From: "Wayne Krefting" <thatpuppetguy-AT-q.com> To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org> Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:14:51 -0500 Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Puppetry-a dying art? How about an Extreme Potpourri Grudge Smackdown in a 20 foot tall steel cage? Wayne Krefting ----- Original Message ----- From: Jeff Cornett<mailto:cornettg-AT-bellsouth.net> To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org<mailto:puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org> Sent: Saturday, March 14, 2009 4:10 PM Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Puppetry-a dying art? Now I'm hoping someone will do a fall from a 20 foot tall steel cage for Potpourri at the National Puppetry Festival. C'mon guys, we've got to have a puppet version of "Hell in a Cell." Jeff Cornett, Co-Director 2009 National Puppetry Festival www.nationalpuppetryfestival.org<http://www.nationalpuppetryfestival.org/> -----Original Message----- From: puptcrit-bounces-AT-puptcrit.org<mailto:puptcrit-bounces-AT-puptcrit.org> [mailto:puptcrit-bounces-AT-puptcrit.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Sent: Saturday, March 14, 2009 2:12 PM To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org<mailto:puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org> Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Puppetry-a dying art? You know, people used to say that comic books were just for kids, but now Hollywood depends on comic books as source material for summer blockbusters that attract audiences of all ages. People used to say that only children would watch animated movies...but Pixar has proven that assumption wrong too. I don't think puppetry is any different. I do think the audience has low expectations of puppetry and that is a problem. What changed the perception of comic books and animation was a generation of artists/filmmakers who were serious about their art and committed to creating relateable, engaging stories and characters that resonate with audiences. Where is the Pixar of puppetry? This is one of my favourite stories about being committed to entertaining your audience and how it can pay off... The professional wrestler Mick Foley once performed an especially dangerous match called "Hell in a Cell" - there's a video on YouTube with highlights at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlzvTs0DZ0g<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlzvTs0DZ0g> - and during the match he took a fall off a 20 foot tall steel cage and went through an announcer's table (you can see it at 1:00 in the video). Of course this was planned in advance as a stunt, but it went badly and on impact he knocked himself unconscious and sustained several injuries, including having at least one tooth pushed up through his nose. Never the less, the story goes that he went back in to the match and sustained several more serious injuries - including another 15 foot drop to the floor when the cage roof gave way - until finally his "opponent" covered him on the ring mat and quietly said "Mick, for the love of God stay down". When he was asked about the match and why he kept going dispite the injuries later he explained that he felt that if someone thought enough of him to pay their hard earned money to watch him wrestle, he owed it to them to give it all that he had (Mick Foley is probably crazy, but when it comes to entertaining I think his heart is in the right place). Anyways, a couple years after that match, there were "Monday Night Wars" between competing wrestling broadcasts on cable TV, one by the WWE and one by a rival company called WCW. One week, Mick Foley "won" the WWE Champship in a pretaped episode. Now Mick Foley is not really an ideal wrestling champion - he's not terribly good looking or athletic - and so WCW figured it was pathetic that their competition was going to have this guy as their champion. The WCW show was broadcast live and so the announcers came on air to give away the pretaped WWE results, telling the audience not to bother watching because they were live, the WWE show was taped and Mick Foley was going to win the WWE title. One announcer sarcastically snickered "yeah, that'll really put a--es in seats". Well, the funniest thing happened. Right away almost everyone watching the WCW switched over to the WWE because they wanted to watch Mick Foley win a title. Wrestling fans loved him because he always put on a good show, including that brutal "Hell in a Cell" performance. For years afterwards fans brought signs to shows that said "Mick Foley Put My A-- In This Seat" to mock the WCW's arrogance and show their loyalty to Mick Foley, the unathetic regular guy who loved to entertain them. That story always reminds me that like it or not, the audience doesn't owe us anything. We owe them. We can't just assume there will automatically be an audience for puppetry. We have to work for it. We have to earn it. One more example...I did a blog post last week about Jeff Dunham - http://www.puppetvision.info/2009/03/jeff-dunham-americas-favourite-comedian<http://www.puppetvision.info/2009/03/jeff-dunham-americas-favourite-comedian> .html- and pointed to an interview in which he mentions that very early on in his career he figured out that Ventriloquism was a novelty act. He reasoned that once the novelty wore off, the audience would get tired of him very quickly. His solution was not to rely just on his puppets; he needed to not only be a great Ventriloquist but also a great comedian too. Media outlets are now calling Jeff the most successful comedian in the United States so he's obviously got something right. I think there are a lot of valuable lessons to learn from people like Jeff Dunham and Mick Foley. Thankfully though, our audiences don't expect us to get thrown off 20 foot tall steel cages. - Andrew On Sat, Mar 14, 2009 at 12:00 PM, <puptcrit-request-AT-puptcrit.org<mailto:puptcrit-request-AT-puptcrit.org>> wrote: > > Message: 3 > Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:27:12 +0000 > From: puppetmaster-AT-puppetswithpizazz.com<mailto:puppetmaster-AT-puppetswithpizazz.com> > Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Puppetry-a dying art? > To: "Puptcrit" <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org<mailto:puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>> > Message-ID: > > <2094713279-1236969015-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-782334249--AT-b<mailto:2094713279-1236969015-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-782334249--AT-b> xe1308.bisx.prod.on.blackberry > > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" > > It seems to me that some form of puppetry will continue but perhaps it will > be in a video format. That saddens me for there is something so magical > about the live show. But what saddens me more is that the public (i.e. our > potential clients) seems to feel that puppets are a teaching tool, great to > use to teach about drugs, AIDS, bullying or religion. I think of myself as a > theatrical storyteller and I hope there will always be a place for people > like me. Nancy > Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T > > -----Original Message----- > From: Hobey Ford <hobeyone-AT-gmail.com<mailto:hobeyone-AT-gmail.com>> > > Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:47:28 > To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org<mailto:puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>> > Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Puppetry-a dying art? > > > Anyone who proclaims puppetry a "dying art" is just looking for > something dramatic to talk about. I don't think they are guilty of > anything but indifference. So much of TV and print news is about > selling soap and filling time. It must be terribly mind numbing to > have to go out for the umpteenth time to cover stuff you obviously > have no interest in and come back with "Breaking News!!!!" People I > talk to seem to appreciate that puppetry is a living growing artform. > I also recognize that some have a very low expectation of our > artform. That low expectation has to do with the fact that they have > witnessed very bad puppetry. Turn on the food channel and witness > Alton Brown mangling the idea of puppetry with bad sock puppets. It > is not that he doesn't know better. He is exploiting it knowingly > because he knows that the watcher will instantly connect to the idea > of "bad puppetry." It exists, like bad clown or mime cliche's. It > has become part of the collective conciousness. It sits on a shelf > ready to go right next to the phrases like "Life of a string!" > > <WE have heard stock phrases, but for many, it is the first time so > for THEM it sounds new.> > > We participate in an artform that has sprung out of a hobby and > plaything. It is just the way things are. It is just so easy and > innocent to take the next step and become a "professional" or "Master > Puppeteer!" You don't have to go out and get a licence. Bad > puppetry can work to your advantage and it won't go away. There will > always be really bad puppetry. I have personally become a dillitant > of bad puppetry. There are shades of it and then there is pure > undulterated bad puppetry. Sublimely bad puppetry. I also take issue > with the critisms of cliche press release on puppetry. A really bad > one can reach an asthetic purity that is so aweful that it becomes > beautiful. For better or worse its just they way things are. Just > be glad you aren't a mime. > > ;-) > > On Fri, Mar 13, 2009 at 4:13 AM, Alan Cook <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com<mailto:alangregorycook-AT-msn.com>> > wrote: > > For people who have not been to a puppet show lately or never, Puppetry > IS a dying Art. That is something all of us are trying to change one way or > another, or we wouldn't be on puptcrit or belong to puppetry organizations. > > > > As for press cliches, how many on puptcrit have had publicity in print > that used the very cliches Robert Rogers quotes with disdain. I think it was > Humphrey Bogart who said any publicity is good, just so they spell your name > right. (Whoever said it was probably being a bit sarcastic), but without > publicity, Puppetry could very well die. And like many others, my name has > been misspelled in press reports, and many performers don't get mentioned by > name at all---just the name of the puppet show, such as "Three Bears", or > (cliche alert) "Stars on Strings". ?WE have heard stock phrases, but for > many, it is the first time so for THEM it sounds new. > > > > These days with fewer newspapers, we are lucky to get whatever print > publicity we can, alas, alas. > > > > In exchange we may have to endure all those cliches in order to feed > ourselves. > > > > Alan Cook > > _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org<mailto:puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org> Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit<http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit> Archives: http://www.driftline.org<http://www.driftline.org/> _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org<mailto:puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org> Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit<http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit> Archives: http://www.driftline.org<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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