![]() ![]() In March of 2020, Piphus Peace was stunned to hear from the show. “Megan’s sheer talent as a singer, actress, writer and performer is incredible on its own, but I was instantly inspired by her loving heart, strength of character, humor, humanity and what an energetic creative force she is.” “To say that I was intrigued by Megan would be an understatement,” Carrara-Rudolph said. “We kept in contact, and she became a mentor for me,” said Piphus Peace, who lives with her husband and two sons, ages 1 and 3, in Nashville.Ĭarrara-Rudolph asked permission to send along a video of Piphus Peace puppeteering to “Sesame Street” staff to consider her for future roles. Her path to “Sesame Street” started in 2018, when on a whim she reached out to Leslie Carrara-Rudolph - the original performer of Muppet character Abby Cadabby - to express her admiration of her work. After graduating from Vanderbilt in 2014 with a degree in economics and a master’s of science in finance the following year, she worked full time in real estate for seven years, all the while puppeteering on the side.Īlthough Piphus Peace has long been a die-hard “Sesame Street” fan (her favorite character was always Zoe), she never expected to be a cast member. She appeared on “The Tonight Show” in 2012 and “America’s Got Talent” in 2013. She was also a standout student.Īs a high school senior in Cincinnati, she was known as the “Ventriloquist Valedictorian,” and as a student at Vanderbilt University, she was called the “Vanderbilt Ventriloquist.” Growing up, Piphus Peace performed at churches, schools, festivals and events, doing both puppeteering and ventriloquism. “Seeing female ventriloquists onstage inspired me.” “Representation is what got me into puppetry,” said Piphus Peace, explaining that watching performances by Judy Buch and Liz VonSeggen, both female ventriloquists, motivated her. Playing Gabrielle, she said, is a long-held dream come true - especially because of the historic nature of her casting. “I really had to decide what makes me come alive,” Piphus Peace said. But last month, she decided to pivot away from real estate - which she was doing between taping seasons of the show - to focus on “Sesame Street” and other puppeteering opportunities. “I’ve always felt that I can say more with a puppet than I can myself,” said Piphus Peace, who for years worked as a real estate agent.ĭespite getting glowing feedback on her “Sesame Street” performances and feeling at home with the cast, she hesitated to trust her puppeteering career to make a full-fledged living. Before Piphus Peace started playing Gabrielle, a child actress performed the voice of the character. She plays Gabrielle, a 6-year-old Black girl who first appeared in the series in 2017. In June 2020, Piphus Peace made history by becoming the first Black woman to be a puppeteer performer on “Sesame Street,” and the following year, she became a full-time cast member on Season 52 of the show. It was puppeteering, she said, that allowed her to find her voice. “I had a hard time opening up and expressing myself.” ![]() She practiced in her room for hours and put on shows at home for her family. At first, she did not take puppeteer classes or workshops, but instead learned how to mimic the ventriloquists she watched on VHS tapes at home. Her parents bought her a puppet at age 8, thinking it would be a good outlet for her. The puppets left such an impression, in fact, that she decided to try her hand at it. When she did find out, though, they remained her friends. “I did not know until I was much older that the puppets were not real,” Piphus Peace, 29, said. She felt like the characters were her friends. She recalled sitting cross-legged in front of the television screen when she was 2 watching “Sesame Street” and reruns of “The Shari Lewis Show.” ![]()
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