University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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A n entire bedroom in sr Spencer Lott,s house is hlled with trash bags and plastic containers full of puppets. On a shelf, a replica of actor Don Knotts sits next to a green troll that hides under a bridge from the children's story Wfhree Billy Goats Grufff, The room is Lott's stu! dio and it's where he cre- ates puppets of all shapes, sizes and colors. UIt,s fun and chal- lenging for me because it,s almost an improv, W said Lott, who described himself as a huge fan ofchildrenas literature. 4'It,s a lot of audi- ence participation and if I'm feeling that I'm doing a character and iris working, then I keep it up? For Lott, creating something out of the ordinary starts with the ordinary. I-Ie uses soft- sculpture materials, such as foam, fleece and Styrofoam to create the puppets in his studio. Lott said he always wanted to be a puppeteer, but he first became inter- ested in it from watching too much Sesame Street. He started making his own puppets in fifth and sixth grade by converting stuffed animals into puppets. o9 oV',',i-e 'f CK swmvx 1 ' C Y O ig if i I i ll YQ I V w fa FN 15 S if Ll. I li r . . s r it U ra la ' li I itat l haf J- d 41: t Since then, he has made literally hundreds ofpuppets. Depending on the complexity, it can take Lott anywhere from a few hours to hundreds ofhours to make one puppet. 'LThey're never really donef he said. NI just get tired of working on them to a certain point and then I move on. 'I Wheii Lott and his roommates were looking for a place to live, Lott said having a room for his puppets was a must. Lott pays twice the rent -he pays for one room for himself and one room for his puppets. L'It's kind of absurdj' he said. uBut this is my passion and this is how I pay for rent, building puppets and doing shows. It7s totally worth it. Matt Cain, Leawood junior and Lott's roommate, said Lott was 'gspontaneousn and kept the house entertaining with his puppeteering and acting antics. I-Ie goes around doing different voices soinetiuit N. Cain said. When he graduates next May, Lott said he wanted to do a national tour like uSesame Street Live or Walking with Dinosaurs before possibly attending the Univemti' of Connecticut, which has a master's program in puppetry. For now, Lott plans to keep creating puppets and sharing his work with others. Lott said puppeteers are not like magicians, who might spend 20 years working on a trick and keep the secret of the trick from their audiences. uljuppeteers are like LIt's taken me 20 years to learn this trick and I'm going to give it to you the hrst time I meet you so that you can take it and make it betterf' he sa id. PUPPETEERING W 32