CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, September 02, 2008

A French Marionette Tradition

NPR: "A French summertime tradition — especially for young children — is a visit to a marionette theatre to watch the antics of a character named Guignol. Guignol always manages to outwit the thief with the help of children in the audience."

3 comments:

NatalieMark said...

Establishing a love for theater at a young age makes it all the more enthralling when you go see plays when you are older. The involvement of the children in the play keeps them interested and engaged, a problem that is often faced in more formal theater settings. I think that this is a great tradition, I wish I had it growing up.

Anonymous said...

The children's participation being so crucial in the success of the show reminds me of pantomimes. In fact the entire tradition of going at a certain time during the year and the presence of familiar stereotypical characters is very reminiscent of the English pantomimes I saw as a child.
- Megan Spatz

NorthSide said...

Kids today are way to tuned in to cinema/tv/video games that the simple joy like this seem to be disappearing. I wonder how well this would be percieved by the majority American children. I feel it wouldn't be "real" enough for them and it's sad to think that the imagination is lost so soon. It's good to see some cultures still rooted and thriving in traditions of simple leisure