To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 05:14:48 -0500
Subject: [Puptcrit] Sitting tabletop puppets


I'm curious to see what other builders have made in the type of "sitting 
tabletop puppets".
Is there a specific name for this type?


Aside from the toy theatre, my customer and I are discussing the possibility 
of a wise storytelling puppet, sitting on a chair. The whole thing (sitting 
down) would measure about a foot high. I like such sitting figures, because 
stability is already taken care of, and you can concentrate on the subtle 
plays of the head, upper body and arms. It's manipulated overtly or with 
puppeteer hidden, with simple rods, behind the head and behind the elbows. 
My puppet would probably be glued to the chair. I took an old puppet 
prototype tonight and glued it to a quickly made insulation foam throne. The 
movement range is surprising!
The most complicated part in all this would be to make the costume, which 
would be easy.

My hero in this type of puppet is Pierre Renaud, a Montreal puppeteer and 
storyteller, with his character Guru Zen Zen.   Zen Zen is so alive and 
believable (brilliant both in design and performance), that I forget Pierre 
completely, and the puppet and I have long conversations.  He gave me a 
recipe book once!
The puppet performs in its own buddhist temple setting, rich in detail yet 
very simple, very "Zen". The temple's back wall hides the puppeteer, who 
manipulates with rods.
The first time I saw them perform, I was speechless for a while, shy to 
speak to the puppet.

The only Zen Zen picture I can find online is on their site:
http://www.pierrepunch.com/html/marionnettes.htm

the main page is:
http://www.pierrepunch.com/index1.html
Although the site s in French, Pierre performs in French, English, and most 
probably Spanish.







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