Wake Up Your Weird with Lolly & Leslie - Center for Puppetry Arts

About the Artist
Leslie Carrara-Rudolph is a multi-faceted performer and Emmy-nominated
puppeteer with a wide variety of characters and
talents. Carrara-Rudolph’s television work spans a variety of acclaimed
children’s television programs, including Sesame Street,
on which she currently performs the fairy-in-training, Abby
Cadabby. She is also Ginger Sprite on the Disney Channel’s
Johnny & the Sprites. Leslie got her start on Muppets Tonight for
ABC and then worked on a number of productions including
the DVD series, Sesame Beginnings for Sesame Workshop, Animal
Jam for the Learning Channel, and season two of The Wubbulous
World of Dr. Seuss for Nickelodeon. Additionally, Leslie
was a member of the PBS puppet tour that visited shelters in
Louisiana and Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
and recently performed the puppet character of “Jesse” for
Sesame’s TLC outreach project called “When Families Grieve.”
“I’ve always wanted to be like Carol Burnett for kids,” says
singer/actor/puppeteer Carrara-Rudolph. When she’s not
performing hidden out of sight under a puppet or behind a
cartoon, Leslie can be seen on a variety of stages performing
her unique brand of cabaret comedy shows for adults, as well
as kids. Leslie also likes to spend time in her art room painting
or sketching. Whether it is on paper, cloth, walls, windows or
even shoes, Leslie’s world is her canvas and her imagination
spills over from her brain to her brush.
Leslie Carrara-Rudolph
Synopsis
Wake Up Your Weird with Lolly & Leslie is an interactive performance by the multitalented Leslie Carrara-Rudolph that uses puppets,
storytelling, live music, improvisation, art, and movement to help the young and young at heart discover their own unique
creative gifts. This original show is interactive from start to finish as Leslie delights the audience with stories, songs, improv, cartooning
and puppetry. Kids use their voices, bodies and most importantly their imaginations. The wonderful show is designed
to help kids spread joy and impact the world around them creatively! Together with her pals “Lolly Lardpop,” a candy loving
sock puppet, “Slax” the lizard, “Velvet” the Lamb Fairy Godmother, and her wacked out Granny Dot, you are in for 55 minutes
of heartfelt laughter and surprises with live accompaniment on piano.
Style of Puppetry
Wake Up Your Weird with Lolly & Leslie is performed with hand and rod puppets. Lolly Lardpop is one example of a hand and rod
puppet. Leslie brings Lolly to life by placing one hand inside Lolly’s head to turn it from side to side and to also open and close
Lolly’s mouth. At the same time Leslie opens and closes Lolly’s mouth, she gives Lolly her voice to talk or sing a song. Leslie
wears a small microphone so the audience can hear her. Leslie’s other hand operates the control rods attached to the puppet’s
hands. Most hand and rod puppets are performed from behind a low wall known as a play board, but sometimes puppeteers
walk around the stage with their puppets where the audience can see exactly how the puppets are operated.
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