Thursday, September 08, 2016
Meet Rob Laqui – TORUK Puppeteer
www.cirquefascination.com: Cirque du Soleil’s new touring production, Toruk: The First Flight, is inspired by the Avatar world created by legendary filmmaker James Cameron. Set among the unique flora and fauna of Pandora, the spectacle is drawing packed crowds throughout North America. The show’s story follows the perilous future of the Na’vi people who live on Pandora. A pending catastrophe threatens the sacred Tree of Souls, according to a press release for the show, and two Omaticaya boys team up to find Toruk, a mystical red and orange predator that flies above the skies of the Floating Mountains. Rob Laqui is one of the puppeteers who bring the flora and fauna of Pandora to life every night. His job is a tough, physical one, but the actor is living his dream on the road with Cirque du Soleil.
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2 comments:
This article about a Cirque du Soleil puppeteer was really interesting for a few reasons and I hope more students choose to read it. I know little about puppeteering but it seems like a microcosm within the world of theatre, involving costume design, construction, acting, dance, and more all in one character or creature. Laqui says he had gotten into "full-body and full-size, full-scale puppets". I wish there was more in the article on how one even falls into that specific line of work. Despite the physical stress and demanding schedule, Laqui finds his craft unique and fulfilling as he joins Cirque's latest touring production. As he explicated his work, I thought of the conflict things like automation and robotics could bring to his small field of expertise. One day his job could be replaced by machines or projections. Hopefully the actor and any new tech could work harmoniously and push the limits of puppeteering, which is increasingly fascinating to me.
This Cirque show seems really interesting. The idea of bringing an animated, CGI world to life on stage seems very difficult, but I think they definitely picked the right movie. Thinking back to the visually stunning flora of the Avatar movie, I can only imagine how cool this would be in puppet form. It makes sense that a puppeteer in this production would need to be ready to invest a lot of time and energy. The world building aspect of the moving flowers and strange creature was essential in the movie, and I imagine would be just as central in the show. When Mr. Laqui began talking about how each creature had its own personality and physicality, it reminded me of the mask project we are currently working on in Design for the Stage. Our job is to give the actors a foundation through which they can build a personality and way of moving for their character.
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