The REACH Opening Festival at the Kennedy Center

Media visionary and creator of The Muppets, Jim Henson, began his career in Washington, D.C. when he was a student at the University of Maryland in the mid 1950s. Join us for a screening of some of his earliest work, including rare local D.C. commercials and episodes of his WRC-TV show, Sam and Friends. Hosted by Craig Shemin, President of The Jim Henson Legacy and author of an upcoming book about Sam and Friends, this event is presented by The Jim Henson Legacy in celebration of Inspired! Jim Henson at Maryland, an exhibit of Henson’s early work currently open at The Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library at University of Maryland.

Photo: Jim and Jane Henson shooting a Wilkins Coffee commercial at Rodel Studio in Georgetown, 1959. Courtesy of The Jim Henson Company.