It was a puppet invasion — all part of the 11-day Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival — and the latest proof that puppetry, a delicate and mysterious art so often restricted in this country to the children’s table, or relegated to fringe productions, has claimed a spot closer to the center.
4 comments:
I have always had a love for puppetry as a form of theatre. My first experience with puppets was in a local theatre production of The 39 Steps. The show incorporated shadow puppetry in a long chase scene in which the main character escapes cops, dogs, planes and the loch ness monster! Later on I was able to experiment with ventriloquism style puppetry in productions of The Lion King Jr. and Godspell. I believe that theatre puppetry should be at the center of many productions and not solely reserved to children's theatre or fringe pieces as the author of this article states is so common. Puppetry can further plot, add tension and express emotions that draws the viewer in to a world so beyond the natural human existence. I hope to see a large amount of puppetry emerge in upcoming theatre productions following this festival, possibly even making it to Broadway of the big screen soon.
I find this article really, really cool because of my experience with puppets. I spend a few years working with puppets and learning about the art of puppeteering. Ironically, my worlds haven't collided with themselves and I have never seen a theatrical production with puppets; however, the prospect of it is extremely normal in my head. I don’t think of puppets in the way this article is expecting its readers to, but I see them as an outstanding theatrical tool. Whether they are the types of puppets found in War Horse, Avenue Q, Sesame Street, or The Muppets, they all have their own purpose and their own positive and negative sides to them. Except for the large scale puppets found in a War Horse type production, there is the aspect of seeing the connection between the bottom of the puppet and the puppeteer, which would need to be taken into deep consideration when planning a theatrical production with puppets.
I will be honest, I was never much of a fan of puppets or costumed characters. I did own some as a younger child, but after a while, the fact that they operated by the hands of a human being disturbed me. I believed that stuffed animals, dolls and puppets had feelings, and to manipulate them so against their will was cruel. It is amusing to me that this article comes up now, many years later, and I can reflect on how I feel about puppetry. I certainly have a vast amount of respect for the art now. I thought it was particularly interesting that the article talked about how puppets can be used to imply strong metaphors, defy realism, and allow us to believe. I wonder what it is about puppetry that allows us to do that more so that live theatre does. Is it because we are aware that they are not real human beings and can be capable of what we think is unachievable if performed by a human actor? No matter the reason, I am thrilled that Puppetry is being given its chance in the spotlight!
Thank this article for further broadening my international view on puppetry; there is really some helpful information about the current puppet industry in the US, even in the world. Growing up in a Chinese traditional puppet company, my understanding of this art form was restricted. It was not until I went to the US that I opened my eyes to see the world's puppetry-a whole new enlightenment to me. Most puppets in Asia are seen as ancient art forms or folk art rather than a real performing art. My mentor, who is a puppeteer in New York, showed me the possibility of combining Chinese puppetry with avant-garde theater; and it inspired me a lot. Tradition and innovation can happen at the same time.
Puppetry is definitely not only for children. Being so used to pure puppetry, seeing shows like Avenue Q or The Lion King can be mind-blowing and make people grow interests in puppetry. But when I see the pictures of pure puppetry in the article, the nuance of emotions in the puppets which I am familiar with brings back my childhood memories. I remember the thrill of seeing puppets acting out the souls of the human. Those pictures just touched me so.
Hope someday I can have the chance to be in an international puppet festival.
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