To: puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org
From: "Kristin" <jarvis-k-AT-excite.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 18:39:04 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Puptcrit] Puppet Criticism



When I attend any theatrical performance, I look for certain elements.  I have broken these down into three categories detailed below along with the additional elements I look for when puppets are employed.  

Story/Concept: What is the director trying to communicate to the audience?  Is the story engaging?  What is the significance of telling this story at this moment in time?  For whom is this performance intended.  
With puppets: Why were puppets used?  What did animation of the inanimate add to the production?  What is the relation of the puppet to the puppeteers or other actors on stage?Is there an intentional tension or are the puppets the focus?  What type of puppetry is used and why?  Is the director drawing on any particular tradition?     

Design/Construction: How does the overall design of the production serve its intention?  Are the design elements well constructed or hastily put together?  How does the design lead the audience into the world of the production?  Do the elements possess a harmonious aesthetic and if not why?   
With puppets: Does the puppet design serve the concept of the work?  Does the design of the puppets capture their characters? Are the puppets constructed in a way that allows them to move as the character would move(abstractly or realisticly)?  Do the puppets fit aesthetically with the overall design of the production?

Execution:  Do the performers tell the story in a compelling way?  Does the rhythm/pace of the show fit the content?  
With puppets: Are the puppets subject to gravity or aware of the particular dimensions of the world in which they exist?  Do the puppets have consistent movement appropriate to the action of the production and their specific character?  Does the puppet have breath(indication of life), or is it simply dragged along by the whim of the puppeteer?  If the puppet speaks, is the movement (whether with a moving mouth or not) convincing?  Does the puppet's voice/characterization fit the aesthetic of the puppet and if not, is there a reason for this?  Were the objects props, or puppets?

Overall reaction:  Did I leave the performance transported/transformed?  Did I laugh out loud, feel goosbumps rise, or leave contemplating life's many questions, or my own perceptions?
In Puppetry: The same as above...


> --- Begin Attached Message---
<br>It seems to me the interest in the issue of puppet criticism lies more in the kind of remark David said about "I would also expect the person doing the critique of a puppet performance to take into consideration, and comment upon, the over all design and manipulation of the figures." We all want a great experience at the theatre, whether we are watching puppets or human actors. But what makes a great experience? Do the same elements make a great experience for each of these artistic forms? Or, when watching puppet theatre, are there different elements we want to pay attention to and take into account and think about how to evaluate? And if so, how do we judge success and virtuosity in this arena? Just as you wouldn't apply the same criteria to a dance or even an opera <br>performance as you would to a theatrical performance,  your attention <br>is not placed in the same place with theatre and puppetry. So where should a critic be placing his/her attention? How should a 
critic be appraising those elements unique to puppetry? The lypsinching discussion is a very good example. Is this part of the art a critic should be looking for? Obviously someone trained to look at theatre may not be taking this skill into account, or noting that it is a skill at all. Does it ever become an interesting choice with a speaking puppet to intentionally or accidentally not lypsinch well? How can such choices within the limits and expanse of what the form of puppetry has to offer contribute to meaning, interpretation and overall theatrical experience?This is the direction I'm thinking.
Thanks. Claudia


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