Opal Wallace

Opal Wallace is a Puppeteer and Career Motivator. A puppeteer for over 16 years.

When Jim Henson first created his Muppets his intention was to produce sympathetic, emotional characters with which audiences, both young and old, could relate. Sesame Street, The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock resulted.

In , one child was so captivated by these muppets that puppetry has become an integral part of her adult life. These were the television programmes that spurred a young Opal Wallace's interest.

"As a child, I was totally intrigued with muppets," she says, "I used to watch those shows and wonder how on earth they did it." That intrigue waned during her teenage years reviving when she became a Christian.

Wallace says she now not only knows how puppets are made, but she has also conducted numerous shows and seminars on puppetry all over the island.

One seminar of note, says Wallace, is the one she recently conducted in the for an international gathering of churchmen in . "It was easy for them to get somebody from the ," she smiles.

A JBC /Ministry of Education workshop in puppetry gave Wallace her formal start. But it was with some luck that she participated, as the course was intended for trainers in the education ministry. "All of what I used to see on TV came alive to me. I just knew it was me," she says.

Immediately after, Wallace was thrown in the deep end when the Franklyn Graham Jesus for 1997 crusade invited her to conduct puppet shows at their rallies.

"I never found out who told them about me," she says, "but it was my launching pad. I went about 20-odd places in just a month."
Since then Wallace has demonstrated her cuddly creations all over . There is high demand for the art form.

"My favourite is Jodie; she is a character that I voice," she says.
"It is much more than making the puppets," Wallace offers, "your voice can go up or down," she adds, demonstrating the voice of a sunflower character. "I have a team that works with me".

True to her Christian conviction, many of Wallace's performances have been for church groups. However, sc