Meet Qate & Mike Bean & Butler | Puppetry & Magic

We had the good fortune of connecting with Qate & Mike Bean & Butler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Qate & Mike, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Every Bean&Bear Show has been a delightful risk. There has to be risk for growth and discovery. As a performance duo we began based in improv, which is all risk. None of our shows have ever been scripted, and we’ve done a lot of shows. There’s been lots of “this could be fun” sometimes to a self indulgent degree. Often we’ll try things on stage we know we’re not very good at. It can be fun to fail spectacularly. Trust the process, because every sense of security is a false sense of security. But if you trust your partner and the process, it makes it easier to willing jump into the abyss. Risk assessment is also important. At a point in the pandemic we decided to prioritize our friendship and self-care over focusing on The Bean&Bear Show. Friendship is already a risky endeavor. If we lost our friendship then the show could not exist. There is no Bean&Bear Show without Bean and Bear.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We are an interactive, highly energetic adult-friendly kids’ show performing puppetry, magic, and other bizarre stuff. As far as we know, there is no one like us but everybody likes us. We’ve created a world of endless possibilities for us to play within, and are often surprised by the accidental good our show has done. Through learning to trust the process of collaboration creation we have had the space to grow as people as well as performers. Our version of success as individuals and performance partners has been largely due to variety. We both have had widely varied jobs/careers, picking up skills and stories along the way. The world of Bean&Bear allows us to try everything we want and encourages others to try as well. Was it easy? No. It is the hardest thing we’ve ever done, but it is also the best. The juice has been worth the squeeze. Through our work together the greatest lesson we’ve learned is the importance of snack, nap, and play. If your not getting a balance of the three you’ll have a hard time being the best friend you could be, even to yourself.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Rainy Day Revival, Dad’s Garage Theatre, Waller’s Coffee Shop, Center for Puppety Arts, Heck House, Eddie’s Trick Shop, almost any Waffle House, Manuel’s Tavern, Possum Kingdom Ramblers, Captain Crimmins and the Storyboat Band, Village Theatre, Puckin’ Fuppets Show, DragonCon

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Center for Puppety Arts, K.I.S.S., Brandon Ross, Beau Brown and the Puckin’ Fuppets Show, Toybox Theatre, Dad’s Garage Theatre, DragonCon, Village Theatre, Waller’s Coffee Shop, Heck House, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, Adventures of Pete and Pete, Andrew W.K., and a garbage bag full of lemons.

Website: Thebeanandbearshow.com

Instagram: @beanandbearstudios

Twitter: @beanandbearstudios

Facebook: @beanandbearstudios

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC-uvMKYCms1wYUagS5LlWKQ

Image Credits
JenBen Media