In our Spin Around the World this week, let's check out some of the interesting work in puppetry on the internet recently. There's a very interesting Emmy Award winning documentary 'The American Puppet' by Mazzarella Media. I found a short promo of this 'Stories of the American Puppet' which is narrated by actor Dan Lauria. It examines the lives and recounts the significant contributions of men and women who, throughout the years, have helped to shape puppetry in America. It's well worth watching here!
Object theatre has always been close my my own heart and work. American puppeteers Erin Orr and Christopher Green, who were inspired by local puppetry on their visit to Bulgaria, hosted a puppetry workshop in Austin Texas last year. It is titled the Bulgarian Minimalist Puppet Theatre Workshop. Here is a short film I found of the workshop in progress!
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A special Winter Discount is being offered on our next Puppetry for TV and the Web Course starting in Sydney on 6 May 2009.Gary Friedman Productions presents a unique opportunity to learn the art of puppetry for the camera.This puppetry workshop, lead by Jim Henson trained master- puppeteer, Gary Friedman, is suitable for film-makers, performers, puppeteers, teachers and others interested in learning about puppetry for the screen. The course includes design and construction of puppets, manipulation for the camera, developing scenarios for performance, voice characterisation, and directing short performances. Participants will develop, perform and direct their short scenarios for webcasting on a special puppetry course ‘You Tube’ channel.Venue: The Wesley Institute for the Arts, 5 Mary Street, Drummoyne NSW 2047, AustraliaDates: Eight consecutive Wednesday evenings from 6 May to 24 June 2009 Time: 6pm to 9pmCost: Instead of the usual $749, the Winter Course is only $649 (incl materials) for bookings made before 15 April.
For bookings: Email me here!
The Calanchi International Theatre Festival invite performers to present their work in the 7th edition of the Festival, which will take place in San Marino from 8th to 18th October 2009.
The organisers are looking for specifically non-verbal or visual theatre performances. Although San Marino is an independant republic in the Apennine Mountains , it is still situated in northern Italy, where English is not widely understood. Independent performers are being offered technical equipment for the productions, as well as promotional material and a marketing campaign. The festival will cover expenses for food and accommodation, and pay Euro 800 for artist/company fees. The deadline for participation and DVD submissions is 30 April 2009.If you are interested in participating in this festival, you can find their website with all information here, or you can email them by clicking here.
I recently got word of an interesting workshop for any puppeteers planning to be around Italy around June. Master Puppeteers Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles (official puppet designers for New York's legendary Village Halloween Parade) will run a one-week workshop in pageant puppetry, culminating in a community procession for the Summer Solstice and the Feast of St. John the Baptist from 20 to 28 June this year. Here's a chance to collaborate with international participants and local residents to to create an event grounded in the ritual traditions of Morinesio, a remote village in the Piedmont region of the Italian Alps.The American puppeteers will lead the classes, drawing inspiration from the folklore and oral histories of the village. Local residents will act as guides to the culture of the Val Maira, leading side trips to a local cheese farm. Occitan step-dancing lessons, and perhaps even a morning of bread baking in the communal stone oven. For more information, and to see photos of past years, click here!
Weekend... Time to browse a little and on PuppetryLab.com I found some really good instruction for students of Puppetry for Film and TV learning to manipulate the arm rods while still keeping the puppet alive and focused. I know my students always struggle at first to get the balance between manipulating the puppet's arms while keeping the puppet's head alive and animated. The first advice is practice in front of a camera as much as possible and if you don't own a camera and monitor to watch what your puppet is doing, then practice at least in the bathroom mirror every morning after cleaning your teeth.
Today is World Puppetry Day!
What on earth are you doing to celebrate this special day declared by UNESCO at the beginning of the century? I had to look far and wide to discover what was happening, because by the looks of it, nothing seems to be happening right here in Australia. In my search I discovered a special screening of Handmade Puppet Dreams by Heather Henson at the India International Centre in New Delhi.
UNIMA Greece is organising a three-day Festival of Puppetry in Athens, culminating in a giant parade on Sunday 22 March. Another program is being held by Ishara Puppet Theatre in Delhi, so it looks like India's taking the lead thus far! If you participated in any such events please report back and I'll include them in another report soon!
Institut International de la Marionnette in Charleville-Mezieres, France, where I studied many years ago, is offering two great workshops this year.Interior Landscapes is a workshop directed by Philippe Genty and Mary Underwood from 1 - 31 July. The workshop looks at the kinetic quality of material, the interpretation, the dramatic progression towards a visual form and the occupation of the scenic space. British master string puppeteer, Stephen Mottram will run a programme looking at movement and the marionette from 31 August to 18 September.The deadline for applications is 18 April, so if you are interested in this work, then go to the website here and book now!
According to our World Puppetry Organisation, Union Interenational de la Marionnette (UNIMA) our annual World Puppetry Day falls on 21 March. That's next Saturday. What are your plans to celebrate this special day with puppeteers across the globe? If you have any, please write and let me know and I'll put it up here on PUPPETRYNEWS.
Czech Master-Puppeteer, Petr Matasek, who used to work with the Drak Company in Hradec Králové, Czech Replublic has written an article here for World Puppetry Day. It's called
A True Legend."Long fiery line in the sky cuts through the space and disappears in the depths of the Universe. It reappears and vanishes again. It’s Prometheus with a torch in his hand searching wearily in the darkness for those to whom he may pass it. The torch in Prometheus’ hand is in fact a Burning Puppet, the gift of the gods who sent the reflection of themselves to the human race not to be forgotten.
The human race humbly accepted it to remember the gods, to create their images as well as own changing dependence on them. Nevertheless, we have a problem. Let’s not to pretend we can fail to notice the conservation of energy law. Should we respect it, the material of the Burning Puppet will burn down and change into ashes. Luckily, the Puppet burns without ceasing to exist as it permutes through the faith of those who meet the Burning Puppet. A recycled image of gods is thus created, an objectified idea animated by people and fascinating by fire, which illuminates spaces so we don’t feel so lonely in the Universe.
Henceforth mankind learned about the benignity of light and warmth of fire, obsession with creation, the metaphor of its permanency in a piece of art and finally the idea of solidarity, which is reminded in shared spaces in moments of ritual providence. Here on Earth the baton of the Burning Puppet is continually carried by generations of lucky people who are scorched but not burnt by its blazing warmth. It is a never-ending run with the message, which is constant in spite of the length of time and adversity of our times.
Places and their mutual proximity where the Burning Puppet appears, its changing image are seemingly accidental and the reason behind their recurrent appearance is known only to gods. In surprise we stare at those who got to hold the baton of the Burning Puppet from their predecessors and carry it to the end of their lot in order to pass it on to the others. Prometheus is not likely to return. We are too sensible to take notice of his return once again. Therefore let’s defend those who were given the chance to take over, carry and pass on the Burning Puppet. It is evidently the only chance to keep its fire burning."
Petr Matásek - You can view his work here!
Bettina and Zoe, two of our new students demo their talents in the new beginner's Puppetry for TV and the Web Course which started recently at The Wesley Institute in Sydney. The eight week course will run every Wednesday evening until 22 April. We are now completing our puppets and sewing our skin this week and then we're out there performing, so stay tuned for a taste of our short films in a few weeks!
We are also currently organising an intensive International Three-Week TV and Web Course for January 2010. If you are interested, please register your email with PuppetryNews (on the right under my chair) now!
Found this short puppet creation on Puppet Hub. It's a good simple example of a TV puppet that's well constructed and easy to work. Check it out here!
NIGHT GARDEN is a dark, suburban tale told through My Darling Patricia's extra- ordinary blend of performance, puppetry and installation.Viewed through the skeleton of a burned-out house, NIGHT GARDEN traces the ritualised destruction and reparations of a woman and her son in an Australian backyard. The show opened in Sydney last night and will run until Saturday 14 March, before moving on to Melbourne. I haven't had the chance to see it yet, but hopefully will check it out on Saturday night! You can find their website here. (Photo credit: Jeff Busby)
In our Spin Around the World this week, let's check out some of the interesting work in puppetry on the internet recently. There's a very interesting Emmy Award winning documentary 'The American Puppet' by Mazzarella Media. I found a short promo of this 'Stories of the American Puppet' which is narrated by actor Dan Lauria. It examines the lives and recounts the significant contributions of men and women who, throughout the years, have helped to shape puppetry in America. It's well worth watching here!
