Playtime with Zeebu
Script Punchup, Casting, Directing

I didn’t have the most directing experience of the candidate pool, but I did have a lot of gumption and enthusiasm for the job, so they took a chance! Sitting in a crappy hotel conference room auditioning puppeteer after puppeteer for Playtime with ZEEBU was a dream. So many extraordinarily talented people and a couple of nice weirdos. The producers didn’t believe me when I said we’d need a massage therapist on hand for the shoot, because rod puppeteers (think Sesame Street) are holding a puppet above their heads, talking, acting, and hitting marks. I refused to do the job without good craft services and a massage therapist. I hung up on the producer when he said, “Being a puppeteer ain’t ditch diggin’.’” The next day the producer acquiesced, and was blown away by how great the four people we cast were and how hard they worked. 

How did Zeebu come about, exactly? 

A couple who have two autistic boys, were inspired to create more content for them and other children to watch and learn from — especially around social cues. This was a project of love and conviction. We worked with an autism specialist to create the script and to set the tone and pacing. To my delight, I got to watch a ton of Dora the Explorer and revisit Blues Clues (Steve!). 

It was wild to direct a piece while keeping track rod puppeteers and a green screen. It was awe-inducing to watch the puppeteers somehow speak dialogue and hit their marks while watching themselves on monitors — doing everything in reverse of what they were seeing. So, if you need a green screen director who can also cast and direct puppeteers, I am your person!