Voice of the Show

The foundation course has ended but Suzie's pursuit into puppetry is far from over... Stepping out of the shadows: Shadow Puppetry!  For our last session on this course we examined what might have been, for many of us, our first foray into puppetry – whether this was on a bedroom wall in the dimming lamplight or against the canvas of a tent with a torch whilst camping – we all have childhood memories of making shadow play. Shadow puppetry is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment, an old tradition with a long history especially in Southeast Asia where it is often revered as art! Although I think my shadow puppetry has a little way to go before it could be described as such...! All that's required is an object, a light source and some kind of screen. We were to make the objects, the light source was supplied by a mobile phone or a projector and there were two screens set up – one made from two tables put together and turned on their side with a sheet acr...

Do puppets dream? Suzie uses gaffer tape and cardboard to find out... Puppet Making: Movement Today we were given the task of making some simple puppets - I say 'simple'... Although the puppets were made from simple materials (cardboard and gaffer tape) they were actually rather complex in the way that they moved.  We made them specifically with movement in mind; how would the joints - the knees, the elbows, the shoulders - be constructed so as to move in a natural and realistic way?! Oli ( Oliver Smart, our instructor ) showed us the intricate way in which a few puppets worked, and then, under his careful consultation, we started constructing our own. Such Stuff as Puppets Are Made On As mentioned above, we used very sophisticated materials - cardboard and gaffer tape! But I'm also referencing a Prospero quote from The Tempest in the subheading there -  We are such stuff /  As dreams are made on; and our little life Is rounded with a s...

Playing Pinocchio! - Week Eight... by Suzanne Kendall Turning Japanese Today we'll be exploring 'Bunraku' said Oli. I beg your pardon said I!  'Bunraku', or more correctly - 文楽 - is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre created at the beginning of the 17th century. For more information, here's a Wikipedia link: Traditional Japanese puppet theatre . The significant elements that really came into play in the class were the style of the puppets themselves and the ensemble nature of this type of theatre. The photos below give you an example: Although Banraku puppets are ordinarily carved in wood, we used cloth puppets - rag dolls essentially. Like their wooden counterparts they have a movable head and joints in the arms, legs, hands and feet to manipulate. It's alive! Each puppet requires 3 operators: one on the head and an arm, another on the lower torso and the other arm, and finally one on the feet. The person operating th...