Date: Wed, 29 May 1996 01:18:30 -0400
From: randelmc-AT-kingsnet.com
Subject: Mentors


Dear Friends,

I have been thinking a lot lately about how we as artists/performers can do
ourselves and future generations a great service. We can do this by reaching
out to young people and sharing our time, talents and enthusiasm we feel for
our art. By spending some time with a child or young person and offering
advice, or an encouraging word we can do a lot to help that person, both
artistically and spiritually. Whether we are puppeteers or ventriloquists
(or any performing artist) we need to perpetuate our art and an appreciation
of what we do. Though few of the children we encourage may become
professional performers, they will develop a love for the arts and provide
the audiences that we need in the future. 

I have received from ABC-TV a booklet on mentoring with lots of good
suggestions for positively affecting a young person's life. I also have some
ideas of my own to share. I encourage you all to share your stories and
thoughts about mentoring and how we can expand our art to the upcoming
generation. I'd be glad to discuss specifics with anyone interested. 

Thanks!    

Randel McGee
What follows are some personal examples about mentoring:

When my wife Marsha and I first arrived in this small central California
town in 1980 we became involved with the local recreation department's
summer drama productions for kids. Marsha worked on live drama productions (
with my assistance ) and I taught puppetry classes. I continued teaching
puppetry courses for the next 3 or 4 summers. During one summer 2 quiet,
rather shy young brothers joined my puppetry class. They really became
involved in the whole puppet making and then performing process. The older
brother, David, made a little monkey puppet. His show was called "Monkey
Mania" and followed the crazy antics of his character through a circus. 

Many years later, in high school, David, still a quiet young man, produced a
rather elaborate home video production with his high school friends. His
"production company" was Monkey Mania, with his old puppet making an
appearance similar to the MGM Lion.

Jumping forward another few years...David's mother sent me a copy of his
application essay to the UCLA Film School. In it David described how he had
seen a puppet show at his school as a child by Mr. McGee (me), that had not
only entertained him but inspired him to want to be an entertainer himself.
He said that the puppetry classes he took from me encouraged him to study
more about what makes a good performance. Entering the UCLA Film School was
his way of pursuing his quest to be able to share stories with the world at
large. Needless to say, this was a very gratifying letter for me to read.

Younger brother Mike is pursuing studies in synthesized music at Cogswell
College.

My wife and I have seen several of our drama students from the summer
programs go on to careers and hobbies in the arts and/or to be supporters of
the arts.

I hope my friend Jim Maroon ( of the Storytelling Home Page ) won't mind me
using him as a positive example. He took on a young teen-ager as an
apprentice of sorts for a year or two. The boy gained some valuable
performing experience working with Jim's "BACKER STREET PUPPETS". A few
years later this teen-ager became a famous pop singer named Tommy T.

So to coin a well-used phrase, "REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE!"
Randel McGee
McGee Puppet Productions
1397 Beulah St.  Hanford,CA 93230
(209) 582-5307

"Ye must not perform anything..save in the first place ye shall pray unto
the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy
performance..."  Nephi Bar- Lehi



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