From: Rolande Duprey <puppetpro-AT-aol.com> To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2008 07:34:05 -0500 Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Accessibility Caro, Accessible materials are everywhere. And its important to learn how to use them. AND how to SEE them, and discover them. However, a puppet's proof is in the performance, not in its material sculpture. I once saw a man with a stuffed dog on a stick on Avenue A (in NYC). He had a little styrofoam cup for donations "to feed his dog", who did simple tricks -- sitting, rolling over, etc. I gave him a buck, and suggested he should play in the subway, or at a better location. He was very embarrassed, and obviously not used to any kind of approbation for his unique talent. He wasn't a performer, really, just desperate for cash. Puppetry is NOT accessible to everyone on the planet. In many places, even in our "developed" world, people have no reference to what a puppet show is, or could be. Many still dismiss it as a child's activity (not even an art). Ignorance -- (like the kids' parents in your story) -- is rampant. Rolande On Feb 29, 2008, at 5:52 PM, Caro Stewart wrote: > Dear Rolande, > > Personally, I associate art teachers with the concept of beauty and > creativity that being enough for me to respect them. > As I stated before, I cannot make a comparison between methods of > training based on my own findings, but I did participate to > international festivals and was astonished by the huge interest into > puppet theater that people had. I remember struggling to go through > a mass of people to get to the entrance door for the Chinese water > theater in Charlesville-Mesieres in 1991, as a spectator. People > were stepping on each other toes to get to see the puppet shows... > We were like dead sardines in a can. > I think art is better subsidized in Europe than here, probably > because is considered a vital need. Even in Romania, where most > people have to juggle money to make ends meet, they put aside a few > bucks for a puppet show. I know about an old Romanian man who took > some rich kids to a puppet show in Bucharest, buying the tickets > with his own money. His retirement pension is only $45 per month!! > Kids' parents were very rich, but uneducated and ignorant and their > kids had never seen a puppetry show until the old man came in the > picture. > I also do greatly appreciate the "do-it-yourself" education that > one can acquire through reading specialized books. My puppet > construction books are very much treasured :O) > I applaud your puppeteers efforts to put together a show with > inexpensive materials. This is one other thing I love about > puppetry: it offers the option of using very little, in many ways, > to say a lot. Puppetry is accessible to anyone on this planet. Isn't > this a great thing? > > Regards, > > Caro > > > > --------------------------------- > Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage. > _______________________________________________ > 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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