The Buzz Intro Interview

Jeffery Zwartjes, creator and performer

Puppets! I I love using the art of puppetry to tell a story, and they help me bring humor to a show even when dealing with heavy subjects. Puppets are very versatile— they are capable of appealing to audience members of all age groups and unlocking the imagination.

I have a lot of pride in my city of Atlanta for the wide assortment of voices and viewpoints that are gathered here. The Fringe is just one example of ATL’s strong theater community and the many opportunities it has for people of all walks of life to express themselves and share ideas. I do love theater festivals in general for the chance to see so many varied works and meet other peers in my field whom I haven’t had the pleasure of interacting with before.

This show came from experiencing one of the worst moments in my recent years— discovering that my long cherished pet cat had been killed overnight after getting outside. The guilt and the sense of hopelessness were overwhelming, and without my constant companion, my apartment suddenly went from being my home to just a place I kept my stuff. One lifeline that came my way was an online pet loss support group offered by the company that gave me his remains. I liked the idea of having a forum to talk out my grief with others going through the same thing and started attending— what I did not expect to see was how intensely every single person in the group was affected by the loss of what many dismiss as “just a pet.” I was absolutely not alone in my devastation, and it reminded me how hard we work to hide or discount emotions that everyone has in common, especially when concerning personal loss and grief. I became inspired to get these emotions out through my puppetry and find an honest way to not only express my grief, but celebrate my love for my lost pet as well.