Weekly Briefing: Entertainer in Control Of Puppet Operations

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Weekly Briefing: Entertainer in Control Of Puppet Operations





A Masters degree in theater and seven years teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District gave Steve Meltzer the necessary background to open the Santa Monica Puppet and Magic Theater in Santa Monica four years ago. A collector and restorer of puppets, marionettes and ventriloquist figures, Meltzer decided to open the center, which includes a museum, workspace and 45-seat theater. In addition to the 5-10 weekly performances of “Puppetolio,” a musical revue, Meltzer rounds out the business with private birthday parties, puppetry workshops and work with schools.

“Family entertainment is a funny thing. People see it as second-tier, but when you get a 3 year old and 80 year old grandparent laughing together at the same thing, it’s miraculous. I pursue that.

“I saw a marionette at a swap meet in Long Beach a few years ago, which reminded me how much I like puppetry as a kid. Growing up, I was fascinated by the late Paul Winchell, a famous ventriloquist and vaudevillian.

“I started by traveling around to birthday parties, but didn’t want to be stuck with a life of travel. Four years ago, following the model of another theater in Sierra Madre, I opened the center. It has 45 seats and we charge $6.50 a ticket. People started asking how often I change the show, so six months ago I added a revised show with new material. It’s pretty much just a one-man operation. I do the writing, staging, ticket-taking, PR, Web site and the sweeping and cleaning up.

“My goal is to grow the show so it’s always sold out ahead of time and to produce a video adaptation of the show parents could buy.

“Birthday parties are the bread and butter of my business. Prices start at around $285 for a performance.

“For some reason, when people think of puppets they either think of little kids or a scary Twilight Zone Episode. But the show appeals to all ages.”

Samantha Lee

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