FOR THE LOVE OF THE ARTS
Esposito handling Kermit the Frog during a production of the Muppets .
From the Prep to Puppets
Like O ’ Connor , puppeteer and puppet builder Arthur Esposito ’ 93 knows how difficult it is to encourage a career in the arts with the current state of the industry . Nonetheless , he ’ s had success and wouldn ’ t dissuade anyone from pursuing their passion for performance .
At the Prep , Esposito was president of the Art Club , where he participated in activities such as painting murals on the walls of Shea Hall and helping with yearbook design . He took art classes with former Prep teacher Marylin Honigman and his cinema class with Fr . Pierce Brennan , SJ .
“ Ms . Honigman was super supportive of me , and gave me a lot of confidence to continue to pursue my interests ,” said Esposito . “ Fr . Brennan exposed me to a lot of films that I had never seen before and allowed me to do projects that furthered my knowledge . At the time , the Batman movies were very big and he encouraged me to write and storyboard my own movie , which I did for that class ,” he recalled .
Esposito remembers working on a report on Walt Disney Animation for one of his classes at the Prep . He brought samples of hand-painted animation cels for his presentation on the subject for his classmates . He also recalls channeling his grief through a class project on the life of puppeteer Jim Henson , who died during his freshman year .
People think a career in the arts is unrealistic or unobtainable … I get to be creative and play all day . I encourage students who are considering a career in the arts to give it a go .”
— Arthur Esposito ’ 93
“ At the time , the Prep library had a wonderful microfiche machine that printed out old newspaper articles , and I used it to reference articles back to Jim ’ s start in television in 1955 . Who knew that Jim Henson would have such a lasting effect on my life and career path ?” he pondered .
Esposito has gone on to work with the Jim Henson Company , Disney , and other large production houses . His notable works as a puppeteer include Freddy Fazbear and Golden Freddy in Five Nights at Freddy ’ s , Baloo the Bear in Disney ’ s 2016 The Jungle Book Live Action Film , and Kermit the Frog in The Muppets ( understudy ).
“ People think a career in the arts is unrealistic or unobtainable . I ’ m living proof that that ’ s not true ,” Esposito stated . ” I ’ ve been able to make a good living at it and support a family of four . The best part is that my work never feels like work . I get to be creative and play all day . I encourage students who are considering a career in the arts to give it a go . If you ’ re passionate about what you do and give it your all you will be successful . Personally , I wouldn ’ t have it any other way !” he added .
Gray on the set of Ray Donovan : The Movie . Photo by Bill Heck .
A Community on and off Stage
For young alumnus Christopher Gray ’ 15 , a career in the performing arts was on the fence . Although he had done community theater since he was a pre-teen and went to acting classes in Manhattan until around age 14 , he took a break from acting after middle school .
While at the Prep , Gray was part of the Creative Writing Club , moderated by Fr . Stanley O ’ Konsky , SJ . “ He instilled in me a love for reading and writing ,” Gray stated . He remembers writing several screenplays in the club as well as a long-form narrative in Leonard Theatre for his senior thesis project . As a student-athlete on the track and field team , he unfortunately didn ’ t have time to be a part of FPDS plays .
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FORDHAM PREP RAMVIEW