In this episode, we explore the wacky world of the Puppeteer with actor Michelan Sisti. He is best known as Michelangelo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Charlene Sinclair on Dinosaurs. He shares what it’s like wearing heavy suits and how you really have to be in shape to move around in them.
Michelan Sisti (b. May 27, 1949) is an actor and puppeteer who was born into a US Army family stationed at San Juan, P.R.
Michelan (Michael) began his professional acting career as Snoopy in “Your A Good Man Charlie Brown”. The next twenty years on the stage included a bunch of Broadway shows, highlighted by “Cabaret” with Joel Grey, “Fiddler On the Roof” with Hershel Bernardi, and “Raggedy Ann” with Ivy Austin.
Then Micha was cast as Michelangelo in the live action film, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, and that changed his life. He left the theatre and joined the Jim Henson family to create movies and television. He returned as Mikey in “TMNT ll - Secret Of the Ooze”. Next came four seasons of the tv show, “Dinosaurs” during which Micha learned his hand puppeteering skills. Those skills came in handy for the following twenty-five years working with Hensons and Disney and Muppets. Highlighted by his longtime Muppets specialty as Animal’s drumming hands and the ground-breaking live Muppets performances. Twice at the Hollywood Bowl and again at The O2 in London and even a music festival with the “Electric Mayhem”. Sisti has also served as performance coordinator, animatronic puppeteer, and performance capture artist in a long list of projects.
Micha had the special treat to play two television aliens as the Ferengi, Tol, on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” And a combative ship Commander on “Babylon 5”.
Prior to all of this, Michelan had a career in music.
