Puppetry An Introduction

The Origins of Puppetry Puppet theatre is a very old form of expression It is found throughout the world, and each culture has developed its own specific style Today, in the West, puppetry is often associated with children While it is true that puppetry is a form of theatre which enchants children, we will also see that it can take many different forms, several of which are aimed at adults

The Origins of Puppetry Puppetry is a fascinating medium which often combines several forms of art, including sculpture, painting, design, writing, acting and music Puppets are most commonly classed according to their methods of manipulation — the means used by the puppeteer to make the puppet move For example, there are puppets which are slipped over the hand, marionettes manipulated with strings, shadow theatre in which characters glide behind a backlit screen, and many others

The Origins of Puppetry The repertoire — meaning the collections of stories which are performed — the types of puppets, and the audiences to which the performances are addressed, all help to determine the style of puppetry Today's puppeteers are being enriched by puppetry's many traditions — a form of cultural exchange which is inspiring new forms of theatre, new materials and new techniques.

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The Wayang Kulit And The Wayang Golek Of Indonesia Indonesia has a rich tradition of puppet theatre, notably on the islands of Bali and Java Two of the most important theatrical forms are the wayang kulit, a shadow theatre, and wayang golek, which uses rod puppets The stories which are performed are largely drawn from two Hindu mythological epics: the Mahabharata and the Ramayana Noble princes and princesses, gods and goddesses, demons and wise clowns people the many episodes performed from the epics They combine daring battles, love poems, philosophical lessons and buffoonery, in addition to current events, local references, jokes and satire

The Wayang Kulit And The Wayang Golek Of Indonesia The puppeteer, called a dalang in Indonesia, is the undisputed master of this form of theatre He animates the shadows or the puppets, narrates, sings dialogue and poems, uses a different voice for each character, improvises jokes, and directs the gamelan — an orchestra composed of brass gongs The dalang is a respected artist

The Wayang Kulit And The Wayang Golek Of Indonesia The wayang is a theatre with several functions: although it is entertaining and amusing, it also has a spiritual side A wayang spectacle will often be presented at events which mark important changes in life, such as marriages, births or deaths The performance usually begins at sunset, and can last all night, with both children and adults in attendance

The Wayang Kulit And The Wayang Golek Of Indonesia Western puppet threatre has also been influenced by Indonesian puppetry At the turn of the twentieth century, European puppeteers began to work with rod puppets and, today, these are among the most commonly-used types of puppets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KSPB1-ZKRg

Bunraku: Puppet Theatre Of Japan In Japan, bunraku developed during the seventeenth century In this theatrical form, majestic dolls — which can measure as much as 145 cm — are each animated by three puppeteers, in full view of the public While the puppets play out the action, a narrator, sitting near the stage, tells the story, interprets the voices of the characters, and recites the poetic text A musican accompanies the recital on a three-stringed musical instrument, called a shamisen, contributing to the dramatic atmosphere

Bunraku: Puppet Theatre Of Japan The art of bunraku lies in making the puppet's movement so lifelike that the audience forgets the presence of the puppeteers In order to make the movements of bunraku puppets believable, the three puppeteers must synchronize their movements perfectly To become a master puppeteer — the one who manipulates the puppet's head — a puppeteer must count on at least 25 years of training

Bunraku: Puppet Theatre Of Japan Bunraku is an extremely sophisticated form of theatre which presents dramas, often with tragic endings, in which the heroes must choose between passion and duty, and between love and honour It is a theatre which is aimed primarily at an adult audience These dramas, in which the characters are eighteenth-century samurai warriors, aristocrats or representatives of the middle class, do not really reflect the problems and aspirations of modern Japanese society

Bunraku: Puppet Theatre Of Japan Bunraku is so important to Japanese culture that a permanent theatre dedicated to the art of bunraku — the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka — opened its doors in 1984 Bunraku has had a major influence on the development of modern puppetry This technique is still often used, and has inspired several forms of full-view manipulation

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Hand Puppet and Marionette Traditions in Europe In the streets of London, Judy throws herself on Punch and hammers him with a stick In a park in Lyon, Guignol rebounds to deal the furious policeman a good, hard smack! In Munich and Vienna, Kasperl saves himself just in time from the crocodile who wants to snap him up

Hand Puppet and Marionette Traditions in Europe Although these characters come from different corners of Europe, they have many things in common All are mischievous, boastful and provocative, and all are part of an important tradition: the tradition of travelling street theatre They are all hand puppets These types of puppets can easily hold an object (a practical consideration when the puppet needs to pick up a stick to hit its opponent!)

Hand Puppet and Marionette Traditions in Europe A hand-puppet show was, and still often is, performed inside a puppet booth The small size of hand puppets makes it possible to have a fairly small, portable puppet booth which folds up This is exactly what is needed by a puppeteer who is moving from town to town to perform The puppeteers traditionally performed at market day for audiences of adults and children alike

Hand Puppet and Marionette Traditions in Europe The traditional stories of these travelling puppeteers were amusing and simple, enabling the puppeteer to improvise dialogue freely, inspired by his audience and by local current events Audiences particularly loved it when heroes defied authority, morality and the established order Today, however, these performances are more often aimed at children and, while still amusing, are less satirical than before For the travelling street artist — musician, puppeteer or juggler — the same principles remain: travel light, know how to improvise, and adapt the show to your audience

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyLsO6LpLSI

Hand Puppet and Marionette Traditions in Europe Marionettes are able to imitate humans, because they have both arms and legs Performances featuring marionettes often strive to feature the most realistic human movement possible. Towards the end of the seventeenth century, permanent theatres were built, in which marionettes performed pieces taken from the world of live theatre, opera and ballet In contrast with hand puppets, marionettes were more often associated with audiences that were aristocratic or middle class

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Puppet Theatre: A Recognized Art Form in Eastern Europe During the twentieth century, Czech puppet theatre — and the puppet theatre of Eastern European countries (former Soviet republics, former Yugoslavia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, etc.) — experienced considerable development Using the model of the former Soviet Union, permanent national theatres which were well equipped and subsidized by the state were established in several cities Schools and programmes specializing in the art of puppetry were developed, providing a very favourable environment for research and artistic exploration

Puppet Theatre: A Recognized Art Form in Eastern Europe As far back as the 1940s, puppeteers in Eastern Europe were using rod puppets, masks and full-view manipulation They then began experimenting with performances which combined several types of puppet, or combined live actors with puppets All of this experimentation contributed greatly to the development of modern puppetry as we know it today

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Puppets on Television With the advent of television, puppetry found a new means of production and reaching the masses The first contact that most of us have with puppets is often made through children's educational programming Engaging and endearing characters help us learn how to spell or count, or find themselves in situations which make us laugh and make us think

Puppets on Television The specific context of studio production and the technical possibilities offered by the camera have enabled new ways of manipulating puppets, and have also given risen to new forms of puppetry If you look closely at the celebrated Muppets created by American puppeteer Jim Henson, for example, you can see that their style is closely tied to the medium of television

Puppets on Television The puppets are made of flexible materials like fabric, foam and polystyrene, instead of rigid materials like wood They are also given large, mobile mouths (which gives them the name moving mouth puppets) These characteristics give the puppets a wide variety of expressions, which makes the dialogue, filmed in close-up, very dynamic

Puppets on Television In a studio production, puppeteers manipulate their puppets by watching a video monitor, which feeds them the puppet's image This enables the puppeteer to see exactly what the viewer sees Therefore, the puppeteer can constantly adjust the puppet's movements This differs greatly from a stage production, in which the puppeteer must manipulate the puppet live and must often "sense" the audience's reaction

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The Puppeteer The puppeteer who works for a large national theatre or a television production company is primarily concerned with the manipulation of the puppet and, depending on the context, to the creation of the characters' voices and to acting The puppeteer's responsibility for a good performance is shared with the stage directors, set designers, camera operators, lighting technicians, composers, sound engineers, costumers, the artists who make the puppets, and others

The Puppeteer A puppeteer who works alone or in a small troupe, travelling from school to school or town to town, must be able to do everything, or almost everything, in order to produce a show including writing, directing, manipulating the puppets and creating the actual puppets — not to mention that he or she also has to have good business sense in order to keep the theatre company going

The Puppeteer In Canada, there is no school dedicated to the art of puppetry Many puppeteers have theatrical training; others learn their craft by working with other puppeteers Sometimes they will perfect their techniques by undergoing an apprenticeship, or by studying abroad Some specialize in televised productions; others combine television work with theatrical productions They can work as freelancers in puppet theatre companies, or found their own companies

The Puppeteer You have to be a master of many skills in order to make it as a puppeteer Remember that, when the puppets dance, fly, cry, sing and seem to breathe, it is thanks to the multiple talents of the puppeteers!

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