Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2008 01:34:08 -0800
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
From: The Independent Eye <eye-AT-independenteye.org>
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] The risk of it all...


>Yet I have met
>>  very few theater practioners  who do not tend to
>  > snicker when the craft of puppetry is brought up.

I wouldn't presume to rebut this, but just to offer a somewhat 
different perspective.  I think it has to do with the instinct of 
survival.  I've been to many TCG conferences (the national non-profit 
theatre service organization), and as beautiful and dedicated as 
these artistic directors & managing directors & invited guest artists 
may be, and many of them truly are, there's always, always, that 
quick name-tag glance to see if you should accord this conversant 1 
minute, 2 minutes, or 10 minutes before you slip on to somebody who 
might actually advance your career.  It's not snobbism, it's 
self-preservation in a world that regards deep soul connection as a 
silly luxury.  If you're in the "experimental theatre" category, 
unless you're Richard Foreman, Lee Breuer or the current flashing 
meteor, you're a novel oddity, more to be pitied than scorned.  I've 
had people tell me, "Wow, I so envy what you're doing!" and how they 
really wish they had the freedom to express themselves, and I think, 
"Yeh, and I really envy your pension plan."  People gravitate to the 
people who are like them, or who can do them some good, and plain, 
rock-bottom human interest & curiosity - which to me are the very 
life essence of theatrical storytelling - are dispensable frills.

The conventional theatre structure discounts multi-tasking.  There 
are specialties.  You're an actor or a director or a playwright or a 
designer or a producer.  If you produce your own plays, direct them, 
act in them, maybe even - gods forbid - design them, you're clearly 
doing it only as a vanity enterprise, even if you've made your living 
doing it for three decades.  So believe me, it's not just because 
you're a puppeteer.  That's probably the least of your sins.

Peace & joy-
Conrad B.

--Though why I'm sounding so pissed-off I have no idea.  We just had 
a beautiful first rehearsal of DESCENT OF INANNA with our ensemble, 
with lots of highly unprofessional wine & finger food - we always 
start a production with a feast.  And I just cast the next-to-last of 
the 17 puppets, a ravenous sea monster.  And one of our guys brought 
in his own removable-puppet-rod design that's simply elegant.  And my 
son sent p. 5 of a 9-pp cartoon about a ghost dinosaur that's 
heartbreakingly sweet.  And we've raised all our production costs in 
donations before starting to sell tickets.  And tomorrow night my 
mate is doing a program of her incredible songs that she's never sung 
in public.  And we're just so incredibly privileged to live this life 
in all its fevered, perfumed hours.  What a hoot.
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