REPORTING FROM ELLENTON, FLA. — Producing Sesame Street Live! Let’s Party! is a labor of love for Nicole Feld, Feld Entertainment. The new show, produced by Feld Entertainment in its new partnership with Sesame Workshop, debuts at Duke Energy Center for the Arts - Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, Fla., Oct. 20-22, playing theaters and some arenas in 68 cities through May 2018.
“As a mom, as a person who grew up with Sesame Street, it felt really exciting to be part of something you know will be most children’s first theatrical experience,” Feld said during a behind the scenes tour of Feld Entertainment exclusively for Venues Today. “Literally kids are born and Elmo is on their diaper. ‘Elmo’ was one of my daughter’s first words.”
The Feld team has striven to keep Sesame Street Live! Let’s Party! as close to a child’s reality as possible. “From the first time we met with Sesame Workshop and listened to the research and curriculum, how they understand children and the developmental process, my sisters and I were literally saying, ‘yes, that’s exactly what’s happening in our homes at this moment.’ It will relate to families across this country,” Feld said.
The characters are so rich, so well loved and developed, and there is so much content, the challenge Feld faced was to narrow it down to clear and consistent messaging, to pick just a few things to really focus on, she said. “Being a mom, and even talking to my sisters who have newborns, you try to take into consideration what that’s like.”
Paramount in Feld’s mind was to focus on a few solid points, not overwhelm the audience with too many characters and ideas on stage at once, and incorporate mom/child time in the cadence, so mom has built-in time to encourage little Johnny to get up and dance before the moment has passed. Feld knows that often, she has to almost give her babies permission to participate at that young age.
To prepare the new production, the staff, cast and crew have all made pilgrimages to Sesame Workshop in New York to immerse themselves in everything Sesame Street. They emerged with a genuine love and respect for the Sesame Street mission, to teach and entertain.
Jeff Blossey, production designer, had a prior working relationship with Jim Henson and the Muppets years ago at Disney Imagineering. That, on top of the immersion meetings, influenced everything he has done with design, down to the color palette, which is Sesame Street’s.
“Our marching order was to bring the quintessential Sesame Street experience to people,” Blossey said. “So I spent a lot of time in New York on set with the muppets and director and production designer going over every nuance of the set and putting our own spin on it. When people see this, they will feel like they’re on Sesame Street.”
Sesame Workshop also designed a muppet just for the live production. Maya Monster will man the information booth in the theater lobby prior to the show, giving kids their first real-life look at a muppet. Two more muppets were developed for the preshow, which is an upsell experience for 200 people per show.
Blossey and crew were involved in designing preshow, lobby and show elements for a target audience aged 3-11, which means working with primary colors – bright, sunny, optimistic and fun colors.
“That’s how authentic we’re being. These kids know this show like we know it; it’s a place in your heart,” Blossey said. “These kids, more than their parents, know Sesame Street when they see it. That’s been our mission all along and we strive for that every day.”
The design process has been enhanced by the ability to map everything in 3D, but the production still takes all the usual steps, including a white model, though that’s not actually white anymore – it’s in color. 3D makes it possible to view a set piece from any angle, in detail, before they ever pick up a wrench.
“This tool wasn’t available several years ago. It’s meant tremendous savings” in both time and money, Blossey said.
“Because our show has to travel, we take these files and export them individually and send them to a foam manufacturer that has a computer that cuts those pieces of foam,” he said. “Then we scenically paint them to look like concrete, but lightweight so it travels well.”
They do have limitations, like how many items can fit on a truck. It has to break down into 6X6 foot chunks, “like transformers,” Blossey said, so it can be easily rolled away and transported from city to city.
That’s where Rob Lange, company manager, weighs in. He has a 10-person crew, half of whom are department heads, on the road crew. Included are the electrician, with a crew of two; sound, plus one; props, plus one; set designer/carpenter; and wardrobe, plus one. It’s similar to what venue managers see when Disney Live! shows up with 11-12 on the crew.
The biggest challenge to move is the video screen, which is a total of 64 pieces, Lange said. “It’s cool the way it’s very modular and all magnets together so it drops into place, then we clamp it. It’s the first time we’ve had a screen like this.”
Mitch Matsunaga, senior director, International Ice and Stage Show Operations, is thrilled with the interactive capacity of the Community Billboard (the video screen), which has a name, CB. CB is a brand new character for the live production, as are Casey and Caleb, the co-emcees, and the Citizens of Sesame Street (seven of 11 cast members double as citizens and Sesame Street costumed characters). CB plays games with the audience and brings to life the screen — as in smart phones and tablets — that even the youngest kids are used to today. CB lives above the Community Center.
“The scenic design is amazing,” Matsunaga said. “The fact that we utilized this hi rez, cool video community billboard is amazing. The color and content will be cool. We have moments when the characters on the video screen actually interact live in the theater and on the screen, like Facetime.”
123 Brownstone, the iconic structure that has been part of the Sesame Street set for 47 years, is four feet deep, 22 feet tall, and quite heavy, Lange said. They were working on moving it in and out when Venues Today visited. Adding to the challenge is the fact that it has to be 3D, as did the entire set for the sake of the preshow guests who will see it up close while on stage. This scenery has to be as real life as possible.
“We’re at eight hours load out,” Lange said, predicting that with practice they’ll knock that down to four. He’s penciling in six hours for set up, but hopes to get to the point they can begin load in at 4 a.m. for a 2 p.m. show, keeping in mind they have to be ready for the preshow at 12:45.
Lange anticipated traveling the show on three trucks for scenery and props, plus one for merchandise, all from Star Freight. Three 14-bunk buses from Star Coaches will accommodate the 35-38 people traveling with the show.
The show will travel 20,000 miles, the biggest move being 1,650 miles from Allen, Texas to Stockton, Calif. on New Year’s Eve. Lange will need to book double drivers for that one.
Let’s Party! brings Sesame Street to the kids, Matsunaga said. “Few kids get the opportunity to actually see it, feel it, right in front of their eyes, and that’s exciting.”
And it’s educational, just like the TV show. “Sesame brings an educational component to content on its TV shows and so do we, so they are not only having a good time, but they’re also learning new things — being kind to the environment, being kind to neighbors — concepts we want kids to understand in this day and age,” Matsunaga said.
The difference is that the interactivity is ramped up. The show is actually contemporary, which meant orchestrating a new track, some of which is rap. Traditional Sesame Street songs, like “I Love Trash,” were re-orchestrated to feel current. “Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood,” a song people know, has a hip hop beat and unbelievably high energy dance choreography, Matsunaga said.
In the lobby prior to the show, there will be another video board where ticketbuyers can have an Elmo’s World-type of interaction, playing guessing games with the muppet on screen. The 65-inch screen provides free entertainment and group interaction. As Elmo finishes a segment, he takes a break, allowing a new audience to cycle through.
Maya Monster will also interact with kids in the lobby prior to curtain and while the Preshow group is in the theater. The muppet will directly communicate with kids and respond to questions or initiate conversation with the kids, Matsunaga said. Again, the puppeteers will take breaks for crowd control.
It fell to Dawna Oak and Ken Mooney, co-costume designers, to make all this dancing, singing and interaction possible and comfortable for the performers and to preserve the contemporary feel of the show.
“These are very talented, gifted people who do things in these clothes that we have to accommodate,” Mooney said. “That’s ground zero; no matter what we want to do, we have to make it work for the function. That’s what’s different in the business we do versus Broadway. These people are actors, but athletes first.”
To the costumers, dancing drives the show. Oak was blown away during the immersion meetings in New York “so we could understand their brand. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I cried. They are so dedicated to the educational aspects of their brand. They educated us on how to represent their brand in Sesame Street Live for Feld Entertainment. At first, I thought very pedestrian, sweet little show. Oh no. You are on Sesame Street and having the full-on experience of the community center.”
Oak and Mooney had to find pedestrian clothing for all 11 cast members in their roles as citizens, tasked with making those clothes contemporary while emphasizing “Everybody’s Different and That’s Okay.” They met with each cast member individually to determine who they were and what clothes would make them comfortable. They scoured stores, shopped on line and reviewed cast member suggestions, seeking to be in-style right now with the parents as well as the children.
Fortunately, contemporary style is eclectic and harkens back to styles of old and, conveniently, every cast member was quite individualistic, from nerd to surfer.
“If you can start with a great dialog with a performer, you get someplace better than either could on his own,” Mooney said.
They asked questions like tell me who you are, what is your vibe, sneakers or boots, do you like hats, how can you wear your hair, “all those things that put them in their comfort zone so they can do their best,” Oak added. “In their body language, you can tell if they’re not comfortable. They need to know you have their back and are making them comfortable and still meet the needs of the show esthetically.”
The muppet costumes were produced by a costume shop in Nashville, Animax, which has had a connection with Sesame Workshop for decades. Costumes are different when dealing with puppetry than they are, for example, with Disney characters for other Feld productions. The cast also participated in immersion meetings in New York so they would understand the philosophy, mission statement, and program behind the show.
Of course, they had to wait until the casting was done to clothe the Citizens of Sesame Street, “because you can make the wrong choice and struggle against it the rest of the year,” Mooney said.
C is for collaboration, caring, concern for the audience, contemporary. “The theme of the show is it’s a party, but it’s a community party. It’s about bringing people and families together, making the world a kinder and more caring place,” Feld said. “That’s very in line with the values I have as a parent and what Sesame incorporated within their curriculum and their episodes.”
For venue managers, this will clearly be more than an extra-booster-seats-and-diaper-changing-tables event. Sesame Street Live! Let’s Party! aims to educate the next generation of theater goers across the globe.
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TAKE A WALK ON SESAME STREET
A preshow experience will allow a limited number of guests, 200 per show, to actually walk on stage before Sesame Street Live! Let’s Party! as part of the new Feld Entertainment/Sesame Workshop family show.
The preshow set, complete with muppets, is designed to look like the television studio set, from 123 Brownstone to Hooper’s Store to the Community Center. The experience is as true to the TV production as possible.
Inspiration for the preshow, as well as the entire production, started when Nicole Feld, producer, who took her daughter to the New York set as part of the total-immersion process of creation.
“My sister and I each brought our daughters and my daughter was running around, touching Oscar’s trash can, Abby’s garden. It became so real for her. We wanted to offer that to some of Sesame Street’s biggest fans,” Feld said.
The preshow will take place an hour and 15 minutes prior to Let’s Party!, lasting 45 minutes. It is an upsell, $20-$30 per ticket; but you don’t have to buy a front row seat to get a preshow ticket. Because only 50 people at a time can be physically accommodated on stage, the plan is to take them up in four color-coded (another learning moment) groups.
The preshow stresses education. Besides the chance to walk on stage and interact with muppets and touch iconic elements of Sesame Street, buyers will be tasked with various projects that directly impact the show. Kids will be asked to help prepare for the big party by decorating a banner with stickers, which will then be utilized on the show. They will be asked to recycle trash as part of the cleanup crew or make paper plate decorations for a streamer to be used on stage. While those three activities take place, one of the four groups will be taking their turn on stage.
Mitch Matsunaga, senior director, International Ice and Stage Show Operations, said they have found coves and little spaces inside the theater to facilitate the preshow. The set up will be different in each city.
Each onstage experience will also be different, with two hosts to take them through the process. Each group ends with a highlight, a fun activity on stage. “And we have, for the very first time, our four famous characters in their puppet form,” Matsunaga said. “They appear in these fabulous windows or out of a trashcan. Kids can’t touch the puppets, but they’ll be as close an anyone has ever gone. There is no other place you can experience the TV-sized muppets anywhere. This is a first for Sesame Workshop.”
Logistically, this means the set up crew will have to stage the preshow, which means moving the set pieces on stage back five feet to accommodate the crowd and setting up the interactive stations, said Rob Lange, company manager. They will have 15 minutes to reset the stage and clean up the stations before the theater doors open to the general public.
Theaters will have to be staffed and open only 15 minutes before traditional doors, which are an hour before showtime. “You could probably open just a stand or two just for the 200 people until that hour,” Matsanuga said.
Feld was not sure what elements of the preshow would be exportable to other Feld productions, but expected there will be some learnings that can be adapted. “I think getting on stage, for a lot of people, would be exciting. Venues offer tours on stage when nothing is even happening; there is a fan base for that.”
The challenge is that this show is for young kids who don’t move quickly. “We want them to be safe,” Feld added.
Jeff Blossey, production designer, said there are several new elements to this production specifically because of the preshow concept. Hooper’s Store rotates 90 degrees, so preshow fans will get more of a street feel, while the show audience will have good sightlines. Everything is on modern-age, industrial, omni-directional casters that a couple people can crank down and clamp, Blossey pointed out.
They also designed a Brooklyn skyline, complete with trees, behind the set to give the village feel to the preshow. “You can’t have a black curtain back here,” he said, showing off the attention to detail that makes Sesame Street Live! Let’s Party a new theatrical experience, a new show. — Linda Deckard