Subject: PUPT: Re: symbolism
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2002 18:15:26 -0400


It pains me to disagree with Mary but "Puppetry is about movement".   If
it's not moving, it's a sculpture. The life of the puppet lies in it's
movement, which is why it is best when puppets communicate that way rather
than, say, through a monologue. This is not to say that puppets shouldn't
talk.  I've seen many wonderful text based puppet theatre pieces.  It is the
movement of the puppets that convinces us of the puppet's recitation of the
text.  Like singing.  As an example of this, one should see the Salzburg
Marionettes' "Don Giovanni".  (Everyone goes to see "The Magic Flute".  It
really isn't one of their better shows.  Lots of puppets standing around
singing.)  Through the direction and the movement of the marionettes, the
story is completely clear and compelling, even though it is a recorded track
and in Italian.  (And the sets are amazing.)  All music is expressed through
action.  At no point, do puppets stand center stage and deliver an aria.

This being said, puppetry is not just about movement.  It is also about
metaphor.  The puppet, itself, is a visual metaphor for the character it is
portraying.  Everything in the puppet theatre is a metaphor for something
else.  The act of manipulating the puppet is a metaphor for so many
different kinds of relationships.   Puppet theatre is at it's best when it
takes advantage of these metaphors to add a depth that human theatre will
never be able to attain.  Continuing with the above "Don Giovanni" example.
The entire piece is a metaphor for the actual opera.  At no point, do we
think we are watching little people perform an opera, but by placing it in
this context, we are able to appreciate a microcosmic opera, seeing it in
the context of a recreation commenting on the human original.

Preston

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mary Robinette Kowal" <maryrk-AT-earthlink.net>
To: "Puptcrit" <puptcrit-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu>
Sent: Friday, September 13, 2002 3:36 AM
Subject: PUPT: symbolism


> I was clearing my drafts folder and found this paragraph that I'd
> started in response to something, but I don't know what.  So I thought-
> hey, why not toss it out there and see what people say.
>
> I often hear people say that "Puppetry is about movement" which seems to
> me to be fundamentally wrong.  It is significantly harder to move a
> puppet than a dancer, or an acrobat, or even a meat actor.  I am
> thinking now that puppetry is about symbols.  Both the use of the figure
> and the manipulation of the figure are forms of symbolism.  Case in
> point- lip sync.  Really clean lipsync is not a representation of how
> the human mouth actually moves, but an agreed upon set of conventions.
> The physical symbolism is not nearly as interesting to me as the
> metaphoric symbolism, which is why Toyotaka statement about discovering
> the symbolic meaning of the puppet resonated with me.
>
> --
> Mary Robinette Kowal
> Other Hand Productions
> http://www.otherhandproductions.com
>
>
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