Steven Widerman is a visionary puppeteer, accomplished composer, and creative producer who has contributed to the fields of entertainment, education, industry and advertising for over 60 years. With the assistance of woodcarvers, painters and costumers, Steven has designed and built a remarkable variety of more than 400 puppets throughout his career, and created numerous original productions and conceptual pieces that have won him broad-reaching acclaim. After many years of studying his craft with Master Puppeteer Bil Baird, Steven formed The Puppet Company in 1977 and and went on to own and operate an acclaimed theater in Union Square in Manhattan for the following decade, producing a variety of shows that received great reviews in the press and and had a loyal following. Steven’s expertise has not been limited to the theater, as he has performed in numerous commercials, films and television, in beloved shows like "The Book of Pooh" and "Bear in the Big Blue House." Steven is also an accomplished pianist with a degree in Music from the University of Pennsylvania, and has composed a multitude of original scores for Puppet Company productions. At one time Steven served as President of the Puppetry Guild of Greater New York and Editor of the organization's newsletter, PuppetMaster. He is a member of Puppeteers of America and has served on the Board of Directors of UNIMA-USA, the international organization of Puppeteers. Steven is known to the public as the voice behind "Al E. Gator" and the master manipulator of "Rocket the Roller Skater" marionette. In 1996 Steven co-produced a TV pilot for a children's television program called The Al E. Gator Show, in conjunction with NYU's Tisch Center and then student and Puppet Company intern, Eric Jacobsen. The show won first prize in the NYU student film festival. The talented intern Jacobsen has gone on to be a standout for the Muppets and now operates and voices the famous Miss Piggy herself!