To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Date: Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:38:20 GMT
Subject: [Puptcrit] Puppeteers vs Dancers & Actors


I won't ask Christopher Hudert to go to Minnesota & jump in the lakes there. He has actually added to the discussion.
So, to him, my thanks!

Rather than puppeteers complaining they "did not get the job" (something actors excell in), I think the problem is that too often, puppetry is the orphan of the arts--it don't get no respect because so many in our population have no idea of the breadth, versatility, diversity of world puppetry---yet (an example f cultural contradiction)  The Muppet Show was one of the top virtues of American TV, and was very popular. The minute it went off the TV screens TV viewers were distracted by other things. They have to be reminded about how so much good stuff is no longer on TV. And on top of that, the viewers never did know about Bunraku, Vietnamese Water Puppets, Punch & Judy, or great marionette shows.

Look in your nearest big city newspaper (if it still exists) and the movie ads are bigger than any puppet show publicity. Most puppet shows cannot compete budget-wise with mass-marketing, but if you can think of a contrary example, tell me.

"Coraline", a great puppet movie, did not have as big a budget for advertising as many other movies, but at least people heard about the film. So much of the time, they don't hear so much about live puppet shows in a small venue. Not in comparison to mass market stuff. Money talks & big money yells for attention. Most puppeteers never see big money, and they don't get to spend it very often (if ever).

For me, much of the charm of puppetry is that it tends to being more intimate and smaller-scale. I love Giant puppets too, but MOST puppets tend to being miniature sizes compared to actors & dancers. I love using large puppets along with smaller figures in puppet exhibits----in a gallery setting it gives more contrast in the exhibit space, and is another way to hit the public on the head, that YES, THERE IS GREAT DIVERSITY IN PUPPETRY that the public ought to know about.

Well, the public needs little puppet shows too, for a little balance.

We can benefit by the entry of new puppeteers, naturally. But new puppeteers need to know that PUPPETRY HAS DEEP ROOTS. It is why I try to preserve puppets of many sources and to share that through exhibits. And whenever I hear someone at a puppet exhibit say "I did not know there was so much TO puppetry" the exhibit succeeded in one of its purposes.

Educating the public is a never-ending job.


-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher Hudert
Sent: Saturday, October 3, 2009 9:55 AM
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Nightingale in Toronto: Lepage and Curry

> I'd be curious to read some of Taymor and Curry's thoughts on not using
> puppeteers, if anyone knows where I might find them. I do remember 
> reading
> that Taymor first trained in mime under Lecoq, and so perhaps comes to
> puppetry seeing it as a means to experiment with human movement and 
> body,
> rather than focusing on the puppet itself.

I've been trying to resist getting drawn into this thread, and I don't 
want to take sides, especially the "other" side BUT...

Though I don't fully agree with the reluctance to hire puppeteers, I do 
understand it to a large degree.

The thought does occur to me that part of this reluctance for Taymor 
and Curry may be more in the lack of diverse performing training that 
we puppeteers have (particularly in America). Too often we come to the 
table from the angle of the object/puppet with little training or 
experience in the many other disciplines of performance. How many of us 
have taken the time to study dance, movement, mime, magic, acting, 
voice, singing, etc., etc., etc. in order to be a better puppeteer? 
Many actors, on the other hand, continue taking classes to increase 
their craft. We puppeteers (and I am including myself in this) often 
trend towards the classes in the creation of the tool (puppet). Even if 
you review the archives of this list I believe you will see the bulk of 
the conversation is toward materials, methods of building, and 
performance review and few (if any) mentions of what great acting class 
or instructor someone has discovered.

But even if Taymor, Curry, and others hire non-puppeteers and teach 
them to manipulate puppets, aren't they training them to be puppeteers? 
Aren't they then increasing our ranks, and infusing it with a new 
bloodline? A bit of bio-diversity is not a bad thing, me thinks. 
Perhaps some of the protests (though unspoken) are more that they 
didn't hire "us/me" and that "I" didn't get a shot at this juicy plum 
than it is the lack of hiring puppeteers. I understand the argument 
that perhaps if they hired a puppeteer the manipulation of the puppet 
would be better, but that is coming from students of the object/puppet. 
If you look at it from the school of performance/theater (where 
Taymore, Curry, and some others are probably coming from) it is more 
important that the acting/story be the stronger element. And I don't 
otherwise hear a chorus of complaint when new puppeteers join our 
ranks. Why is that?

There is also the aspect of the difficulty of training out bad (or at 
least bad for what is desired) puppeteer habits in order to train in 
the desired ones. It's often easier to start with a clean slate than to 
try to wipe an old slate clean. Or at least in my experience.

I find I would probably side with Taymore, Curry, and others 6 or 7 out 
of 10 times. But then I come to puppetry from "the other side" 
(acting/story) so maybe that has something to do with it.



I suspect I just hit the hornet's nest with a rock. I better run and 
jump in the lake. I'm sure people are going to tell me to do that (or 
worse) anyway.

Christopher

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