Wil Andruschak

When did you start puppetry?

I started as a child, at about 12 years old, making puppets with my best friend, Pam. We would climb up into the attic and make them out of pieces of cardboard, popsicle sticks and markers. Then we graduated to socks.

Were you a kid who grew up without a television, so you entertained yourself more creatively?

We had a TV but we were encouraged to do all sorts of other things.

Did you charge other kids to watch?

Well, our first paying gig was for a birthday party where the clown had cancelled and we were the backup plan hired by a distraught mother. We charged $5.

Fast forward to decades later, why do you still do it?

I think it became a way of life for me; it’s such a neat art form because it includes building the puppets from scratch; I’ve done the welding, the carving, bits of woodworking and sewing. For the production, I use my degree in photography, so putting multimedia elements into it. Then of course the music and the drama. I get to experience all kinds of art.

Why are people enthralled with puppets, especially children?

The whole idea of the puppet as a metaphor is an intriguing idea. It’s something inanimate that is brought to life, and a reminder of our mortality and immortality. We have an innate human tendency to animate things in our lives.

Who are your audiences?

Primarily families. I really try to put a whole depth of ideas into the shows so that there is something that will intrigue adults in the audience, as well as children. I don’t want to bore the audience with something that is only on a kid’s level. I think there is a richness to the art form that should be able to appeal to everybody.

Do you use it for children with behaviour problems?

We have what we call Puppet Power, which are these international conferences where we discuss puppets as a therapeutic medium. The professional therapists were saying, “We don’t want artists dabbling in our activity because there’s a danger in that.” And on the other hand, artists were worried that therapists were dabbling in their art form. The conclusion everyone came to is that we really need to work together. So, yes, there is lots of therapy potential with puppets — in literacy, development, multicultural training.

What countries have you taken your puppet shows to?

A few years ago we took a show to the Golden Dolphin Puppet Festival in Bulgaria. It was really cool. I’ve performed in Mexico, Australia, New Zealand.

Are the audiences different there?

Yes and no. Language barriers are an issue but art is supposed to overcome that. In Bulgaria there’s quite a history of puppet companies with 50 to 60 people making up the show with specialized jobs, so they were quite curious to see a one-woman show.

Where do you get your ideas for your shows?

I love telling the kids that I often get them while walking in the rain and when I turn my head sideways, they fall into my ear. I think it’s from reading, experiencing life, being an observer of life, listening to people’s stories, being an active liver, really. They come from everywhere.

Do you have children of your own?

No, I have a cat that I’m allergic to.

Are you currently working on a show?

Yeah, it’s called Finding My Song: By Bird. We are hoping to get to audience-testing by February. I’m hoping this one will go out to theatres and festivals.

What’s it about?

There’s a lady who stands on the street corner in an undefined middle European place and she sells little paper birds as good luck charms. It’s a story of a little bird that had her home destroyed and in that process she loses her song. The show is about her search and understanding for her song. Throughout the course of the show, a mouse has a dream to fly but he continually crashes, until the bird helps him.

Have you ever taught puppetry?

I am running a course out of my home and I’ve taught at the university, which I’d like to do some more of. That was in drama. I’ve got a project right now with a school, doing chemistry with puppets, which is fun because I love science, too.

When you were younger in your attic, did you think it would grow this big for you?

I knew as a child that I would be an artist.