From: "Alan Cook" <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:18:02 GMT
Subject: [Puptcrit] Head ring puppet control from India/ a Japanese


A somewhat similar device is used in Japan on "wheel puppets", basically a one-person Bunraku puppet. A head string roughly from the puppet's left ear extends to a point roughly near the puppeteer's left ear, and another string from the puppet's right ear goes to the area of the puppeteers right ear. So when the puppeteer looks to the left, so does the puppet. The puppeteer sits on a rolling seat, (hence "wheel puppet") and the seat also contains a vertical support rod for the torso of the puppet. With special shoes worn by the puppeteer, attached by short rods to each heel of the puppet's feet, the puppeteer can animate the puppet feet.

The puppeteer's hands are used to move the puppet hands.

Part of the fun in collecting puppet books and puppets and seeing different puppet shows from around the world is discovering the multitude of ways to animate a figure.

But as with ANY technical advance or variation, what the puppeteer DOES with it remains supremely important in performance. 

In my Junior High School days, we were fascinated by how things worked (not JUST puppets, but INCLUDING puppets) in the pages of POPULAR SCIENCE, POPULAR MECHANICS, MECHANIX ILLUSTRATED magazines.

Many a puppeteer has extended a program length by revealing performing secrets to their audiences.

In 1948 Tatterman repeated their last scene from "The Glowing Bird" (aka The Firebird or tale of the Phoenix) at the 1948 Puppet Festival The stage proscenium was removed .

 We were treated to smooth moves as string puppets were passed from a front bridge to a back bridge with no visible jerk. The beautiful coordnation among the puppeteers literally caused gasps from an audience of other puppeteers. So we saw ART both in puppet design and in performance.

ALAN COOK


-----Original Message-----
From: Mathieu Ren?
Sent: Sunday, March 2, 2008 3:07 PM
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Cannon Hill Puppet Auction

Thanks Anne for this description.
I'll see if they have the book in the public library system, I remember 
there used to be a few books by Currell at one point, and I'm told they 
bought a lot of books when they opened the new central library.

Maybe some of the budget went into puppet books.



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