J. D. Hansel – Here at Muppet Hub, we don’t often report Muppet news. We prefer to rant about it in podcast episodes. With this, however, I have a selfish reason for making an exception, and I also have more information about this than the other fansites do. Step aside, Jarrod – I’m fielding this one.
A short event series entitled “Jim Henson and the UMD Community” will take place this week and next at the University of Maryland and the nearby Old Greenbelt Theatre, focused on the life and work of none other than Jim Henson. Hey, we know who that is! And we also know the presenters: Brian Jay Jones, author of Jim Henson: The Biography, and Karen Falk, Director of Archives for the Jim Henson Company. Here are the details:
An Academic Eye on Jim Henson: A Conversation with Two Brians
The Program in Film Studies at the University of Maryland will be hosting a public discussion with Brian Real, the professor who teaches UMD’s course on Jim Henson, and Brian Jay Jones, the aforementioned author of Jim Henson’s bestselling biography. This conversation will assess Jim Henson’s work within the greater context of the history of film and television, with a focus on changes in the entertainment industry.
As you might guess, it’s a fairly academic event, but to keep it light and fun, the event will be moderated by J. D. Hansel of Muppet Hub. I don’t know who that is, but I’ve heard good things. If you bring your copy of Jones’ book, I hear through the grapevine that he’ll be happy to sign it (and if you can’t make it to this event, he’s also planning on attending Karen’s presentation on May 3).
The date of this event is Wednesday, April 25 at 7:00 pm, and the location is Tawes Hall, Room 0320, on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. This event is free and open to the public (and free parking is available in Lot 1b after 4:00 pm).
Rainbow Connections: Jim Henson – Commercials & Experiments
Dedicated fans of Henson’s work may remember the Jim Henson Legacy’s “Jim Henson: Commercials & Experiments” compilation screening from many years ago, or might have seen the revamped version last year at MOMI. Now, this revised and remastered version is coming to Maryland, hosted this time by Karen Falk, and it’s absolutely free! This is a rare chance to see some of the rarest materials from the Henson vault in HD, and to ask the Henson Company’s top archivist about them, so if you’re in the area, you won’t want to miss it.
The first screening will be on May 2 at 5:00 pm at the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, College Park (see the note about parking above). The second screening will be May 3 at 8:00 pm at Old Greenbelt Theatre in Greenbelt, Maryland, with free parking available on the west side of the plaza.
Feel free to shoot me an email if you’re planning on attending one or more of these events (I’m planning on being there for at least one of Karen’s presentations) maybe we’ll get to meet! It’s great to see Jim Henson’s alma mater getting into the Henson spirit, and we at Muppet Hub hope this is only the beginning.
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