Happy World Puppetry Day 2011

[puppetmaker]

Today we promote both puppets and the art of puppetry and the historical importance of Puppetry.

Here in the United States it can be hard to get people to look at puppetry as anything more than for children. Part of that can come from the early days of television and all the children’s shows that used puppets to entertain. Between that and Sesame Street, they became more for children than adults. But that is not true. There are puppet shows all over the country that are for adults not only for adult content but the fact that children would be bored with the show because it is geared for adults.

We have seen more puppetry on Broadway in recently history than has been seen since the Golden Age of Broadway. Avenue Q aside, there are puppets being used in plenty of shows currently running on Broadway including the Addams Family and Spiderman: Turn off the Dark. Puppets can solve problems for how to tell the story without having to hire more actors or create some rather expensive mix media visuals. I don’t think the 39 Steps could have been done without puppets.

And there are new forms of puppetry combining with video and smart computers. The Monster Laugh Floor at Disney world combines both a static show and a live show. Some of the monsters are really puppets being controlled by the actors but the puppets don’t exist as foam and fur but rather as bits and bytes. This is a step up from the original “Turtle Talk with Crush” at Epcot. Then there is the trashcan that wanders around Tomorrowland talking to everyone. It says thank you when someone puts trash in it. It comments in real time about the people around it. I finally figured out who the operator was but they were well camouflaged in the crowd. The same goes for Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker which is, I believe, still in Disney Tokyo. The puppets interacted with the people around them. Then there is the dinosaur that walked around Animal Kingdom which was sent to somewhere in Asia.

I encourage each and every one of you to go see what is in your area for puppetry. You might be amazed that you have an entire troop of critters you never knew about.

And since it is World Puppet Day, do you have any puppetry questions for me?

I am so very grateful that I am a puppeteer.

Comments

[lordrexfear.livejournal.com]

When you create a puppet/figure/character how much of the backstory do you have in mind beforehand, how much do you come up with while creating and how much does the puppet/figure make up for itself?

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

For a set character (part of a play say) the puppet is pretty much figured out from the beginning of the build.

For a character I am experimenting with, I have an idea that I start with but the puppet can take on a life of its own very easily.

[wherdafux-d-cat.livejournal.com]

No questions from me today, although I'd just love to hang out in a corner and watch you work -- I'm a 'process' geek, love seeing the process of how things come together, be it clothing or food or what have you. But I saw this the other day and thought of you, wanted to pass it along in case you hadn't already seen it: Muppet Theatre Backstage Playset