File puptcrit/puptcrit.0911, message 239


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.
>
>
>
>
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