Eastern Student Zachary LaSala of Tolland Makes Puppets for Avenue Q

2015 Apr 15

Zachary LaSala, a student at Eastern Connecticut State University, helped make puppets for the West Hartford Community Theatre's production of Avenue Q--a renowned musical considered to be the adult version of Sesame Street. Led by the production's stage manager, Kristen Conaty, and puppeteer Christopher Polack, LaSala helped make 16 easily-transferrable puppets for Avenue Q's upcoming three-show tour in Italy.

While Sesame Street educationally addresses the milestones of childhood, Avenue Q satirically addresses the anxieties of adulthood. To aid with the production, LaSala '16, a History and Social Science major from Tolland, built simple puppets made of cardboard, personifying many of the props on stage, such as a heart monitor and cassette tape, with eyes and moving mouths. "The director wants everything to have life," said Conaty.