Laura Bacon and Patsy May in Brisbane
We recently enjoyed a wonderful Brisbane catch-up with UK puppeteer Laura Bacon, performer of Patsy May from Britain’s Got Talent. It was a special opportunity to connect here in Queensland while she was visiting Australia from the United Kingdom.
Laura Bacon and Patsy May in Brisbane made for a memorable meeting, especially for Troggg, who was very excited to finally meet the legendary character in person.
From Britain’s Got Talent to Global Touring Productions
Many audiences first discovered Patsy May during her unforgettable appearance on Britain’s Got Talent. Bold, fearless and brilliantly funny, the character quickly gained international attention and showcased the power of contemporary puppetry on mainstream television.
Here is the performance that introduced Patsy May to a global audience:
Beyond Britain’s Got Talent, Laura Bacon has worked across major international productions. She performed in Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a large-scale prequel to Jim Henson’s original 1982 film, requiring extraordinary technical precision and endurance.
Her stage credits include performing in the UK leg of Disney’s Winnie the Pooh stage production, bringing beloved characters Piglet, Kanga and Roo to life for theatre audiences.
Laura has also toured with Coldplay, performing with the Henson puppet band The Weirdos as part of the Coldplay world tour. It is a remarkable example of puppetry crossing into large-scale live music performance at stadium level.
Talking with Laura Bacon about Patsy May in Brisbane led to inspiring conversations about touring, television production, character building, physical stamina behind the monitor, and the strength of the global puppetry community.
Troggg Meets Patsy May in Brisbane
One of the highlights of Laura Bacon and Patsy May visiting Brisbane was Troggg finally meeting Patsy May face to face.
About Laura Bacon
Laura Bacon is a UK-based professional puppeteer whose work spans live theatre, international touring, television and major film productions. She is best known for performing Patsy May on Britain’s Got Talent and for her work on Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
Her diverse career includes Disney theatre productions, arena tours, and large-scale screen projects, demonstrating the versatility and artistry of contemporary puppetry.
You can learn more about Laura Bacon on her official website:
https://www.thatlaurabacon.com/
You can also read more about her career on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Bacon_(puppeteer)
A Connected Global Puppetry Community
Laura Bacon and Patsy May catching up with us in Brisbane is a reminder of how connected the international puppetry world truly is. From UK theatre stages to Netflix productions, from Coldplay stadium tours to some TV work in Sydney, puppetry continues to evolve and inspire audiences around the world.
If you would like to explore more about our professional puppet shows here in Australia and international collaborations, visit:
Larrikin Puppets
Safe travels, Laura and Patsy.
Brett Hansen
If you would like to attend any of The Queensland Theatre of Puppetry performances, please visit their official website: 
On Saturday, June 25 2016, Troggg and friends performed for the people of New York at the Puppetry Arts Festival of Brooklyn. A full festival dedicated to all styles of puppetry.
In June 2016, I was a student of the intensive puppetry workshop called “Beyond the Sock” at the University of North Texas. There, we were taught many of the advanced monitor puppetry techniques used on professional film and TV productions such as Sesame Street, The Muppets and Fraggle Rock.
We also learned how to construct our own puppets using a professional pattern for a chicken puppet. Our teachers were high profile Henson puppeteers Marty Robinson (The Jim Henson Company, Sesame Street; performer of Telly Monster and Mr. Snuffleupagus) and Noel MacNeal (Sesame Street, Bear in the Big Blue House; performer of Bear) for the puppetry performance lessons, with puppet construction training from master puppet builder Pasha Romanowski (Project Puppet, The Moe Show). Marty Robinson has been a Henson puppeteer since 1981, and has trained most of the puppeteers of The Muppets and Sesame Street since the early 1990s. He also trains puppeteers for international co-productions of Sesame Street. 
So it was very special to be able to train under Marty, Noel and Pasha. Who better than the top masters of this craft to receive some very valuable, professional training?
Here are a few photos from this inspiring week!
For three days in a row, Troggg, Brett and Elissa immersed themselves in New York’s puppet culture. In NYC puppets are all the rage! From professional film and TV puppeteers to small businesses to hobbyists – everybody loves puppets!
On Friday night, (20 May, 2016) we went to see “Team Lopez” – a puppet improv troupe – at Broadway Comedy Club in the theater district. They were part of a big night of improv comedy called “Pre Game Happy Hour Improv Comedy”. After the show, Troggg got a photo with the puppets, then we all went out for drinks.
On Saturday morning (21 May, 2016) we attended “Morning with The Muppets” as part of the Vulture Festival at Milk Studios in Chelsea. We got to see a panel discussion starring Muppet performers Steve Whitmire (Kermit, Ernie, Wembley Fraggle, Rizzo, etc), Eric Jacobson (Fozzie, Piggy, Bert, Grover) and Peter Linz (Walter from the recent Muppets films), and of course the superstars themselves Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear and Animal.
Brett asked a question of Steve Whitmire during the Q&A session about the difference in atmosphere between working with the original team of puppeteers (Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, etc) and the team of the last 25 years (incl. Matt Vogel, David Rudman, Peter Li
Brett and Troggg also got to meet a few fellow puppeteers and Muppet enthusiasts, including Zach Woliner (with Wally Wackiman) and Sam (with Mo Monster from web series The Mo Show). 
On Sunday (22 May, 2016) we went to Kaufman Astoria Studios, where Sesame Street is filmed! Yes – Troggg found his way to Sesame Street! Sadly the Sesame Street Muppets are all on Summer vacation. But the studio lot was open for a street fair. So Troggg spent time entertaining the families and posing for photos.
Next door to the Kaufman Astoria Studio is the Museum of the Moving Image, where Craig Shemin (President of the Jim Henson Legacy) and Karen Falk (the Head Archivist of the Jim Henson Company) hosted a special compilation screening of some old and rare films by Jim Henson from the 1950s and 60s that had been restored. The event was called, “
Only 24 hours after landing in New York, it was time for Brett, Elissa, Troggg and Frazzamatazz to visit ‘
It was ‘Monitor Night’ on Tuesday. So Troggg and Frazzamatazz got to jam alongside various other visiting and in-house puppet characters. The instructor was 
Lots of other New York-based puppeteers and puppetry enthusiasts were part of the session too, including Erin Finnegan, Arlee Chadwick, Gillian “Gus” Andrews, Ivy Cohen, Bobby Dagger and his son Jude. All an absolute delight to practice and perform with! We felt very warm and welcome in the company of these amazing like-minded people.
