Carl Robinett on Puppeteering and Performing in Water For Elephants
Carl Robinett is a performer in the North American Tour of Water for Elephants, which will be coming to TPAC May 12-17. Carl took the time to speak with us about his roles in the musical, including working as a puppeteer, serving as understudy to the role of Jacob, and singing and dancing as part of the ensemble.
Grace Krenz (GK): Your role in this production is as a “Kinker and Roust.” Could you explain what that is?
Carl Robinett (CR): Definitely. So, a kinker is a circus performer, and then a roust is someone who works at the circus, to set up the tent and do the daily activities to make it all run. My role in the show is as both of those. I’m performing in the big spectacle number as one of the circus performers. But I’m also one of the rousts in the more day-to-day kind of gritty dance numbers and foundational numbers of the show.
GK: Besides dancing on stage and playing those roles, you’re also working with the puppetry.
CR: Yes, my first time puppeteering. It’s been a truly incredible experience. We started that back in Long Island City when we first started rehearsals and it was my first time ever even touching a puppet. Our puppet director, Joshua Holden, actually really helped us to understand the ins and the outs of puppetry. I mean, he’s been in the puppetry business for decades. He said, you know as a dancer and singer, breath is very important there, but it’s very similar with puppetry. You don’t want your puppet to look inanimate. You’re trying to make it alive. And breath is really the foundation of that, just like it is for singing and dancing and any type of performing.
GK: How is it transitioning between these different roles that you play in this musical?
CR: It’s become a little bit more muscle memory just because we’ve done over 200 shows now, which is wild. This is my first national tour and the first show that I’ve done for more than maybe twenty-five performances. So to say that we’ve done eight times that is such a feat. But it’s definitely an interesting experience, because I go from dancing as the kinker and roust everyday character to asking, how is the elephant feeling in this moment? How can I get this across? Is there like a fly messing with ear? Should I make those flap? Because my role specifically in the elephant is in the front. I do the eyes and the ears and really try to make her seem alive, not just through breath, but through figuring out, in this moment, what is she thinking? What is she going through? How is she reacting to the people in front of her, is she taking deeper breaths because she’s calm? Is she taking shallow breaths because she’s nervous because August is there or is she zoned out a little bit?
It really is a very different experience because when you’re on stage as a performer doing a dance number, everything’s very choreographed. Even if it’s a pedestrian number the character you built is still very choreographed and there are beats, timing. And it is true to a certain extent of puppetry, but you also have the ability because you’re breathing life into this beautiful puppet that you can really explore, how is she feeling in this moment? Is it different than it’s been before? It honestly keeps things very fresh, which is really nice, especially 200 shows in.
GK: How do you manipulate the eyes and the ears? How many other people are in the elephant?
CR: In total there are three puppeteers. We have one person in the front who has this stick attached to the trunk and she basically is in charge of of making that alive and animating the trunk, using it to mess with Jacob and Marlena and using it to drink water and using it to grab things and and really animating the character of it all. So you can see the emotion through the main puppeteer who’s outside of the puppet. And then it’s our job inside of the puppet to communicate in a bigger way, in the sense that we’re in this massive puppet and we have to keep it breathing, keep it moving, keep it alive. You have one person in the front maneuvering the front two legs, and then one person in the back maneuvering the back two. Inside each leg is essentially a bike handle. One is involved in manipulating the ears and then one is for the eyes. It’s very choreographed in the sense that you have to figure out how to squeeze the bike handle while you’re raising the legs, so it doesn’t look like every time she moves, her eyes stop moving. You have to keep it very natural and very moving and very fluid. That’s been such an incredible learning experience, especially for someone like myself who had never touched a puppet before this.
GK: How do you coordinate what you’re doing in the elephant with the other people working the elephant at the same time?
CR: It’s been a great experience. The first day of rehearsals we actually were using wooden sticks, these dowels, and we watched a video of an elephant walking. Then we went two by two, one person in the front holding two dowels like legs, and then one person in the back, and we would just walk around the room, trying to mimic how an elephant walks, and also pay attention to each other’s breath. The person in the back has to match the person in the front for the breath, for the movement, because the last thing you want is a puppet that’s doing a wave: the front breathes and then the back breathes. It’s like a machine at the end of the day because it’s so well oiled 200 shows in. We’ve done this together so much. There’s so much trust. There’s so much connection there, and it really helps to bring it to life, truly.
GK: Rosie is quite active: she does circus tricks, she’s mischievous, she runs around. How much of that do you guys perform on stage?
CR: Honestly, a lot. Props to our Puppet Director Joshua, because he really helped us break down exactly how to make all of that look real and how to get those tricks from the book into the show. It’s just really incredible what Joshua was able to do with this beautiful puppet that we have and the way he was able to choreograph it all. And it also is cool because there are circus tricks that she does. In the book, there’s one point where she’s holding Marlena in her truck. And so we have an acrobat that’s holding Marlena on his shoulder while the trunk is maneuvered under her legs to look like it’s holding her up at the end of act one.
It’s stuff like that where it’s all these different departments coming together to figure out how we can make this ten-foot-tall puppet make these realistic circus tricks that animals actually used to do in the circus, way back when. I couldn’t feel luckier to be a cog in the machine of this puppet that we get to bring to life.
GK: Is the elephant puppet complete, front and back? Can you turn the elephant 360 degrees on stage and you would be hidden inside it?
CR: Yeah, it’s so cool. I could fanboy about the elephant for ages. It is so beautiful, that puppet, just the design work that went into it. It’s so impressive. Basically, the person in the front inside of the elephant has a little mesh panel where they can see out, but no one can see in. That’s the place that the person maneuvering the elephant uses to look out. We also follow the person who’s in charge of the trunk and they help guide us as well, and then the person in the back is following the person in the front who has the ability to see better. There’s really only that little sheer bit in the front. It’s like this train that’s perpetually going, where everyone’s following the person in front of them. Again, back to the connection and the breath of it all. That’s what really gets us through, the connection that we’ve built and the ability to know, okay, we’re slowing down. Now we’re stopping. This is when we’re going to rotate. It’s very choreographed, but I don’t think it reads as something that’s very choreographed because of Joshua and his direction.
GK: Does it get hot in there?
CR: Oh yeah. It definitely gets a little hot, especially because we wear these– we joke that they’re elephant pajamas, but they’re basically these camouflage cover things that blend into the set. So that way you’re not really paying attention to the people inside of the puppet while she’s moving. We have those over our costume that we’re normally in during the show. And so it’s just a lot of layers and then basically this box that sits on top of us that we maneuver around the stage. So it definitely gets a little bit hot in there, but never too bad. We’re never in there for too long.
GK: How is the puppetry in general in the show? There’s Rosie, the big exciting one, but there are other animals too.
CR: Yeah, yeah. One of my favorite puppets that I get to use in the show (because I also cover Jacob) is called Queenie, she’s Walter the clown’s dog. It’s honestly one of the hardest puppets in the show, which is so deceiving because it’s basically this tiny, maybe a foot big puppet. But while you’re doing it, you have one hand that’s controlling the head and has to look around, stay present, be as energetic as a small dog would be. And then you have one hand that’s doing the tail. You have to figure out ways to react to what’s going on, whether it’s licking Jacob as he’s sitting down, watching the circus unfold around him or staying alert when Walter comes back into the frame. You have puppets like that, you have Silverstar, who’s this gorgeous horse puppet that we have. That one is basically the head and then you have the mane connected.
All of the puppets are created in a way that are not only practically easy to put on, take off, all that sort of thing, but also, in a more metaphoric way, they represent the memory aspect of this show, which is that it’s all told by an older Jacob. And while thinking back on it, he’s remembering bits and pieces of the circus. And so that’s why a lot of the puppets are the head and the mane, or the head and the tail, or something that stood out to him when he was young. It’s really beautiful because it adds to the story having all these puppets that are the big parts of what he remembers about them. It adds another level of depth to the story and helps to create this beautiful, beautiful show.
GK: You’re an understudy for the role of Jacob. How is it manipulating the puppet while delivering lines?
CR: Oh my gosh, it’s definitely, you know, rubbing your stomach and patting yourself on the head kind of vibes. As someone who’s a cover, I don’t go on too, too often, thankfully. Zach, our Jacob, is incredible and just one of the most consistent performers I’ve ever met in my life. He’s truly a feat. He is amazing. When I do go on, well, at this point, it’s a little bit more muscle memory, but definitely in the beginning, it was like, okay, I’ve got to remember my lines, I’ve got to be in the right spot, but I’ve also got to make this puppet go. What’s been most helpful for me is finding time outside of when I go on to just be like, okay, I’m going to take two minutes. I’m going to put on Queenie and I’m going to play around. It’s really a fun challenge because every time I go on, I get to be like, okay, what’s this dog feeling? How is she doing? How’s she going to react? It’s definitely something that’s evolved the more I do it. That’s been the same for Zach, who gets to do it every night. Sometimes Queenie will start licking him during the song or sometimes she’ll take a little nap, so she’ll just start breathing heavier and kind of nuzzle her way into his arm. It’s definitely a really cool experience, getting to both watch his journey with Queenie and find my own as well.
GK: Puppeteering Queenie sounds both easier and more tricky than Rosie because most people have been around dogs.
CR: Yes, definitely. That’s honestly another aspect of what makes it the hardest puppet, because how many people have been in the same room as an elephant, versus how many people have been in the same room as a dog?
GK: Besides the puppetry, you’re in the ensemble, you’re playing kinkers and rousts. Are you playing a variety of characters or the same one?
CR: I pretty much play just the same character. There’s like a couple of other little bits I have here and there when I’m in the ensemble. But it’s been really fun crafting my ensemble character. I named him something really long and unserious as a joke, but it’s kind of stuck. I named him after a lot of different circus things, plus the name of the guy who played him on Broadway. His name is Sean Stack. He is an incredible performer, so I named my character Stack McCack BonKeen Cicero Spanish Webb as a joke, but it stuck a little bit. I just go by Stack McCack for short. This cast is so incredible and it’s so much fun to get to explore the dynamics between the different ensemble characters, because there’s so much interaction like that in this show.
GK: What was the audition like for this role?
CR: Honestly, I had a very crazy experience with this audition process. Some people in our cast had like eight rounds of auditions, some people had three. I had a really weird experience because I actually only went to the final round of callbacks. Very not traditional as far as musical theater auditions go, you tend to do an initial self tape and then a callback in person. And then if they want to do more callbacks, they’ll call you in. But yeah, the casting director for the show stumbled across a video of me singing in class and basically reached out to my agent and was like, hey, can he come in on Tuesday? And so I got this email Sunday afternoon while I was working at my retail job in New York City. I was like, they want me to learn three songs and two sides? I was panicking, I had under 48 hours to learn all this material. I was like, I don’t think I can do it. And my girlfriend, thankfully, was like, Carl, you need to do this, and so was my agent. Truth be told, I wondered what if I just say I have class? I was freaking out, and ultimately I went, and that was such an incredible experience.
I went in, I sang my songs, I read the side. I got some really good feedback, and then I did the sides again. And then we did a dance call. And then at the end of the day, they kept me and two other guys, and I sang again. I did another dance call and I was there pretty much all day. They said we’ll let you know in three days, and then I didn’t hear back for a month and a half. I was like, well, I definitely did not get that. I was fully ready to go back to school. I just finished junior year when I booked this and so I’m actually technically in a gap year right now. I was fully dead set on going back to school, finishing senior year, and then I got the call from my agent that I booked it. I was doing a summer stock in the Catskills at Forestburg Playhouse. Shout out to them. They’re awesome. I sobbed when I got the call. This is such an incredible experience and I couldn’t be more grateful or happy that I get to pursue this and live the dream, you know? 200 shows in, I’m still living the dream. I mean, I feel so lucky to be here, surrounded by such talented performers and such wonderful human beings.
GK: That’s great. So you’ve been on the national tour since it started. How much longer will the tour be going?
CR: Yes. The tour itself is going to go through May of next year, potentially. I’m still figuring out logistically whether I’m going to stay with it. My current contract goes until the first week of November. It’s been, again, such an incredible opportunity and also just such an incredible team all around. I mean, we’re lucky enough to work with the original creative team. It’s just been such a wonderful team from the beginning and they’re so supportive. And then on the road, we have a wonderful crew backing us up. We have wonderful management, every single person is such a good person at the end of the day, and I think that’s what’s gotten us through. Because you know, it can be a hard show at times, doing a circus show with such big acrobatics, it can definitely get exhausting on the acrobats, but I think what’s getting everyone through is the community we built together in this beautiful show.
GK: You said you’ve gone through junior year? What school and what major?
CR: I went to Pace for musical theater. It’s in the financial district of Manhattan. It’s an incredible program and an incredible faculty and truly nothing beats being in New York City. It’s just such a cultural hub and such a melting pot and, just arts wise and going to so many shows and dance classes and so many different things. It’s just been such a blessing to be able to have spent three whole years there while being in college and while growing as a performer. It’s such an informative city as far as the arts go.
GK: Where are you originally from and how did you get into musical theater?
CR: I’m from California initially. I initially got into musical theater from my sisters. I remember watching my sister on stage. I had to have been, gosh, maybe three, but this is one of my core memories of just being like, wow, I want to be up there, Mom. And so at five years old, I did Cinderella with my two sisters. I was a little mouse and I had one line. I said, “Why so sad?” to Cinderella when she was crying about not being able to go to the ball. I just never turned back. I caught the bug very early and then I’m very grateful to all of the theater community back in California for really cultivating and supporting my passion, and also to my family for supporting me all along the way too.
GK: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us! I know I’m looking forward to seeing the show.
CR: Thank you! Come see Water for Elephants, y’all. It’s a beautiful show. I love it. I, again, feel so lucky to be a part of such a beautiful show. I can’t wait to see Nashville! It’s gonna be fun.
Water for Elephants will be at TPAC’s Jackson Hall May 12-17. For tickets and more information, see here.
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A Nashville native and MTSU graduate, Grace Krenz is a reader, a writer, and an arts enthusiast. She lives in Nashville with her husband and two children.
