 After serving in the U.S. Army, where he wrote, performed and produced shows for Special Services, he earned a Master's Degree in drama at the University of Washington in Seattle.He taught speech and drama at a Seattle high school, performed on local television, appeared as a clown for a local gas station franchise and trained with two puppet theaters funded by the University of Washington.Following his college education, Britten studied puppetry with Frank Paris, who created and was puppeteer for the original Howdy Doody marionette that appeared on "Puppet Playhouse Presents".