There are probably days you think your co-workers are a bunch of monsters. Matthew Furtado’s co-workers really are.

That’s because the 24-year-old native of Swansea, Mass., is the human star of VEE Corp.’s Sesame Street Live production of “Elmo’s Coloring Book,” which makes its way to the Lowell Auditorium this weekend.

Furtado plays Professor Art, whose invention takes pictures from coloring books and blows them up to life size, leading Elmo, Zoe, Oscar, Big Bird and the rest of the gang on all sorts of adventures.

Through their travels, the characters learn a lot about diversity, a lesson Furtado hopes is passed on to the audience.

“They learn how people can mix together and make the world a more interesting place,” Furtado said in a recent telephone interview between shows.

The job is a dream come true for the Rhode Island College graduate, who grew up watching “Sesame Street” on television. His current gig is not his first encounter with the show.

“My parents took me to Sesame Street Live as a kid and I would come home and act it out,” he said, never imagining he would one day be up onstage with the Muppets – although he studied the work their creator, learning puppetry himself.

“I was fascinated by the work of Jim Henson,” Furtado said. “He was always kind of a hero of mine.”

Furtado parlayed his song and dance training into the role of the professor and has been on the road since July. This is not the first time he’s played the human with a bunch of costumed creatures, however. Last year, Furtado played a human character in one of VEE Corp.’s Dragon Tales Live productions, “Missing Music Mystery.”

Although the content of the shows is lighthearted and fun, Furtado says the demands are rigorous.

“We keep very busy and the show is very physically demanding,” he said. But Furtado’s not complaining.

“It’s a great challenge and it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “We’re all out here doing what we love to do.”

For Furtado, the joys of working in a family theater environment are numerous.

“It’s really rewarding to see the reactions of the parents and the kids,” he said, promising that the show works on multiple levels to engage both children and adults.

Even the parents get excited over seeing the characters come onstage, but it is the reaction from the little ones, Furtado says, that is truly magical.

“It’s really a great time for the whole family and a wonderful chance to experience live theater,” he said. “It’ll be something they remember for the rest of their lives.” 

JEN O’CALLAGHAN