Meet Caden Healander | Actor, Puppeteer & Certified Goofy Guy

We had the good fortune of connecting with Caden Healander and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caden, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I used to be pretty sure that the best way to live my life would be to bury myself in the woods, never to return.
Now, I have found that I enjoy being present with people and enjoy the risks that come with being a creative person in a unpredictable world.

My favorite mentality around risks is the ‘fuck it’ mentality. I have to remind myself that the worst thing that could happen is probably not the WORST thing that could happen and then I just have to do the thing. The thing that scares me more than taking a risk, is dying without ever having done the creative things I want to do.

I moved to LA from a college town in Kentucky, not knowing if anything I set out to do would actually work. It was the biggest risk I’ve taken thus far, but the people I have met and the opportunities I have gotten to be apart of would never have come to be if I hadn’t taken that risk. I am a better person because of it.

I absolutely still get heart palpitations when I take a risk, but it’s worth it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
All the work I do revolves around imagination and the value of making the world a better place. If those two things are involved, I’ll give it a go. That being said, I do a lot of stuff! I’m not sure if that’s the adhd or just that I do… but I’m having a great time.

I am primarily a marionettist with the Bob Baker Marionette Theater. We put on shows from a large catalog of puppet numbers dating as far back as the 1950’s.

I also do tv puppetry and was most recently part of a short film called Tatters written and directed by David Stanek with puppets made by Sherry Lane!

I am also a flesh actor! One of the projects I am the most proud of is a solo show I wrote around Lou Sullivan (previously mentioned). It dives into his life from a narrative perspective, focusing on the joy that came out of his struggle. I’ve seen enough media around queer people dying, I really want to focus on how Lou lived. I am in the process of putting the show back on it’s feet, so stay tuned!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
LA is such a wacky place with so many pockets and history. As a transplant, I’m still figuring out the places to go.

If they were coming in from LAX, we’d spend a few minutes people watching and wondering why an airport this big is designed this way.

I would take someone to the magical Miceli’s for food, visit the Getty for the art and the gardens, I could spend all day in The Last Bookstore or Skylight Books. A fun thing to do is to pick a part of LA and have a walk about. Each area is a little different and each area has a personality. The Philosophical Research Society has great events and we could catch a movie there.

I would take folks to The Bunny Museum. Unfortunately it was lost to the Eaton Fire but it is hoping and hopping to rebuild.
You can donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuild-the-bunny-museum-help-steve-candace

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a lot of people, places and things that deserve credit for where I am at. I think community is one of the greatest things we humans get as a species. I hope I have personally expressed my love to people face to face but here is a condensed list of people, places and things that have guided me.

My grandma, my dog, the woods and Sesame Street did a lot of the work in making me who I am in the early days.

My theater instructor Tim Davis, my dog, books and angry punk music did a lot of it during my teenage years.

My friends, my dog, my partner and my family do lot of it now. Oh and therapy. I have to do a lot of that.

‘The dog’ has changed a few times as they have died and been adopted, but they remain consistent as a unit.

There are a lot of dead people who have really influenced me in all the stages of my life. I can’t call them to let them know, but I think about them a lot.

My grandpa, who I never met, was a goofy woodworker and storyteller and I try to embody that energy in my work.

My aunt Annie appoched life with sharp humor and art.

The trans activist Lou Sullivan probably influences every action I make in my career and personal life. He approached life with an unbridled joy and a playful curiosity that I can only dream of replectating, but I certainly use it as a model for how I want to move through the world. His journals, and the curated selection by Ellis Martin and Zach Ozma and interviews with Ben Power changed my life.

There are so many puppeteers that have influenced me who are long gone. Their puppets are still here though and I think that’s really cool. Sorta ominous, but very cool.

Instagram: cadenhealander

Image Credits
Molly Perez, Kia Pooler Whittenburg