Celebrating Jim Henson and the Art of Puppetry: An Evening with Cheryl Henson @ The Greenwich Historical Society

On May 2, Cheryl Henson, second-eldest daughter of Jim and Jane Henson, will share personal reflections on the life, work and legacy of her famous father. Ms. Henson’s program will offer a unique perspective on a creative family journey that, 60 years on, has morphed from an ambitious educational experiment to a worldwide enterprise that continues to push the limits of creativity and innovation. From groundbreaking Sesame Street to The Muppet Movies to Fraggle Rock, Jim Henson’s imagination and technical genius continually fueled and expanded his characters’ relatable humanity—despite the fact that many of his characters were, well, technically monsters. Cheryl Henson will touch on how Henson’s innovations forever transformed and elevated the art of puppetry, why his work continues to delight and why his legacy is so important to the future of contemporary puppet theater.
Cheryl Henson is a member of the Board of Directors of The Jim Henson Company and has been the president of The Jim Henson Foundation since 1992. Her unique perspective on the world of puppet theater was established in childhood, when she and her four siblings served as test audience and inspiration for Jim and Jane Henson’s contributions to the development of Sesame Street and other educational programs, projects and experiments. From 1992 to 2000, Cheryl executive-produced the award-winning biennial Henson International Festival of Puppet Theater. The five festivals encompassed 136 different productions from 31 countries in 24 theaters throughout New York City. The Festival won both Drama Desk and the OBIE Awards and is widely acknowledged to have changed the perception of contemporary American puppet theater.

Doors open at 6:30 pm, and light refreshments will be served. The lecture will begin at 7:00 pm and will last roughly 45 minutes, with a 15-minute of Q&A session to follow.

Vanderbilt Education Center

The Storehouse Gallery will be open from 6:00 to 6:45 pm, and free admission is included in the ticket price.

Members: $10; nonmembers: $15
To reserve seats visit

On May 2, Cheryl Henson, second-eldest daughter of Jim and Jane Henson, will share personal reflections on the life, work and legacy of her famous father. Ms. Henson’s program will offer a unique perspective on a creative family journey that, 60 years on, has morphed from an ambitious educational experiment to a worldwide enterprise that continues to push the limits of creativity and innovation. From groundbreaking Sesame Street to The Muppet Movies to Fraggle Rock, Jim Henson’s imagination and technical genius continually fueled and expanded his characters’ relatable humanity—despite the fact that many of his characters were, well, technically monsters. Cheryl Henson will touch on how Henson’s innovations forever transformed and elevated the art of puppetry, why his work continues to delight and why his legacy is so important to the future of contemporary puppet theater.
Cheryl Henson is a member of the Board of Directors of The Jim Henson Company and has been the president of The Jim Henson Foundation since 1992. Her unique perspective on the world of puppet theater was established in childhood, when she and her four siblings served as test audience and inspiration for Jim and Jane Henson’s contributions to the development of Sesame Street and other educational programs, projects and experiments. From 1992 to 2000, Cheryl executive-produced the award-winning biennial Henson International Festival of Puppet Theater. The five festivals encompassed 136 different productions from 31 countries in 24 theaters throughout New York City. The Festival won both Drama Desk and the OBIE Awards and is widely acknowledged to have changed the perception of contemporary American puppet theater.

Doors open at 6:30 pm, and light refreshments will be served. The lecture will begin at 7:00 pm and will last roughly 45 minutes, with a 15-minute of Q&A session to follow.

Vanderbilt Education Center

The Storehouse Gallery will be open from 6:00 to 6:45 pm, and free admission is included in the ticket price.

Members: $10; nonmembers: $15
To reserve seats visit http://www.greenwichhistory.org/adult or call 203-869-6899, Ext. 10.

or call 203-869-6899, Ext. 10.

Lisa (left) and Cheryl Henson pose monster puppets for their father Jim’s photo shoot in their backyard in Greenwich, 1968. Photo: Jim Henson. Courtesy of the Henson family.