File puptcrit/puptcrit.1003, message 483


From: Christopher Hudert <heyhoot-AT-mindspring.com>
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:51:20 -0400
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Russian puppetry


On Mar 20, 2010, at 5:33 PM, Alexander Winfield wrote:

> I remember reading Sergei Obraztsov's autobiography (he was probably 
> the biggest traditional puppeteer in Soviet Russia), in which he
> mentions that the puppet world was pretty sparse before he started 
> working in the field. There were a number of Petrushka (a sort of
> Russian Mr. Punch) men, but most of them worked in dire poverty.

Funny, I made the same observation about puppetry in the US. Before I 
started doing puppetry, back in the early 70's, there were very few 
puppeteers working in the US. Since then there has been an explosion of 
puppetry. Somehow that explosion has taken some puppeteers back in time 
and populated the era before I entered the field. (Amazing how many of 
them did, and do, work in some level of poverty, especially in the 
current economic times.)

  Oh, no, wait. That was a sarcastic (and hopefully at least a little 
humorous) observation that some of this just may be perspective. I was 
not AWARE of the number puppeteers or extent of puppetry because it was 
not something that I was really exposed to much. Didn't grow up 
watching lots of TV and seeing Howdy, Sesame Street etc. Don't have a 
puppet show I saw as a child that sticks out in my mind enough that I 
can even recall seeing one live. I entered the field of puppetry 
through a side door, coming in from involvement in theater. As my 
involvement has grown, so has my awareness of the vastness of puppetry 
across the entertainment fields and across time.

Since Russia (Soviet or otherwise) is a very large country, and since 
many puppeteers then (and now) work relatively locally and in 
semi-obscurity, it would be very easy to miss others in the field and 
think you are a lone sheep. TV, and more so internet, has increased 
awareness of others, but think how many puppeteers are on this list, 
then remember that for every puppeteer on this list as a member (or 
even just mentioned) there are hundreds if not thousands of other 
puppeteers out there in the world. Think that count is off? I don't. 
This is a english speaking dominated list. There are hundreds of 
non-english speaking puppeteers in India, China, Europe, South America, 
etc. that aren't here. And I personally know dozens upon dozens of 
english speaking puppeteers in the US that are not on this list. 
Extrapolating that to others on the list, and the numbers get pretty 
large pretty quickly. We are constantly 'discovering' puppeteers we 
didn't know existed, sometimes in our own backyard. There are even more 
who have come and gone without making much of a blip on the collective 
radar. I just find it very hard to believe that a country as large as 
Russia, and full of so much talent for the arts, lacked puppeteers. I 
don't find it at all hard to believe that there existence over the 
years was not documented and they are unaccounted for. (Shoot, look at 
the discussion recently regarding the Encyclopedia of Puppetry and the 
number of current and past people not included. Generally, the names 
discussed were the well known, the obscure and/or small players are too 
numerous to mention. Can it really be that there were so few in 
Russia?)

Now, I am no Obraztsov, but I have been fortunate enough over the years 
for my impact in the world of puppetry to come back to me in a small 
way every now and then. A few people have told me my work and/or 
teaching has influenced them in some way, or even inspired them to 
enter the field. With someone of the level of Obraztsov, I can see 
where that influence and impact is much more obvious and wide spread. 
But can he really be the rebirth of puppetry in modern Russia? Surely 
there is an argument on the affirmative, just as Jim Henson can be held 
up as one who renewed and changed the face of puppetry in the US and 
the world. But just as surely I feel like there has to be (and have 
been) high quality puppetry in Russia that is not under the Obraztsov 
style and influence. I love and respect Obraztsov's work, but I'd also 
love to see and learn about other puppetry from that part of the world. 
Keep posting those connections!

Oh, and btw, just to illustrate again how we all live in our own little 
bubbles, I'd like to point out that there is some great puppetry in 
Japan that is not Bunraku. I imagine that it is true that there are 
other forms in other countries beyond the ones that are predominate. 
Only Water Puppets in Viet Nam? Only one form of hand puppets in China? 
Only shadow puppets in (insert a half dozen names here)? Only Muppets 
in US? And the list goes on. Just because they are not in our bubble of 
awareness does not mean they are not out there.

Thanks to all of those who continue to expose us (well, me at least) to 
the works of others, be that work live or via books and/or video. You 
enlarge my bubble.

Christopher

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