When most people are 19 years old, they’re trying to figure out who they are and what they want to do with their lives. For Bradley Freeman, Jr., now 26, he was rubbing elbows with professional puppeteers as one of 30 aspiring puppeteers in a workshop held by Sesame Street.
Over the course of nearly 10 years, Freeman has paved a path for himself in an industry with a small, close-knit circle of puppeteering veterans with decades of experience.
Freeman made his debut in 2021 as a full-time Sesame Street puppeteer by bringing five-year-old Wesley Walker — or Wes — to life as part of the “Coming Together” initiative. Since then, Freeman has taken up several roles, including Tamir and Bunbury on “Sesame Street,” a web series adaptation of Mo Willems’ The Pigeon books, and most recently Bean Bunny and Rizzo the Rat on the revival of “The Muppet Show.”
UT San Antonio Today sat down with Freeman to talk about his journey in children’s media and how he’s helping the students in the university’s Dramatic Arts Program grow their craft.
Take me back to your upbringing in Brownsville. How did little Bradley get into puppeteering?
BF: Sesame Street, the Muppets, all that stuff has always been a part of my life since before I could make memories. I don’t remember the first time I saw it, but I do remember that feeling that persisted every time I watched it, which was just like this beautiful tangibility of these characters. I liked the idea that I could really give Barney a hug or Big Bird, Elmo and Cookie, which I have already.
When did you realize that puppeteering was an actual job people do?
BF: We had a DVD with bonus features with behind-the-scenes of different puppeteers. I remember thinking how cool it was but was like, ‘no way, this is a job.’
Kids often make sock puppets or something similar. Did you ever do something like that, or did you have a real puppet?
BF: Yes and no. I never made sock puppets, but I would take stuffed animals and cut them open from the right places to be able to manipulate them like a puppet. I’m sure my mom thought I was a psychopath. I remember there was one Christmas Day when all I wanted was puppets. My mom didn’t know what to do because it’s all I wanted, but they’re so expensive. She’s always supported me, but at the same time, she was like, ‘Who has heard of a career in puppetry and especially in a small town like Brownsville?’ It’s not the most encouraging place to be as a person who is interested in the arts.
But that Christmas I got a couple of puppets, and it was so exciting.
I would lip sync to all the sketches on “The Muppet Show,” and that’s how I taught myself how to puppeteer. I’d set up a camera and a little monitor, and I started practicing what they were doing. So, I would raise my hand up to the camera, and the monitor was on the floor, so I could see what my hand was doing, which is how they do it on the actual show.
It’s so interesting to hear how, even as a kid, you were doing the little things like that. What do you think young Bradley would think if he were to hear about the career you’ve already had? You’re still so young, but you’ve already done so much.
BF: I don’t know because I think I’m still young Bradley, who’s still so excited to be here. Puppeteering was something I fell out of and then fell back into, so I wasn’t sure if any of this was even going to happen for me.
I had gotten accepted to a musical theater school in New York, and then I couldn’t afford it. So, I moved to San Antonio to attend San Antonio College for a few years and fell into a really bad depression. I then came to UTSA, started doing community theater, and that’s where things started to pivot. But I remember for a short period where I thought, ‘I don’t know if five-year-old me would think I’m cool right now.’
Then I got accepted to the Sesame Workshop in 2018, and things really started to look up for me in a way that I was feeling more encouraged.
When you joined Sesame Street, you were brought on to play five-year-old Wes, but have gone on to play Tamir, Timmy Twiddlebug, and now Bunberry. What is the approach when it comes to developing these characters?
BF: So, it’s a combination of a lot of things, and it’s definitely not done alone. It’s with the directors and the writers and all of us being there on the day to see these discoveries while we’re filming. We see what’s funny, and if it is, let’s lean into it. Sometimes it is funny, but it’s not the right kind of funny, so then we have to move on.
Let’s talk about Muppets! What an amazing experience. What can you tell me about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
BF: That was beyond a dream come true. I’ve been working with the Muppets for a couple of years, and I’ve been so honored to do it every time. I’m usually just helping Kermit or Piggy by being an assistant. If they need somebody to play a random gopher or a random jar of mayo, I have played both of those things. I worked on “Muppets Mayhem” on Disney+, which was so much fun and such an honor to work on. But “The Muppet Show” was what really made me want to be a puppeteer. I’d heard for a year that there was going to be a revival.
Sesame Street is hard to get into. It’s like the NBA. The Muppets are the Olympics.
On the Muppets, there are like 10 puppeteers who have been doing this for 30, 40 years. They’re the core group, but for this special, they were going to bring in additional puppeteers, including me.
Being on set was awesome. They recreated it to look identical to the ’70s. Sabrina Carpenter was fantastic. Seth Rogen, who was the executive producer, was always on set, which was a little nerve-wracking. We had such a good time. It was such a dream come true.
Amongst your busy schedule, you are now also back at the university, but in a teaching capacity. What’s that like, and why did you decide to come back?
BF: Professor Paul Ardoin asked me to speak to a class about how puppetry works, which I’m always so excited to talk about. So, I did that, and then he just asked if I would like to teach.
The class is focused on children’s media. I’ve gotten to speakers like Bob West, who was the original voice of Barney. We’ve talked to Michael Steinbach, the producer for The Muppets, and Sal Perez, executive producer for Sesame Street.
We also analyze and compare different shows like “Cocomelon” versus “Mrs. Rachael” and how their approaches are different.
At the end of the course, the students need to create their own shows, and we have a whole premiere for it.
The Dramatic Arts program is having its first theater production in program history. How did you get involved in directing it?
BF: It was another lunch conversation with Professor Ardoin. We were talking about the launch of the dramatic arts program, and I told him I had a list of productions, and one of them was Little Shop of Horrors. It’s a great first musical because it’s not a big cast. It’s not a big book and it’s a big name. It’s kind of everything that you need for a first show. Because people recognize the name, they’ll go see the show.
I talked to my friend Mark Petrosino at Monkey Boys Productions, who made the plants that were on the off-Broadway production, so we’re going to use those plants in our production.
My friend, Marty (P. Robinson), who got me into Sesame Street in the beginning, has become one of my dearest friends… He designed, built and performed the original Audrey II on Broadway. He, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman got the whole thing started. He’s going to fly down for a couple of workshops with the puppeteers. He’ll be down here for the premiere. He’s also going to have a secret cameo in the show, which he’s very excited about.
You mentioned how you’re not a director. You’re not a writer. But now you are going to be directing this production. Are you nervous? What’s going through your mind?
BF: This is going to be a watershed moment for me. We have our cast; we found our puppeteers. They’re excellent. I mean, there’s one girl who blew me out of the water. She came in and knew exactly what she was doing.
I’ll be nervous on opening night, but I’m happy to do it. I’ve been wanting to direct for a long time, and I think this is going to be a great way to sort of dive straight in.
