From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Mathieu_Ren=E9?= <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca>
To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:19:09 -0500
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] The risk of it all...


My short experience of 8 years in Theatre and Puppet Theatre confirms the 
attitude Bruce has described.
Second class citizens is a generous term, in some cases. You should see the 
faces and attitude of those I meet on the Meat Theatre, when at first they 
assume I'm an actor or a Set Designer so are friendly to me, but then I tell 
them what I do: I create puppets and masks. See their faces change, as if I 
had said something rude to chase them away, or if my work was not even worth 
a mention. Actors socialize with Directors and other important people, not 
with the "staff"... Those are the people that would benefit from the 
puppets, in the same show?
Mind you, Puppeteers and Puppetmakers aren't the only outsiders for the Trad 
Theatre people, they make social classes for everyone in the show! Rarely 
will you see the technicians go get a drink with a bunch of Actors.

I've seen exceptions, but all too rarely.
Which is probably partially why I had not actively advertised my services 
for traditional theatre in a while, until two days ago, when I renewed my 
advertisements. I tend to have to categorise most trad theatre people I met 
as snobs. Those snobs, even when they have finally accepted a puppet or a 
mask into a show, will only respect it if it has a famous name attached to 
it, and is made from some material widely accepted as noble.
Forget about paper mache, to them, it can only be crap (although in reality, 
it may well be the most versatile medium there ever was for Theatre, used 
for gigantic sets or miniature accessories, actual luxury furniture! How 
people forget with the time!).

The rare exceptions I've met were already truly open-minded individuals who 
liked to cross over into other Art disciplines, from Puppetry to Music to 
Dance, to Painting and Drawing. With them we could have true conversations 
and learn from each other.

I still believe in Theatre. It changes as the people who are in it come and 
go, but Theatre remains.
The first play I've ever seen was a less known Shakespeare, by a very well 
respected Canadian company. It was the most boring, coldest performance I 
have ever seen. I gave Theatre more chances to convince me IT could be done. 
Puppet shows brought me to that point of marvel, but after that, other 
non-puppet plays pleased me. 

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