Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 13:46:38 -0400 Subject: Re: PUPT: Puppet Criticism Again: A Call for Ideas! From: robert smythe <robertsmythe-AT-mumpuppet.org> Dear John Bell, The organizer of the symposium at the International Dance Festival and Conference in Poland has specifically asked critics to provide examples of writing they have found useful, and that artists do the same. I have assumed the idea is that critics and artists will find different things useful. It is clear from what you post to this list that you are a critic as well as an artist. While I expect that we have different ideas about what constitutes "useful," I resist the idea that acceptance of a certain canon of writing about puppetry is a requirement for either critics or artists. I am somewhat amazed, if I infer correctly, that you believe that puppeteers have all the thinking, writing, criticism and theory we need. I respectfully disagree, if only because these ideas do not speak to me, and how I view my work or the work of other puppeteers. I need more than I have found on those pages. Going to this symposium is important to me because I'd like to find out if artists and critics who work in dance, a field that has far more written about it than puppetry does, feel the same way about what is written about their work and their artform. I think this will be an interesting discussion. Although I realize that others at the symposium may have opinions different from mine, I don't think that I'll be told I'm wrong for holding them. In the meantime, for the record, I’ll say that the works of Jacques LeCoq and Etienne Decroux have always been very useful to me, as they tend to broaden one’s approach to theatre. LeCoq, especially, with his focus on the use of masks and movement in performance and in the creation of new work, is particularly relevant to puppetry. I have also found the writings of the Nobel Laureate physicist Richard Feynman, particularly his series of CalTech lectures (collected as "The Meaning of it All") to be inspiring as well as useful. I think the ideas of Eric Bass and Jean Claude LaPortier will form the nucleus for a method of understanding and writing about puppet performance just as important as the studies and theories of semiotics, symbolism and signs you cite in your very useful bibliography. Robert Smythe --- StripMime Warning -- MIME attachments removed --- This message may have contained attachments which were removed. Sorry, we do not allow attachments on this list. --- StripMime Report -- processed MIME parts --- multipart/alternative text/plain (text body -- kept) text/enriched --- --- Personal replies to: robert smythe <robertsmythe-AT-mumpuppet.org> --- List replies to: puptcrit-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu --- Admin commands to: majordomo-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu --- Archives at: http://lists.village.virginia.edu/~spoons
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