Nell was a costume designer back in England before moving to Canada. She decided to make the switch to puppets because she always had a dream of putting on productions with puppets, as they lend themselves much easier to being transported around in comparison to a bunch of heavy costumes.

Nell explained she usually waits for a script to be developed and written before her puppets are created. On average, a puppet takes a week to stitch together initially, with the face being the last piece to be completed. Faces are left to the end because Nell wants to get a better sense of the character before giving them ‘life’ with a face. But Malcolm was a different story. Malcolm was a collaborative effort between James and Nell where he went to her and described what he was looking for in a puppet without a real idea of a show for him to work in. Malcolm was created and took to the stage first in a production that featured James Kedelka, Bill Coleman and counter tenior Don Taylor.

After the success of this production Malcolm was then cast in a 15-minute production entitled AllOneWord. The short production is a spoof of Law & Order where poor Malcolm plays the accused in a murder plot.

Now Malcolm has the opportunity to seize centre stage in a self-titled production, a duet between himself and James Kudelka. Nell teased that the production is quite fun and features a great rapport between Malcolm and James and even features interaction with accompanist Don Taylor and Malcolm.

Since he was ‘born’ 4 years ago Malcolm has undergone many a cosmetic procedure to ensure that he’s moving just the way James likes, and to fix any mishaps that may have occurred on stage.

As for Nell Coleman, she keeps herself busy with her puppet players company ‘Saints and Sinners’ that adapt and perform ‘bawdy Medieval plays’ & ‘definitely different Bible tales’ for adult audiences (for easy referencing, think in the vein of Avenue Q). Nell is also being honoured as the Textile Museum of Canada’s Volunteer of the Year.

Congratulations Nell!

Tickets to ‘Malcolm’ can be purchased online by going to Coleman Lemieux Compagnie’s website.

What’s your official job title, and where did you go to school?

Co artistic director of Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie; Grove Secondary School, Hastings, England.

Elevator pitch. Describe yourself in a nutshell (or sea shell, or any shell for that matter).

Rogue choreographer with a penchant for creating dances with people from all walks of life.

Why did you pursue what you’re doing now? What was the inspiration?

I love dance and dancing, and I wanted to see and experience more of the world…so I started to use my life in dance as a way to do this.

What is the best part of your day-to-day?

Going in the studio and moving.

What’s the most challenging?

Not going in the studio and moving….

If you took a look in the cliché crystal ball, what do you see for yourself?

A passport filled with entry stamps and visas from working all over the world.

How do you embrace disruption in your work and personal life? 

If we accept we are striving for perfection, we must accept that we are incomplete and in a constant process of attaining this, therefore we must live happily and embrace disruption as an essential part of the process of ‘getting there’.

What is the most memorable moment in your career?

Premiering a tribute to my father, a Requiem for sailors in WWII (Convoy PQ 17) with symphony orchestra, chorus, and hundreds of veterans in attendance in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Do you support any initiatives or charities? Tell us about it, and please provide links!

Amnesty International

Dance Collection Danse, an organization of friendly people who collect dance memories 

Sunday Contact Improvisation Jam at Dovercourt House, Contact  Improvisation is a very human activity that is accessible to everyone with a pair of sweatpants

Tell us what you see yourself doing at 65 years old.

Same as I am now, but dancing more, traveling more and having more fun.

Just for fun: if you had to pick one app in the whole APPVERSE, what would it be?

Ummm, my favorite mobile technology is BIXI Bikes.  It connects me with my friends and family.