Send in the Puppets (and Clown): Q&A with Anthony Sellitto-Budney of Break-Fast Puppets
If you’re in Connecticut, you’ve probably encountered puppets some way or another, whether from the University of Connecticut’s Puppetry School (the only one in the US), Night Fall puppets roaming around Hartford, or seeing the Pinned & Sewtured Puppet Cabaret at Witch Bitch Thrift (previously at the Statehouse (RIP)). Anthony Sellitto-Budney of Break-Fast Puppets wants to bring that state-love of puppets across the country.
Their performance at Witch Bitch Thrift last month had me cackling and crying. They started the show by rolling into the black box theater on a unicycle with a clown act. After they had a giant moon puppet deal with greedy star insurance, a bunny puppet that said it wanted to murder their puppeteer after it cooed “do you wanna see something FWEAKY?”, and then guided the audience through a parody rave where we all found ourselves dancing to looping cat piano noises. It was chaotic and beautiful and some of the best comedy I had seen in awhile.
I hope they make their way back to Connecticut after their tour and share more of their love for the absurdity of clowning and puppets. Here’s an interview with Anthony before their show:
So this is the start of your tour? Kind of the unofficial start. My friend Nate from Cleveland is performing too, so it’s a bit of a variety puppet show tonight. This is my first tour, but I’ve done lots of puppet shows. For the rest of the tour, the Wiggle Dolls from Brooklyn will join us.
What’s your dream for the tour? I just want to bring puppets and clowns to everybody. I think puppets and clowns are cool again. They were really cool at the turn of the 20th century before theater and opera took over. I like theater and opera, but variety shows with puppets are where it's at, and people are really into that right now.
What kind of puppets do you like? I like all sorts. I'm a clown, so I do a lot of clown stuff. I love blacklight puppetry. I have a show called Oversold that features wooden-faced rod puppets—those are the serious ones. Tonight’s show has more blacklight and toy puppets, and I also do clowning where clowns confront puppets, mostly as objects or little guys.
What performers inspire you? I used to say Steve Martin and Andy Kaufman, but lately, I’m more inspired by my peers. Nate, Benjamin Martin (who’s a puppeteer), and his brother Sam (who performs as Three Brain Robot) are big inspirations.Madison J. Cripps, a great marionettist from New England, is another one. Puppet slams are great because you’re surrounded by all these individuals, and you start trading skills and learning from each other.
What brought you to puppetry? For the past year, I was the exhibitions coordinator at the Puppetry Museum, but now I’m transitioning to touring and doing more puppet shows. I went to ECA (the Educational Center for the Arts) for high school, applied to acting schools for college, but the energy was weird and competitive. I was sculpting and doing circuitry, so someone suggested puppetry because it combines those. I built puppets in high school and was already into performance art and clowning, so it felt like the right move.
What’s tonight’s show about? It’s a mix of things— the moon deals with insurance, some clown stuff, and a piece of a new show I developed at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. There’s also a new puppet I made a few weeks ago who’s going to yell at some people.
Who’s this new puppet? Oh, you’ll meet him. He’s very cute—until he starts to talk.
What's your take on puppetry vs. clowning? I think puppetry is about animating and manipulating objects, while clowning is about how well you play with objects. As a clown, you just show everyone how you play, and then we all play together.
What do you say to people who are scared of puppets or clowns? As a clown, it's all about understanding people’s body language and working with what they give you. Kids get scared of clowns too, so you have to show your face and let them know what’s about to happen. As artists, it's almost our job to push boundaries, not in an uncomfortable way, but to show that clowns aren’t always killer clowns from outer space—they’re fun!
What's your take on Halloween? Do you have a costume picked out? I love Halloween! I think it’s every puppeteer’s favorite holiday. Someone literally saw me in my clown makeup before the show and said, "Happy Halloween!" I love making costumes for people. I’m not sure what I’m doing this Halloween because I’ll be in Chicago for most of October, and there’s a wedding in New Orleans I might go to. I love going to a Machine Girl show on Halloween, though.
What was your Halloween costume last year? I had multiple! One was a big, tall, scary puppet that looked like the Spirited Away monster. Another was a jack-o-lantern costume where I carved a pumpkin head and wore it with a helmet inside. I also dressed as the King of Halloween, with an orange cape and all.
Any final thoughts or hopes for the tour? I hope people come to the shows, and I figure out how to live in a van! I always hope for magical clown experiences, like dancing in the street and getting people to show their true selves. The clown gives them the agency to do that.
