Happy Puppet Hour — Jacob Surovsky

Happy Puppet Hour is a puppet improv/variety show I created in the winter of 2019 as an independent student production at USC. The show was set on a TV soundstage and offered the “studio” audience a chance to see 3 puppet shows be “taped” back to back. The shows were “Live From Planet G” - a talk show hosted by aliens, “Grand Puppet Derby” - 20 minutes of long form puppet improv, and “Tommy’s Town” - an improvised twist on Sesame Street that addressed issues presented by college students. With the help of tech wizard Derek Christiansen we were able to play with media and live projections, creating a show that is unlike any other project I had ever embarked on.

The cast of Happy Puppet Hour. From left to right: First Mate Terry, Morglick Longley, Gerf Fragment, Ella, and Five (Puppeteers Sam Pirie, Jacob Surovsky, Aidan Gray, Matthew Kerr, and Alex Greenblatt) — The cast of *Happy Puppet Hour*. From left to right: First Mate Terry, Morglick Longley, Gerf Fragment, Ella, and Five (Puppeteers Sam Pirie, Jacob Surovsky, Aidan Gray, Matthew Kerr, and Alex Greenblatt)

The Media

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Live From Planet G

Hosted by Captain Morglick Longley and First Mate Terry, Live From Planet G was all about the intricacies of Earth from an alien perspective, presented in the form of a daytime TV talk show. Segments included: a rendition of Family Feud hosted by a robot, an on the street segment where aliens consulted with the audience, an honest review of a mystery object from earth, and an in depth interview with a celebrity guest expert on an earth specific topic (Dinner, Goodbyes, Oranges).

Grand Puppet Derby

A group of improvisors gather with endless puppets on hand to create 20 minutes of improv based off of one audience member’s suggestion. Chaos ensues as the clock counts down to zero. This segment featured a different guest improvisor or two each night.

Tommy’s Town

With an educational narrative structure, Tommy’s Town helped teach important life lessons about being a college students with suggestions given from the audience. Every show featured two musical improv songs and a series of edutainment segments like “The Alphabet Monster” and “Celebrity Guest Cooking”.