File puptcrit/puptcrit.0710, message 3


To: puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org
From: Jonathan Khuner <jkhuner-AT-earthlink.net>
Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2007 15:56:00 -0700
Subject: [Puptcrit] puppet expertise needed in Berkeley, California


Dear Puppeteering community,

     My semi-professional opera company, Berkeley Opera, is planning  
to present an opera next May, in which it would be beautiful to use  
puppets for some of the magical characters. The opera is L'Enfant et  
les Sortil=E8ges, by Maurice Ravel, and in its one-hour course there  
are about twenty things (chairs, teapot, clock, animals, insects,  
fire, etc) which come to life and interact with the principal singer.  
Their characters are sung (in our case, off-stage), while in the  
original the stageplay was by dancers. But we will be illustrating  
these enchanted things in a variety of media, some on a projection  
screen (with animation), some by dancers, one or two by singers on  
the stage themselves, and would like to have quite a few be created  
through bunraku-style puppetry, ie with the puppeteer visibly present  
to operate the puppets. Our designer (for costumes, set, props, and  
puppets) is Ariel (Parkinson), but neither she nor I know any actual  
practitioners of such puppetry in the area. We are looking for advice  
and for puppeteers to be in the performance.

   I would be most appreciative if any members of the puptcrit-list  
could give me a lead on how to find an interested person in the SF  
Bay area, perhaps someone who could head the team, and train two  
teenage ballet dancers to assist in manipulating some of the puppets.

Many many thanks for indulging me in this intrusive inquiry,


Jonathan Khuner

Artistic and Musical Director
Berkeley Opera
(see http://www.berkeleyopera.org )

jkhuner-AT-earthlink.net



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