NEW YORK—Kevin Augustine’s studio in Brooklyn is relatively empty right now. The puppets of his last tour are safely stored in his mother’s garage in Philadelphia. Around him are working tools: scissors, knives, wires, pliers, and pieces of foam rubber and cardboard.
In a small corner of the some-what claustrophobic studio is his desk, holding only a computer and a large array of papers posted on the wall for reference and inspiration. Tellingly, two books stand out through the clutter: “How to be a Ventriloquist,” and “Speak Peace in A World of Conflict.”
War, or the effect of war on people and societies, was the theme of Augustine’s last show, “Hobo Grunt Cycle,” which included some scenes not appropriate for frail-hearted people.
The Epoch Times: How do you create a show?
Kevin Augustine: It takes me a long time because I don’t start with a finished script. I don’t say, I know what it is, let me write this. I say, ‘What am I thinking about? What am I influenced by?’ The beginning of the [last] show was Abraham Lincoln. It started with the idea that I wanted to sculpt his face. I did a lot of research, and writing and reading.
Then I started to open up the idea. Maybe I don’t want to focus just on one moment in time. There is the Civil War and the next war and the next war and patterns. Then I got the idea of a soldier, of a sad clown. Little by little, connections are being made. Little by little I was expanding this idea and this vision of a way to tell a story that is somewhat unusual.
Epoch Times: Why puppets?
Augustine: When I was a little kid, my grandmother made for me a sock puppet. That really impressed my little brain; just the fact that you can make you own toys—that resonated with me. Once you have your own toy, you can make your own world. It was all about imagination.
Years later I graduated from University of the Arts in Philadelphia. I have a BFA [Bachelor of Fine Arts] in theater. I graduated and worked for a while doing solo work. I really missed working with other actors. I tried to form a company of actors, but I could never keep it together. I went back to my past and said, ‘I could make my own company of actors. They won’t leave.’
Epoch Times: When did you know you wanted to be an artist for a living?
Augustine: I haven’t change much since I was a kid. The stuff I am doing now is pretty much what I did as a kid: drawing, writing, pretending, and telling stories. I knew I wanted to be an artist, or committed to it in college when someone from the public theater came to our school. One of the main things he said was, ‘It is not an easy career. You should ask yourself is there anything else you would rather do, or can you not do this.’ From my graduating class, I don’t know anybody, maybe one or two, who are doing something theater related. For me it was never a choice.
In a small corner of the some-what claustrophobic studio is his desk, holding only a computer and a large array of papers posted on the wall for reference and inspiration. Tellingly, two books stand out through the clutter: “How to be a Ventriloquist,” and “Speak Peace in A World of Conflict.”
War, or the effect of war on people and societies, was the theme of Augustine’s last show, “Hobo Grunt Cycle,” which included some scenes not appropriate for frail-hearted people.
The Epoch Times: How do you create a show?
Kevin Augustine: It takes me a long time because I don’t start with a finished script. I don’t say, I know what it is, let me write this. I say, ‘What am I thinking about? What am I influenced by?’ The beginning of the [last] show was Abraham Lincoln. It started with the idea that I wanted to sculpt his face. I did a lot of research, and writing and reading.
Then I started to open up the idea. Maybe I don’t want to focus just on one moment in time. There is the Civil War and the next war and the next war and patterns. Then I got the idea of a soldier, of a sad clown. Little by little, connections are being made. Little by little I was expanding this idea and this vision of a way to tell a story that is somewhat unusual.
Epoch Times: Why puppets?
Augustine: When I was a little kid, my grandmother made for me a sock puppet. That really impressed my little brain; just the fact that you can make you own toys—that resonated with me. Once you have your own toy, you can make your own world. It was all about imagination.
Years later I graduated from University of the Arts in Philadelphia. I have a BFA [Bachelor of Fine Arts] in theater. I graduated and worked for a while doing solo work. I really missed working with other actors. I tried to form a company of actors, but I could never keep it together. I went back to my past and said, ‘I could make my own company of actors. They won’t leave.’
Epoch Times: When did you know you wanted to be an artist for a living?
Augustine: I haven’t change much since I was a kid. The stuff I am doing now is pretty much what I did as a kid: drawing, writing, pretending, and telling stories. I knew I wanted to be an artist, or committed to it in college when someone from the public theater came to our school. One of the main things he said was, ‘It is not an easy career. You should ask yourself is there anything else you would rather do, or can you not do this.’ From my graduating class, I don’t know anybody, maybe one or two, who are doing something theater related. For me it was never a choice.
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