Students on campus may find an unexpected creative outlet in the Ohio State puppetry club that meets in the Enarson building every week. Photo: Pearl Carey
Students can unlock a new side of creativity with the Buckeye Puppetry Club.
The Buckeye Puppetry Club, a new student organization on campus, urges students to have an open mind in terms of how they define creativity. The newly-established club — created by Josh O’Halla, a third-year in mechanical engineering, with his friends — has six dedicated members and plans to host puppet building workshops, O’Halla said.
O’Halla said he got the inspiration for the puppetry club when he built a puppet for the first time in 2019.
“I got into watching puppet tutorials on YouTube, and I wanted to build one,” O’Halla said. “But I think when it really, like, became clear that I could have fun with the puppet was when I went over to my aunt and uncle’s house and took it out for their 3-year-old niece, and she just lit up.”
O’Halla said engaging with the puppet and adding it into some of his sets with the Buckeye Standup Comedy Club added a new layer of creativity and humor that he hadn’t experienced with other art forms.
“A lot of it is just willing to get out of your comfort zone,” O’Halla said. “I struggle with worrying about making mistakes, and for me, puppetry is a somewhat forgiving art.”
O’Halla said puppets not only play a role in performing arts, but building them can be a creative outlet with new forms of expression for the club as well. While the club has only met informally so far, O’Halla said many members are wanting to gain experience building their own puppets for display and performances.
The club intends to have a Brutus Buckeye display after other club members create their puppets, and a “Little Shop of Horrors”-inspired display in the future, O’Halla said.
O’Halla said the club will work to create more workshops to increase interest, including one that focuses on building a snoof — a puppet with large eyes and a “fluffy” body.
“Making a snoof puppet is very easy,” Patrizio D’Ambrosi, a fourth-year in pharmaceutical sciences and treasurer for the club, said. “So having a puppet already is by no means a barrier for entry.”
D’Ambrosi said the club is looking to attract creative individuals, even if their interests don’t include puppetry yet.
“This kind of interest attracts people of all backgrounds because puppetry is more than people realize,” D’Ambrosi said.
The club meets every Tuesday in the Enarson Classroom Building and has workshops later in the week, according to the club’s website.
For more information, students interested in joining can visit the Ohio State student organization website.
