Puppeteer discusses work

By CATHY DOHERTY News Writer

b ritish puppeteer and puppetry coach Helen Day came to speak to students about her journey as a performing artist Monday evening at Saint Mary’s. Day was the 2023 visiting guest artist in the Margaret Hill Series hosted by the College’s Program of Theatre.

Additionally, Day hosted workshops Sunday and Monday afternoon where students could learn handson about puppets and how to maneuver them. In the evening, she shared how she got to where she is today.

At the age of five, Day attended a staging of “Annie” at the York Theatre r oyal in b ritain.

“I really knew from the age of five that what I wanted to do was be on the stage,” she said.

Day shared with the audience how she viewed her future career as a child.

“I thought puppeteers kind of came to children’s parties and waggled around funny dolls,” she said. “I don’t think I understood much more about it than that.”

Discussing her teen years, Day recalled how she “went to London every weekend to go to something called the o nce out of college, Day worked at a summer camp for children. It was there she was first introduced to puppets.

Italia Conti Academy” (ICA). ICA was a theater school known for producing child television stars.

Later in her teens, Day continued her theater education, joining the National Youth Theatre (NYT) of g reat b ritain.

“It’s actually one of the prime training grounds for actors in the UK,” she said. Day explained that Helen Mirren trained at the NYT, and o rlando b loom was in her class while she was a student.

After her time at the NYT, Day shared that she went to A r TTS International and later, the University of Sussex to complete her secondary education.

“At the intro to the workshops, a guy sat down next to me and he was a puppeteer,” she explained. “I was really interested — and I kind of didn’t really know why I was so interested — but I was.”

Day took her newfound interest and shared it with the other two women in her three-woman group performing outdoor plays.

“Suddenly, when we brought puppets into play, everything opened up,” she recalled.

Day explained, “We could use puppets to tell some of these stories because we felt limited in the stories we could tell because we felt that they had to be playable by three women.”

Day said that puppeteering has set her apart.

“Not only did being a puppeteer kind of narrow the competition down … but it also opened up the roles … I was able to play way outside of my casting range. As long as you can embody the essence of the character, you can play it,” she said.

In her puppeteering career, Day toured with Cirque du Soleil for four years. She was the puppetry captain for “Toruk,” which was an “Avatar”-inspired Cirque show. She performed in 103 different cities over those four years. She has also puppeteered for video games such as “Forspoken” and animated children’s shows like “Jim Henderson’s Math Party.”

At the end of her presentation, there was a brief Q&A session, which was followed by light refreshments on the stage.

Contact Cathy Doherty at cdoherty01@saintmarys.edu sleep, moving your body, connecting with others and working to be present in whatever you are doing at the moment.

Kirsten b ains Williams, a senior and co-vice president of Active m inds, said students struggling with mental health have helpful resources on-campus to address their needs.

“This campus has a plethora of wellbeing resources for students that are not talked about enough,” Williams said in an email. “This includes (but is not limited to) free counseling at the U cc , health coaching through Timely c are and meditation sessions on the c alm App.” c onway also mentioned that the winter months and lack of sunshine have an impact on people’s moods. While staying active and connecting with others can be a helpful solution for many, some may prefer to seek out other resources. c onway noted that the mental health of young people is not only a concern at n otre d ame, but nationally.

“Talk to an advisor, faculty mentor, rector, r A or member of c ampus m inistry. m cWell offers h appy Lights and other resources, the c enter for s tudent s upport and c are is also beneficial and if it’s a pattern of mental health issues that needs professional help, students can come to the U cc for a drop-in appointment to explore possible U cc services to help,” he added.

In addition to the myriad of resources n otre d ame provides for its students, there is also now a suicide and crisis hotline available to anyone in the U s . While the n ational s uicide Prevention Lifeline was launched in 2005, the number was changed to 988 in July of 2022.

“ o riginally, it was a 1-800 plus a nine-digit number that wasn’t easy to remember, so you had to look it up, thus creating a potentially significant barrier for a person in a crisis,” c onway said.

“This new number, 988, is easy to remember and connects to a national network of more than 200 crisis centers that are connected through a call center. We have worked to change the phone number in the U cc ’s materials to reflect the new 988 number.” s tallman mentioned that another important aspect of the 988 number is that it is a lifeline which not only assists those struggling with suicide, but also anyone facing a more general mental health crisis. s tallman also said that while the n ational s uicide and c risis Lifeline is an excellent resource for students — especially after they graduate — the U cc and other campus resources should not be neglected.

Williams added that by making the number shorter and more similar to the universal emergency number (911), she believes the U. s is starting to recognize the importance of mental health — and in doing so, is taking a positive step toward supporting those in crisis and eradicating stigma.

“I spoke with the director of the 988 project for Indiana last fall, and she mentioned that it should not be seen or referred to just as the suicide hotline, but as a more general crisis line. It offers resources for anyone experiencing a mental health, suicidal or substance abuse crisis,” s tallman said.

After the n otre d ame student senate voted to increase diversity in the U cc staff, the U cc has been working hard to ensure that their staff reflects the identities of their students.

“It is exciting to see the greater student body recognize this need and take tangible action to address it,” Annah m arie b ehn, a sophomore and another co-v P of Active m inds, said in an email.

“ c urrently, 47% of the U cc full-time staff hold diverse racial identities. o ur staff members also hold a number of other diverse identities, including their professional training,” c onway shared in an email. “Additionally, the U cc ’s part-time staff adds to the diversity of the staff as a whole.” c onway highlighted that students have the ability to request to work with a counselor with a specific identity during dropin appointments. s he also mentioned that the U cc is working to support students of various backgrounds through ways other than increased staff diversity. s enior Austin Wyman, president of Active m inds, said the club has been trying to influence the diversity of the U cc ’s staff since 2020.

“We are offering support spaces for students with different identities, including for b lack students, b lack graduate students, dre A m nd students/students concerned about their own or their family’s immigration status, international undergrad students, international grad students and LG b TQ+ students. We’re offering an ‘understanding self and others’ counseling group that is being conducted in s panish,” c onway said.

“Active m inds was involved with one of the first pushes for more diversity in the U cc in 2020, which resulted in the U cc hiring its first three b lack counselors,” Wyman wrote. “We can’t forget how intimidating therapy as a process is, and how hard it is for people to be vulnerable with someone who fundamentally cannot relate to the same concerns.” b eyond diversifying its staff, the U cc is working on a number of other projects.

“We’re working with [student government] on a tool that would help students know what the wait time is for a drop-in appointment in real-time. We hope it will launch soon,” c onway said. c onway mentioned that the U cc is also offering the “Innsightful” psychoeducational program again this semester, as well as the Penn r esilience Program@ nd , an evidence-based program that boosts wellbeing.

“There are multiple opportunities for students and faculty and staff to participate in the program this semester,” she said.

Active m inds is also organizing mental health-related events and programs for students to get involved in this semester.

“At the end of m arch, we are hosting a summit to bring students and faculty together, fostering conversation around a key question: What makes for a learning experience that supports mental wellness?” b ehn wrote.

“We also hope to host our h ealth & Wellness Training for student leaders on campus this semester,” m aya m ehigan, the secretary of Active m inds, shared in an email. “ b y inviting heads from U hs , U cc , m cWell and other on-campus organizations, we teach participants everything they need to know about the health and wellness unit to take care of themselves and their club/ organization.”

Contact Jenna Abu-Lughod at jabulugh@nd.edu