From: "Alan Cook" <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com> To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:30:48 GMT Subject: [Puptcrit] Puppetry Notation Steve Widerman notes the busy backstage scene of puppet shows, which certainly jibes with my memory of the Krofft's "Le Poupees de Paris"---in New Orleans, for example, we were all asked to make notes of every step & every cue. I had to take a leave of absence for a week or two in order to attend the trial of a car thief in San Francsco (he stole my car and 8 years of puppet photos, which in many ways put me behind for 8 years (and in many ways I was simply unable to duplicate countless puppet photos). I still feel the loss of those pictures. For "Les Poupees" I made detailed notes for my replacement to fill my part which included such things as "duck under metal pipe" which prevented serious head injuries The notes also made it possible to learn the show more quickly. In another location, there would have been many differences, So the notes might have limited use elsewhere. The shape of backstage could vary, and obstacles would thus vary. Much of the notation covered what NOT to do, what to avoid or watch out for backstage. Steve Widerman's recommendation for using video as note-taking makes sense, but in 1968 it was less commonly used. ALAN COOK -----Original Message----- From: Widerman-AT-aol.com Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 8:51 PM To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Puppetry Notation If you are composing a new work, a written notation may be of some limited use, but if you are trying to document an existing work it would never be as useful or detailed as a video recording, Also, are you attempting to notate how a puppet should move or what the puppeteer is doing as well? I think notating Puppetry gets complicated fairly quickly. Even the existing dance notation is limited in its scope. Most dance companies rely on video recordings. I sometimes find it helpful for puppeteers to act out their roles or dance the choreography themselves before trying to make the puppet do it. I depend on archival videos of my productions as references for remounting them, and they are invaluable. Well marked scripts defining what each puppeteer is doing helps enormously, too. I usually ask puppeteers to mark their scripts extensively and I save those scripts. Screening a video of a previous production for a new puppeteer in the cast saves countless hours of rehearsal. My one regret is that I never videotaped what was happening backstage, so I often find myself wondering "how did we do that?" I am sure I don't have to tell you that backstage of many puppet shows is a lollapalooza version of what the audience is seeing. (And that's one of my favorite aspects of proscenium Puppetry!) In the future I intend to video both front and backstage. -Steven-> In a message dated 2/26/2008 6:08:02 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, puppetvision-AT-gmail.com writes: I was wondering if anyone on the list has ever developed (or even heard of) a good notation system when staging or choreographing puppetry? I know such systems exists for dance, but I am wondering about puppetry-specific ones. Thanks, - Andrew **************Ideas to please picky eaters. Watch video on AOL Living. (http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel-campos-duffy/ 2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598) _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org
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