My roommate Sarah has always held an interest in puppeteering, in the past working at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, and now as a pupeteer at the Skirball Center’s brand new “Noah’s Ark” exhibition. This afternoon, I joined her boyfriend, Stuart, and our roommate, Liz, at a sneak preview of the exhibit. Sarah is one of several dozen puppeteers who will wander around the museum manning elaborate animal puppets made out of found objects, from fly swatters to tractor seats to hand-made parasols. Some of the puppets require two or more people to operate, including the eight-foot-tall (when standing) elephant puppet, for which four puppeteers have to act as legs.

We showed up just as the last official visitors were leaving, just in time for a rad Indian dance performance in the amphitheater. After the kids left, we got a complete backstage tour of the museum. We even launched into a private drum circle, where three puppeteers danced to our ruckus with an unprepared but highly choreographed dance. A shy security guard even joined in the fun, slapping a drum in a distant corner of the room. Anyway, if you for some reason get a chance to check it out, definitely take advantage of it. It’s a ridiculously fun time! Check out the pictures after the jump.