Today we’d like to introduce you to Heidi Carpenter.
Hi Heidi, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always loved crafting, singing and performing. I have a degree in Theatre from Agnes Scott College. After college, I waited tables and sang in a few bands while trying to decide what to do with my life. I married my husband Paul in 1996 and our daughter Joy was born in 2001. I joyfully became a stay-home-mom! In 2003 I took my first puppet building class where I made a Jester rod puppet out of a plastic dish detergent bottle! I was instantly hooked! While Joy was in school, I was able to slowly begin to build a puppetry business! I made tons of sock puppets to sell at local craft fairs and an art store called Homegrown Decatur. Then one of the fairs held in a daycare asked if I did shows…so I began writing shows geared toward the little ones! I discovered there was a puppetry guild in Atlanta and went to my first meeting on my 40th birthday. On my 50th birthday, I took on the role of President of that guild. I’ve helped two schools create masks and puppets to perform Lion King Jr., I’ve been the puppet lady at several summer camps where I taught kids how to build and perform their own stories. I’ve done our local puppet SLAM (an open mic for puppeteers) for over ten years now! I’ve performed my original shows at churches, shelters, day-cares, festivals, birthday parties, guild fund-raisers and more! My rainbow hair is a huge hit with the kids and has become part of my brand. (Yes, I color it myself!) InJest Puppets is “Puppetry, Poetry and Positivity wrapped in RAINBOWS!” Joy is now attending Oglethorpe University and I’m working hard on growing my puppetry business! Still happily married 25 years later!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Losing my mom to cancer right before I became a mom was really hard. The gift of inheriting the family home allowed me to stay at home with my daughter Joy. Joy was born with a hip condition which proved quite difficult to treat, then she had a second hip problem and Scoliosis. Her childhood was filled with body casts, braces, crutches, wheelchairs, an external fixator, weeks spent in the hospital, physical therapy, and more. She remained a happy and optimistic kid and I’m super proud of her! As for puppetry, I had just landed the perfect job as Rocky in the Rocky Horror Puppet Show and I fell off a ladder at home and dislocated my right shoulder the DAY BEFORE rehearsals were to begin!!! I showed up in a sling and did the whole run of the show with my LEFT HAND! My biggest challenge is self-promotion and finding gigs. The pandemic has been really rough on performers. Luckily, I am able to continue to sell my puppets and am currently making nearly 1,000 finger puppets for a fairy tale commission! I’ve enjoyed being able to keep up with puppet festivals and friends on ZOOM and social media and look forward to the day when we can gather safely again!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I like to try to incorporate many different types of puppetry into my shows. My favorites are sock puppets, shadow puppets (often performed in a transformed vintage suitcase), table-top rod puppets, and Crankies (a scroll of paper in a special box is decorated then cranked and can also feature shadow puppets)! I often write in poem form to teach ABC’s to toddlers or make a room full of grown-ups giggle! Another passion is making puppets from unusual or recycled materials. Vintage suitcases become stages and crankies, plastic bottles become mermaids, socks, car wash mitts and oven mitts become monsters and dragons! Wooden Spoons and forks become a Prince and Princess! Cardboard and paper mache make amazing sets and giant parade puppets! I usually remain visible while performing and have totally embraced a colorful rainbow theme in my sets, outfits and puppets! I want to show kids that puppetry is accessible to them, and you can make amazing creations out of stuff around your house and from the dollar store! I like to tell stories that feature recycling, treating each other with kindness, and finding the silly in familiar fairy tales!
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My husband Paul is super supportive and has performed with me, turned several suitcases into puppet stages, and built whatever I dream up! In 2003 I met a puppeteer at church named Alice who encouraged me to take a class at The Center for Puppetry Arts and said she didn’t start her career until she was 40! That class started me on my puppetry path! My mentors Peter, Rob and Lee have sent me lots of work and taught me so much about building and performing. Beau has given me a place to perform at The Puckin’ Fuppet Show for over ten years now! Paula at Heck House offers a place to sell my wares and perform regularly right in my neighborhood! Ella hired me for so many summer camps as the “Puppet lady” and recommended me for Kate’s Club where I’ll soon teach bereaved kids how to make puppets to help cope with their grief. Jeanne invited me to tell stories written by kids with my puppets for STORIES ALIVE. Homegrown Decatur for keeping my puppets on their shelves for more than a decade!
Pricing:
- Puppets from $5-$100.00
- ABC shows 20 min $75.00
Contact Info:
- Email: injestpuppets@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/injestpuppets/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crazyrainbowgirl
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQuDOO7XIhH42NPI2VI_2cQ
Image Credit:
Thom Stanley
