'Sesame Street' comes to U.

Sing-alongs with Cookie Monster, cheering for Ernie at "tubby time" and Elmo-worship filled the Annenberg Center's Zellerbach Theater last night as "Sesame Street Unpaved," a celebration of Sesame Street's 30th anniversary, hit the stage. The panel discussion, sponsored by Connaissance, was designed to celebrate the 30 years since Sesame Street's first episode aired in September 1969. "Sesame Street Unpaved" will visit 10 college campuses this year, including Harvard University, Princeton University and the University of South Carolina. The panel included the muppeteer behind Elmo, Kevin Clash; composer Danny Epstein; executive producer Michael Loman; actor Roscoe Orman, who plays "Gordon"; senior writer Judy Freudberg; and Sesame Street Research Director Rosemarie Truglio. The muppet Elmo introduced the event and participated in it as a panel member. "You grew up on the show, we wanted your opinions, you're the experts," Loman said to the Penn students who gathered to relive fond childhood memories of the show. The audience of about 100 received free Sesame Street Beanie Babies and coloring books upon entering the theater. After a brief introduction, an on-stage movie screen ran memorable Sesame Street cuts as the audience sang with Ernie and Cookie Monster, counted with the Count and heaved sad sighs when Big Bird realized that Mr. Hooper was dead. "I think the enthusiasm, singing to the videos, was excellent and to see college students lining up for autographs from Elmo shows that it is truly a multi-generational show," said Ray Badner, director of show publicity for Children's Television Workshop. During the next segment of the event, the panelists explained how their specific jobs fit into the production process and elaborated on how these individual talents merge to create the final product. The show ended with a question-and-answer session. Audience members lined up at two microphones positioned on either sides of the theater to express their opinions about Sesame Street. One Penn student asked for a job at the show, while another questioned how the show coordinated its celebrity guests. One little girl, accompanied by her father, got a hug from Elmo for repeatedly shouting "Hi Elmo" into the microphone. Although Elmo refused to answer questions concerning his relationship with fellow muppet Zoe, he did perform a stirring rendition of the "Elmo song." "It does my heart good to see grown people still appreciating Bert and Ernie," said Orman, who has portrayed the character of "Gordon" for 24 years. College sophomore Vicki Beyda also enjoyed the retrospective. "I felt like I was sitting in front of the television. You don't realize how much it is a part of your memories," she said.