Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:12:26 -0500 From: Hobey Ford <hobeyone-AT-gmail.com> To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Poor Puppeteering? When I first did adapted bunraku, I performed with a hooded cloak, which in retrospect made me look like a complete fool. A puppeteer suggested that I simply dress in black. It was such an improvement and actually attracted less attention. On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 7:59 AM, Naomi Guss <na-AT-puppetsinmelbourne.com.au> wrote: > I agree with this totally, I've seen some wonderful shows where the > puppeteer was visible, but didn't distract from the performance; likewise > I've seen shows where the puppeteer was hidden but the believability of the > puppet was lacking. I think that a skilled performer should be able to pull > it off whether they're visible or not. > > ------- > > Naomi Guss > > www.puppetsinmelbourne.com.au > > Puppets in Melbourne > > -----Original Message----- > From: Alan Cook [mailto:alangregorycook-AT-msn.com] > Sent: Tuesday, 17 November 2009 4:43 AM > To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org > Subject: [Puptcrit] Poor Puppeteering? > > I'd suggest that poor puppeteering is anything that contributes to the > unbelievability of the puppet, and good puppeteering is what gives a sense > of life to the puppet. > > Yet, the late Mr. Fran Dowie of Vancouver, B.C., Canada did a hilarious act > as "a bad ventriloquist" in which an arm falls off the dummy during the > routine, then the leg, another arm, another leg---finally nothing is left > but the head which is STILL talking. Fran made all this believable. > > Dr Seuss' GRINCH is now at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood to steal > Christmas. There are some poorly animated puppets used incidentally, which > if given basic direction by a knowledgeable puppeteer, COULD have been > believable. > > Frank Paris and Bob Bromley used to appear standing on stage floors with > their marionette varieties, operating one marionette or one tandem pair at a > time---they did not upstage the marionettes, but their classy presence added > something. Many night club puppeteers of the late 1930s emulated this format > with success. > > It began as a matter of necessity in Frank's case. He did not have funds at > age seventeen, to build a stage for an appearance at the Los Angeles Public > Library, so performed without one atop a library table. He had borrowed a > spotlight from Bob Bromley who was present. About two weeks later, Bob > adopted the same simplification. For night clubs, often notorious for > limited performance space, working marionettes in the open, made getting a > puppet act on or off stage a lot easier. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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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