, got to travel, do cruise ships, go on long tours around the country, and I really learned how to run a company from them. And I still miss both of them.

Proudest puppetry moment? 
I performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland six weeks after a C section with my son Scotty (named for Scotland, you betcha.) And we won a Fringe Citation that year- given that there were over 600 participants, well, zowie, kids.

Most unusual puppet build?
Oh, geeze, there have been so many- I guess the huge dragonfly on wheels for a parade in Baltimore years ago. Oh, and an even bigger 17 foot long  dragon that breathed fire for a children's dinner theater in Rehoboth, De- that show lasted one night but it was sooo much fun building! 

Biggest puppetry disaster?
Getting hired as a workshop manager by Barbara Aiello for Kids on the Block, setting up a workshop for them, buying supplies, hiring stitchers and builders, teaching them to build the puppets, and then getting fired as soon as the heavy lifting was done so she could save money. (12 puppeteers were also fired that day so she could switch to using volunteers only). Learned a couple lessons there: never let someone else use your love of what you do against you, don't make yourself disposable, and never work for anyone else ever again. 
 
Hardest part about the professional life you’ve chosen?
Working for myself. Also tax season, oy vey, amiright? And also? Americans think puppetry is just for kids. That's kinda frustrating. I like doing shows in Europe where it's more respected!

Goals? Dreams? Vision for your future?
Well, since Covid, shows have dropped considerably, and I'm feeling more like perhaps the Universe is trying to tell me something! so I'll share with you my Impossible Dream:

The Tiny Things Museum of Baltimore, Md. I've been working on this idea for a couple of years now- a (very) small museum dedicated to vintage dollhouses, (I'm a collector), puppets, small art and things of  beauty. Life from a kid's point of view, really. Goals are kid's workshops, weekly puppet performances (a VERY small stage) and even some evening adult stuff. I own a building already, and fortunately it's commercial, but I'm not sure this particular area of Balty can support it. So, looking for a better space, and a move in a year or two. 


Words you live by?  Advice to other creative spirits?
Words to live by: No Such Thing As A Perfect Show; Finished is Beautiful, Just Make a Decision Already; and, of course, Take Your Accident Elsewhere (this is for driving on the Beltway). Advice to other creative spirits: Don't copy the Muppets, for pete's sake!! Do your own jam. And kids? If you can find a partner, do so. Going solo is hard, and the most successful companies start with 2 or more dedicated individuals. 

What caveat do you have for a puppeteer NOT  to do?
Do NOT expect to make anything other than the barest essentials for living. If you can make a living at it, you are automatically a success. In my graduating (theater) class at U of Md, I can say honestly that I am the only one working in anything resembling theater for the last 30 years. Puppetry pays lousy, but the benefits are Freedom and (mostly) Happiness.

 
Anything else you’d like to share with NCPG membership?
I miss my original NCPG puppetry pals- so many have passed on to The Halls of The Mountain King- so here's a quick shoutout to Judy Brown, Doris Baldwin, Bill Hopkins, John McAnistan, Terry Snyder, Jimmy and Paul, and more. And much love always to us 'young ones'- Susan Wall, Don Becker, Heidi and Sam, Allan, Mayfield, and Christopher, and of course the ever-young Bob Brown!

Why do you think Dino is THE best puppet character?
Because he's a damn dino! I mean, Jurassic puppetry, man! Predates even the Neanderthals! Plus if you can do puppetry with those tiny arms you gotta be good!