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 _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org
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