This winter my friends and I came across a poster inviting anyone to come make their own marionette puppet. The event, to be held at an apartment just around the corner, strongly encouraged clown attire and included a potluck. Food, friends, and an exciting new craft: what else could you ask for? I was introduced to a whole new world in Lexington that had been just under my nose. 

I was greeted by Miranda Felice, a local puppeteer and one of the event’s hosts. Felice holds these marionette events semi-consistently, typically at the LEX Center for Creative Reuse, where materials are provided for a step-by-step lesson in making your own simple marionette puppet.  

Felice has been doing puppetry for more than 10 years and, outside craft parties, is mostly known for performing as her alter-ego “Familiar Face,” a giant gumdrop-shaped wearable puppet.

Felice says “Familiar Face, in concept, is a product to help you understand how to respond to what you’re seeing.” She constructed the puppet from paper mâché, pom-poms, and other recycled materials from her studio. The puppet is built to be fun and emotive: the mouth swivels to smile or frown, with eyes and eyebrows that can be twisted to match. Balloons are blown up through the nose and pool noodle arms with baby hands emerge from the sides. 

The creature was inspired by Felice’s trip to The Giant Puppet Festival in New Orleans, where she was immersed in new forms of puppetry. “I was struck with inspiration because I saw that puppets could be anything, and when I returned to Lexington I started building something.” 

Familiar Face typically appears alongside long-time Lexington jester Trinket the Fool, who has been “jesting” locally for over 20 years. Trinket the Fool performs original music, which includes riddles and audience participation, while Familiar Face dances alongside, its swiveling facial expressions helping the audience react to the music. The duo also does marionette shows in which Felice does the puppeteering and Trinket narrates an original story.

Supporting hands-on crafts is important to local artists like Trinket and Felice. Felice is “really interested in seeing artists who have handmade their craft perform their arts in front of my eyes in real time.” She expresses an exhaustion for the digital world and the harm it can bring artists. With the rise of artificial intelligence and the endless needs of the algorithm, being an artist online can become too much, so homemade art and in-person community are becoming more and more important, especially to creatives. “I want to intake art as close to home as possible, because I’m tired of seeing what’s being pushed on me by the algorithm.”

Familiar Face represented Lexington with performances at Dragon Con in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend. The convention connected lovers of sci-fi, fantasy, and multimedia pop-culture, including puppetry. Familiar Face Productions presented the short film The Pesky Possum at the Dragon Con puppetry short film series.

Why puppetry? Felice says “everyone loves puppets!” The art form can be found everywhere: “Your favorite film probably has a puppet or some sort of practical effect that has puppetry elements in it.” Felice sees the ancient art as relatable and accessible to everyone. Children play with puppets or are entertained by them, but love for them isn’t reserved for children.

“Puppets are old as light and shadow.” 

For Adam Clark, a puppeteer visiting Lexington from Atlanta who also goes by PuppetPants, puppets are the perfect combination of creativity and craft: “It’s visual art, it’s problem solving, it’s music, and movement, and trying to write stories.” Clark has been traveling the United States with his marionette puppet performances for more than 2 years, collaborating with local performers and artists and spreading the joy of puppeteering and comedy. “People need to go out there and explore entertainment outside of what they expect. You can find underground puppetry happening in almost any city in the country.” Clark was recently cast in the role of Pudgy, Betty Boop’s dog, in Boop! The Musical. He will be traveling with the show as a performer as well as acting as the puppet’s caretaker behind the scenes in case repairs are needed. 

As for my friends and me, going to these puppet/clown events has inspired us greatly. More often than not, our hangouts now involve an online tutorial, a bunch of fabric, and a plan to make a new puppet. We even made a puppet short film together! It’s easy to be inspired when surrounding yourself with new creative minds and exploring new media. 

We’re looking forward to the Bread and Puppet tour visiting Lexington. Bread and Puppet, a long-standing puppet cooperative from Vermont, will be performing at Lexington’s artfarm with Familiar Face on October 23. Look for fliers around town or you can find updates on upcoming events on Felice’s Instagram @familiarfaceproductions or direct-message her for mailing list information. 

Connecting with local artists starts with embracing the weird and saying yes to new experiences. That might even mean going to see a giant gumball dance with a jester. Put yourself out there and you never know what oddities and fun may be just around the corner.