The Class
The Work of Jim Henson, is a class that is offered at the University of California at Santa Cruz in California. Muppet Magic is taught by Kathy Foley, a University professer in theater arts. The class focuses on the work of Jim Henson, examining his work in puppetry, popular culture, and his contribution to the developments in television and film. The class explained how Jim Henson's comemericals and popular television helped make Sesame Street success. We explored how this program was and remains part of a larger cutural debate. The class examines Jim Hensons works , The Muppet Show and Muppet Movie, conscious tendency to reference earlier media models. "Intertextuality" both falls in traditional patterns of the comic and can be labeled with the 1980's moniker of "post modern." Henson's intrest in fantasy, The Dark Crystal and The Labyrinth, and narritive patterns that inform it, and the appropriateness of that genre for puppetry, animootronics, special effects will be explored. Finally, Henson's continuing impact on American puppetry and the work of funded by the Henson Foundation.
Along with lectures led by Kathy Foley we had assigened readings from Christopher Finch's Jim Henson: The Works and a class reader. During class we viewed some of Henson's movies and television work and discussed the work in weekely sections. There were 3 assigened papers that covered the topics f Heinrich von Kleist's "Puppet Theatre" with Gordon Craig's Ubermarionette, Sesame Street, and a critical analysis of on of Jim Henson's films. The class was very intresting and allowed for a non-theatre major to explore theatre arts in a fun and intresting manner. One of the high points of the class was our guest speaker, Jerry Juhl. Jerry Juhl was the main writer for many of Henson's works and was also a very close friend to the deceased Jim Henson. Mr. Juhl spoke to us about his experience in Muppets and showed clips of never before seen promotional pitchs for Jim Henson's shows. Jerry also allowed for autograph signing. This class has given us a new undersanding of Henson and his dream.
