Puppet- Master: leslie Carrara- rudolph

bo e b sta r s & sta n d outs
*A woman of many voices.
5 6 j u ly 2 0 1 1
Talki n g with Leslie Carrara-Rudolph
is like chatting up a kid-friendly version of
Robin Williams. The voice actress behind
one of Sesame Street’s most popular characters talks a mile a minute—and you have to
wonder how many voices are banging around
in that wildly talented head of hers. The
laugh-out-loud funny actress, who’s from the
East Bay, says that her creative streak started
developing very early on.
“Growing up in Pleasant Hill, I was always
surrounded by creativity,” says CarraraRudolph. “My dad was an artist and cartoonist; my mom was the queen of the crafts. I
had a backyard fort, and there was always
something magical happening back there.”
Carrara-Rudolph went from the backyard fort to teaching at summer programs
in Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek. From
there, she trained at Fantasy Forum Actors
Ensemble and Willows Theatre, and eventually was in Beach Blanket Babylon.
“Fantasy Forum is truly where I got some
of my very best training. They would cast me
as anything: a dog, Pinocchio, etc.,” she says.
Carrara-Rudolph kept chasing her dream—
voicing characters on The Simpsons, Blue’s
Clues, and Johnny and the Sprites—then,
— p eter
c rooks
Richard Termanne
PuppetMaster:
Leslie
CarraraRudolph
Sesame Street. In 2006, Carrara-Rudolph was
selected as the voice of a new Sesame Street
character, Abby Cadabby, a fairy created to
give young girls a positive role model. She
got the news from Kevin Clash, the man who
voices Elmo. “He called me up and said, ‘You
got it, girl!’ ” Carrara-Rudolph recalls.
Abby Cadabby immediately became one
of the most popular Muppets on Sesame
Street, and Carrara-Rudolph earned an Emmy
nomination for her character work in 2009.
She even met her husband, composer Paul
Rudolph, while working on the show. The
actress still can’t believe her good fortune in
being able to work on Sesame Street.
“I’m doing the same thing I have done
my whole life but at another level. I was
obsessed with the Muppets as a kid—in a
way that’s not even healthy,” says CarraraRudolph. “The fact that I know the Henson
family is amazing to me.”
Carrara-Rudolph’s family and local fans
are in for a treat in the months to come.
On July 30, Carrara-Rudolph will visit the
Lesher Center for the Arts to perform at the
Chevron Family Theatre Festival. Then in
September, she will premier a new show at
the Lesher Center. Wake Up Your Weird will
feature a cast of Carrara-Rudolph’s original
characters, and will celebrate individuality
and creativity. Carrara-Rudolph received
a grant from the Jim Henson Foundation
for the project, which she calls a “musical
comedy concert” and hopes will be booked
into community theaters across the country
after its East Bay debut.
“It’s a chance for me to bring out the
best of the best as a singer and comedian,”
she says.
Carrara-Rudolph will perform two shows
at the Chevron Family Theatre Festival in
Walnut Creek on July 30. For tickets, call
(925) 943-7469 or go to lesherartscenter.org.