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TribLIVE: The Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts includes two quirky and very simple shows that rely on puppets and body language rather than dialogue: “The Pigeoning” and “It's Dark Outside.”
This actually sounds pretty cool. If for no other reason, I would go to see the Bunraku Puppet. But on a more serious note, I think it's remarkable how they have achieved such engagement with the audience, especially without the use of dialogue. I'm really attracted to the idea that they used this kind of medium to bring to attention more serious issues that people encounter.
The Festival of Firsts is doing some pretty remarkable performance pieces. I was lucky enough to get the chance to see "Kiss & Cry" this past week. I went in expecting it to be another "artsy" low budget thing that wasn't all that great. I was so wrong. It was unique and moving in both the material itself and the way it was presented. I didn't think about how much time had passed once (a rare occurrence for me.) I was engaged. The production discussed in this article seems as though it would fall along the same lines. Puppetry has the potential to be such an interesting art form, and the exploration of mental illness such interesting subject matter. I hope, if not this particular show, I will at least get a chance to see a few other productions before the festival is over.
Puppeteering never ceases to amaze me. I think it has something to do with the fact that those operating the puppets are able to do so with such fluidity that we place the puppet to be a very real entity. Our brain fill in the lines and erase the puppeteer and suddenly the inanimate object is a very real and believable thing. I'd be excited to see either of these two shows, especially because neither of them is done with dialogue. That means there is just more of a story for our brains to create, and I think that can result in some of the most moving art.
3 comments:
This actually sounds pretty cool. If for no other reason, I would go to see the Bunraku Puppet. But on a more serious note, I think it's remarkable how they have achieved such engagement with the audience, especially without the use of dialogue. I'm really attracted to the idea that they used this kind of medium to bring to attention more serious issues that people encounter.
The Festival of Firsts is doing some pretty remarkable performance pieces. I was lucky enough to get the chance to see "Kiss & Cry" this past week. I went in expecting it to be another "artsy" low budget thing that wasn't all that great. I was so wrong. It was unique and moving in both the material itself and the way it was presented. I didn't think about how much time had passed once (a rare occurrence for me.) I was engaged. The production discussed in this article seems as though it would fall along the same lines. Puppetry has the potential to be such an interesting art form, and the exploration of mental illness such interesting subject matter. I hope, if not this particular show, I will at least get a chance to see a few other productions before the festival is over.
Puppeteering never ceases to amaze me. I think it has something to do with the fact that those operating the puppets are able to do so with such fluidity that we place the puppet to be a very real entity. Our brain fill in the lines and erase the puppeteer and suddenly the inanimate object is a very real and believable thing. I'd be excited to see either of these two shows, especially because neither of them is done with dialogue. That means there is just more of a story for our brains to create, and I think that can result in some of the most moving art.
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