This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
The Center for Puppetry Arts recently announced that Jason Hines, resident puppet builder since 2002, would be appointed co-artistic director alongside Jon Ludwig. On October 2, Ludwig will transition into an emeritus role, and Hines will become artistic director. In Ludwig’s honor, the Center will rename its rehearsal hall at that time.
Ludwig and Hines have collaborated frequently during their shared time at the Center, developing shows such as “Avanti, Da Vinci!,” and Hines said in a recent interview that the period from now until October will help him ease in and understand all aspects of the job.
“For me, it’s finding out things that Jon did,” Hines said. “I’ve been the resident puppet builder for 20 years, and I’ve been involved in a lot behind the scenes, with show development and art group. This period of time will help me figure out things I didn’t know Jon did or find out how often the directors meet — it’s just for things like that. Jon is wrapping up projects that he wants to do before he becomes artistic director emeritus. That basically means he gets to do as much or as little as he wants for as long as he wants.”
Credit: Photo by Grace Callaway
Credit: Photo by Grace Callaway
Hines’ long history with the Center began in the 1990s, when he attended his first shows as a patron.
“The Center has been so important to me,” he said. “I was going to college in Charlotte, and I had just started doing tiny one-person puppet shows for bookstores and libraries when I came down and saw shows — just seeing the big stage and seeing how much more theatrical it could be. It was 1996, right before the Olympics, and I saw Jon Ludwig’s “Frankenstein.” It was incredibly eye-opening. It was essentially a big-budget, black-box show. Amazing. It was great.”
Once he joined the workshop as a builder, Hines was given the opportunity to develop and pitch shows to the Center. The first of those was “Avanti Da Vinci!,” codirected with Ludwig, which imagined Leonardo Da Vinci as a Batman-style superhero. It was an artistic and box office success for the Center and has been remounted twice.
On his own, Hines’ notable developed works include the Suzi Bass Award-winning “Tesla vs. Edison.” His puppet designs for “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Pete the Cat” and other shows have delighted audiences.
“‘Tesla’ was a lot of fun; that was one of the first times that I got to let loose, and it could just be anything,” Hines said. “We had an amazing opportunity to do a workshop a year before. I had a lot of ideas, but it [was] also the first time I’d gotten to devise stuff with a group of performers from scratch. There were huge parts of the show that I was unsure what [they were] going to be, so we just had piles of cardboard and ideas, working stuff out. If you saw the show, that’s how it ended up so puppet-focused. We don’t have that much time often to develop shows like that — usually, we have a script first and build shows toward that. I hope we get to do that sort of thing again.”
Developing new shows and creating opportunities for more puppeteers are two of his goals as artistic director, and Hines wants the Center to forge more partnerships with other theaters throughout the city.
“A lot of times, when we’ve worked with other theaters, it’s just me building a puppet, but now I want to make it more integrated than that — a true collaboration,” he said.
A collaboration with Dad’s Garage called “Felt Street,” an improvised soap opera featuring puppetry, will occur this year. Additionally, Hines is building Fáfnir the Dragon for Atlanta Opera’s 2025 production of “Siegfried.”
“I’ve always loved puppets because I think as soon as there’s a puppet character onstage, immediately you’re asking a little bit more of the audience,” Hines said. “You have to be more invested in believing that this thing is part of the theatrical world, and it gets the audience to lean in more. And the audience is going to care more for that character than the human standing next to them.”
Credit: Photo by Stacey Bode
Credit: Photo by Stacey Bode
Hines said the Center is working to familiarize visitors with all aspects of its work, developing themes across seasons that will bring attention to the museum and education programs.
“Our museum, since it’s been expanded, is doing really well,” he said. “Often, people come just to see it, and they’re surprised to find we have a theater, too. We’re finding ways to integrate our museum, programming and digital learning tools together. Everyone from every department is working to coordinate these things in ways better than we have before.”
The Center’s rich history of show supplies also may find new life, perhaps through remounts or participation in puppetry festivals.
“We have a warehouse full of puppets and sets that, when they’re not onstage, they’re just sitting there,” he said. “We need to find ways to use all the stuff that we have. I love the tradition. What I’m trying to do is break us out of our box. I want to figure out ways to reach out.”
The new opportunity excites him.
“It’s great, but it’s also a big responsibility,” he said. “Everybody has so much respect for Jon Ludwig, me included, and all he’s done over the years. I don’t take it lightly. I’m not the next Jon Ludwig. There’s no way! He’s too big and weird of a personality to replace.”
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Benjamin Carr is an ArtsATL editor-at-large who has contributed to the publication since 2019 and is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association, the Dramatists Guild, the Atlanta Press Club and the Horror Writers Association. His writing has been featured in podcasts for iHeartMedia, onstage as part of the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival and online in The Guardian. His debut novel, “Impacted,” was published by The Story Plant.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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