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Marionetas de Mandrágora hidden Portuguese treasures

2012-01-30T13:10:00.003+11:00

Why is it that foreign languages frighten so many Anglophone web browsers away from a truly inspiring website? Because some find a new language as poetic and inspiring as 'Portuguese' truly frightening? Well, get over it and you'll discover so many hidden treasures on the web and the high-creative Lisbon-based puppet company, Marionetas de Mandrágora, must be one of them.
When Portuguese puppeteer Filipa Mesquita wrote to me this week and referred me to their two blog sites, I was quite astonished that I had not discovered their great work before. Their blogs can be found here and their Puppet Building blog here. Do take a look!

As Improbable as Mr Punch...

2012-01-28T18:17:00.004+11:00

Backstage last night at the Sidney Meyer Music Bowl in Melbourne, where we were performing our Australian Survival Day production, I was chatting to a traditional Commedia del Arte 'Arlequino' about the disappearance of Punch and Judy from our lives and today I discover one of the British theatre heroes of our time, Julian Crouch, is giving a new voice to the villainous archetype.

Think of Mr Punch and you tend to conjure up a vision of traditional seaside entertainment and children’s birthday parties. Comedy crocodiles and strings of felt sausages project a rather quaint – some might say cute – picture-postcard image on the mind’s eye. However, that would be to ignore the large thwacking stick with which Punch wallops his wife and antagonises the local constabulary. In fact, the figure of Mr Punch, who celebrates his 350th anniversary in Covent Garden, London in May, has a far darker side that is all too easily forgotten.

‘I don’t find him cute at all,’ says Crouch, one of the artistic directors of Improbable Theatre, whose latest theatre piece for the company, The Devil and Mister Punch, comes to the Barbican Centre’s Pit Theatre. ‘He tends to be pretty violent, actually. I own a couple of Punch masks and when you put them on, you start to feel quite aggressive.’

Witness a tragic comedy of manslaughter and love. It's Punch and Judy but as presented by Messrs Harvey and Hovey, a pair of broken vaudevillians who are now in the gutter and have been reduced to presenting a puppet show that goes wildly off-course.

Featuring a lush score of bass fiddle, gin parlour piano, metronome and bells, this dark but hilarious show is performed on a gloriously theatrical wood-panelled set. Inside this shadowy world live a steaming crocodile, a parade of piggies, the devil and many other extraordinary characters.

Crouch is fascinated by the ‘nostalgia of theatre’. By returning to an old- fashioned theme, The Devil and Mister Punch bucks the trend of contemporary puppetry, much of which currently aims to break ties with its childish, simplistic connotations. ‘The glove puppet is perceived as probably the lowliest of all theatrical forms. It’s seen as a gutter art, but it can totally surprise you. It comes in under the radar.

It is something that says: “Look, I’m just a glove puppet. Nothing I say is important.” But of course, it absolutely is. It may be the gutter, but you can see the moon reflected in the water. There’s something heavenly about the gutter.’

Equally, there’s something adult about this staple figure of childhood entertainment. Mr Punch is not merely a kid’s plaything – as his encounter with the devil and Julian Crouch is bound to show.

Improbable’s innovative work ranges from small scale theatre, such as Panic at the Barbican in 2009, to large opera productions, including Philip Glass’s Satyagraha, co-produced with ENO and a sell-out hit in London and at The Metropolitan Opera, New York. Don't miss The Devil and Mister Punch which opens at The Barbican Theatre on 2nd February 2012.

Jim Henson on 'Puppetry' from 1968

2012-01-25T13:47:00.001+11:00

In 1968, Jim Henson made a wonderful documentary on 'Puppetry', which was presented by himself, together with The Muppets or early version of these characters, which would go to to achieve international stardom. If you haven't seen these, they are well worth a watch and are posted on You Tube in seven parts. Above is Part One, the others are posted here: Part Two; Part Three; Part Four; Part Five; Part Six and Part Seven. Enjoy!

War Horse opening in Toronto

2012-01-21T21:33:00.002+11:00

Following it's great success on the stage in London and New York, the Handspring hit production of War Horse opens in only two weeks, with an all Canadian cast, at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. War Horse will also be opening in Australia and Japan in the foreseeable future. The Handspring Puppet Company was the recipient of a 2011 Special Tony Award for their puppetry achievement in War Horse. It certainly is a must-see for any theatre enthusiasts and comes highly recommended.

Queen honours puppet master Lyndie Wright

2012-01-01T08:21:00.001+11:00

Happy New Year to all of you!
South African-born puppeteer, Lyndie Wright, co-founder of Little Angel Theatre in London has been awarded a MBE in The Queen's New Years Honours List. It has been a very special year for Lyndie and the Little Angel. They recently hosted their fiftieth anniversary and the second Suspense Festival, an international festival of puppetry in London. Now the MBE adds the cherry on the top for Lyndie, the Little Angel and world puppetry. We wish them many more years of success in the wonderful work they do. May we all get to share in the light, once again, of puppetry making it into the mainstream of world culture. You may also recall my recent post about the Little Angel here?
I trust that 2012 will be an even greater year for world puppetry!

Happy Birthday Richard Bradshaw

2011-12-28T19:38:00.000+11:00

A serious looking 'Santa' alias Richard Bradshaw came for breakfast this morning with his charming wife Margaret, just in time to celebrate his seventy-third birthday in Sydney.
For those who don't know Richard, he is Australia's Master of the shadow puppet and our walking encyclopedia of world puppetry.

Jim Henson made a documentary of Richard's work back in 1985. You can watch an extract of that here! In 1986, Richard received the Order of Australia, an honour bestowed to him for his great service to Australia through puppetry, which he is still engaged in full-time. I believe Richard is best known for 'The Marionette Theatre of Australia'. Richard became it's artistic director in 1976 until 1983. You can also watch Richard's most recognised musical piece 'Super Kangeroo' here.

On behalf Puppetry News, I'd like to wish Richard a wonderful birthday for today and an inspiring year ahead for 2012.

Is it a Puppet or a Dog?

2011-12-15T22:58:00.000+11:00

It's that time of year again. The silly season - A time to have a laugh and discuss where puppetry begins and dog training ends. Check out the film clip here and decide for yourself. Enjoy! (Thanks to Dina in Chicago)

Gumboots for Xmas?

2011-12-14T10:59:00.001+11:00

In the spirit of Xmas, South African 'puppet' politician Helen Zille was invited onto ZA News to distribute 'safety items' to both Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu, not that they really going to need them this Christmas. But it gives me a chance to wish you all a very merry & safe holiday season, wherever you may be hiding out! More stuff to come.. watch this space..

Yet another Puppet for President..

2011-12-14T10:10:00.000+11:00

Why on earth the United States would need another presidential candidate is anyone's guess. But it looks like there is another rather 'conservative' nominee for the top job in the shape of an illogical Marvin E. Quasniki. What his background is, nobody really seems to know, but he is apparently up there prepared to fight Obama. You can also see him being interviewed recently on CNN here!

The Puppet Barge sails on..

2011-12-07T21:21:00.001+11:00

I consider living life on a barge pretty unusual, but a puppet theatre on a barge is something quite extraordinary. Movingstage Marionettes were established by South African born, Gren Middleton and his British partner, Juliet Rogers, who both used to work at The Little Angel Theatre. I first met them back in 1979 at my first International Puppet Festival in London, where we shared a performance venue. That was the same year they established the Puppet Barge. We recently reconnected at the Suspense Puppet Festival in London, where they were still performing. The Guardian featured a fascinating article and audio interview with the youngest member of the Middleton family, Stan. You can listen to the interview and watch images from the barge theatre here!
As I searched the You Tube memory banks, I came across some amaising memories of the Middletons and their work. Take a look here and here!

Creativity 101 in Education?

2011-12-05T07:10:00.001+11:00

I realise that by now you must all have been exposed to this brilliant lecture by education guru, Sir Ken Robinson, on the future of our standardised educational systems worldwide. I often refer to Sir Ken in my lectures on the importance of 'creativity' in schools. What constantly bamboozles me is that despite all the empirical evidence from science and research, our education system is constantly being standardised and nationalised, hence the imposition of our 'NEW' National Curriculum in Australia.
Is a one-size fits all strategy really benefiting our society today? Is our information revolution making or breaking our children's education? As creative collective which we belong to, do you believe that an 'academic' approach should outweigh a creative and free-thinking one? You decide and let me know your thoughts!

The Puppet As Metaphoric Being

2011-12-03T07:46:00.001+11:00

What we have been discussing in our 'World of Paper' workshops over the past few weeks in London, Lisbon and now in Melbourne is the intense power of the puppet or object and where this originates. In this remarkable clip from TEDx Dirigo, John and Carol Farrell from the US-based company, Figures of Speech, demonstrate the power of the puppet in addressing issues of identity and existence which move with striking speed from lifeless object to mythic icon.

Puppets show the way in Portugal

2011-11-25T13:20:00.001+11:00

I am now safely back home in Australia. I flew out of Lisbon in the nick of time. Soon after leaving, the airport, along with all social services closed down for a 24-hour strike as Portugal struggles against proposed austerity measures. The strike was followed closely by today's United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
I had a great three-week European lecture and workshop tour and belief in the power this work has on an international audience has been strongly reinforced. The next conference where we're demonstrating the power of puppetry in communication is the Drama Victoria Conference in Melbourne on 1-2 December.

Lisbon's best kept puppetry secret

2011-11-23T06:54:00.000+11:00

This morning I visited the 'Museu da Marioneta' (puppetry museum) in Lisbon, where I was taken on a guided tour by its delightful director, Maria Jose Machado Santos. The museum, founded in 1987 by Puppet Company of S. Lourenço, is based in an ancient convent near the centre of Lisbon. Museu da Marioneta is dedicated to the interpretation and dissemination of the history of puppetry and features puppets from around the world, while at the same time allowing a special focus on Portuguese puppetry.

Although the museum has a wonderful collection of everything from traditional Javanese Wayang Golek and Kulit through to a special section of modern Portuguese puppets and animation, I was also invited into the vault, in the secret underbelly of the museum, to view it's hidden treasures. These included some rare artifacts from every continent and a massive collection of Asian puppets. Unfortunately the space in this beautiful museum is limited, so most of it's unique collection go unseen by the public in the vault. The only way for this to change is expansion, but with the uncertain European financial climate, it's going to be a long time before I can see this happening. But it's certainly well worth a visit to anyone passing through Lisbon. In fact if you get hold of the director, maybe you'll be fortunate enough to get your own guided tour like I had today. If you can't get there, you can still experience a virtual tour of their international puppetry collection here!

Little Angel puppeteer now Hollywood director

2011-11-23T05:57:00.001+11:00

Former British puppeteer, Joe Wright has come of age. His parents, John and Lyndie, founded and ran Islington's famous Little Angel Theatre. Although John Wright (who was 65 when Joe was born and died in 1991) could be distant, for Joe and his sister Sarah childhood was a creative whirl of making puppets and making up stories for them.

Since leaving the puppets behind, Joe has gone on to make a career for himself as a successful Hollywood director. Although claiming to be an undiagnosed dyslexic at school, Joe's first feature film, Pride and Prejudice, earned four Oscar nominations; his second, Atonement, collected six; his third, The Soloist, based on the true story of a homeless violinist, was less successful.

Joe, who is married to Sitarist Anoushka Shankar, Ravi Shankar's daughter, discusses his life and influence growing up performing with his parents at the Little Angel Theatre in a new BBC Television report here! This year also happens to mark the 50th anniversary of the Little Angel. You can read my previous post about this and the Suspense Puppet Festival, which I attended recently in London, here!

Muppets back in the news

2011-11-22T07:23:00.001+11:00

Even though the new Muppet Movie is advertised to launch on 5 January 2012, the Face Book Disney Muppet site promises a midnight launch on Wednesday this week together with a launch of the original soundtrack. Very confusing, I know! But the marketing machine for the movie has begun in earnest with many promos and even featuring The Muppets on Game Shows, which unfortunately can only be viewed in the US. However there also seem to be many spoofs coming out, which is even adding to the hype and publicity for the film. You can view the Pig with the Froggy Tattoo Trailer here and a Muppet horror spoof trailer called 'SAW' here.

Women and Paper at ECIS in Lisbon

2011-11-19T04:53:00.001+11:00

It was a great privilege for me to work with seven international school teachers in our initial two-day pre-conference workshop here at the European Council for International Schools' Conference (ECIS) in Lisbon, Portugal. During the two-day workshop we focused using paper, objects and our bodies to communicate key messages to our target audiences. We begin with Brain Gym exercises to get our mind and bodies aligned and communicating effectively. This is followed by warm-up games to get the participants into a safe grounded space. The two-day journey is a profound one, which helps participants tell their own stories and think on their feet through much improvised short performances. What always astonishes me is the power of the 'animated object' on our psyche and how deeply we are affected by the medium. Every workshop I do gives me further insight into this magical world.

The strange thing is that while I'm writing this report, I am sitting in an auditorium listening to NASA veteran of four space flights, Steve Smith, discussing how he followed his dream of thirty years wanting to become a NASA astronaut, besides being initially turned down five times, before being allowed onto the program. He currently serves as the NASA International Space Station Program Liaison to the European Space Agency. For more information about Steve, check out the ECIS website.

Rico raps with Snoop Dog

2011-11-13T18:18:00.001+11:00

Remember Rico, the Air New Zealand rodent that drove the customers crazy on the long haul flights some time back? (If you don't, you can find it here!) Well now there are some new clips up on You Tube featuring the rodent in new adventures. In the short clip above he makes a debut appearance with the legendary Snoop Dog, as they lay down a track together, "Hello Sunshine," with a groovy beat. The making of the Snoop clip, which really doesn't reveal much, except for Hollywood girls all over the puppet, can be found here!
And there are now more... Rico hypnotises American glamour girl Lindsay Lohan on the sky couch and finds out her deep secrets. He also hypnotises Night Rider star, David Hasselhoff. (Click on their names to view them).

Little Angel Theatre - the centre of puppetry action

2011-11-07T22:22:00.000+11:00

The theme of this year's Suspense Festival in London was 'Politics and Puppetry', although not every performance was overtly political. The centre of the action of the eleven different venues was the Little Angel Theatre in Islington and it's director, Peter Glanville has been running this bi-annual festival since 2009.
This year also happens to be the fiftieth anniversary of the Little Angel Theatre, which was founded by South African puppeteer, John Wright in 1961. Watch the BBC clip here!

On Saturday I saw a charming new production of Plucked.. a true fairytale, by Invisible Thread (formerly Faulty Optic) at the Little Angel. Plucked looks at the roles of older women in myth and fairy tale and combines some expressive large bunraku-style puppets.

Last night was the festival climax with the puppet Grinder Cabaret at the Jackson's Lane Theatre. The show was compared by the hilarious Nina Conti. Nina is one of the world greatest ventriloquists and certainly top in the UK. Here's a clip of Nina at the Melbourne comedy festival last year. Meeting up after the show, she was still carrying her 'Monk' and was rushing off to get a plane for a gig in New York today. Other great cabaret acts were 'Clementine the Living Fashion Doll' and Blind Summit. You can catch their short performance here!

My few days at the Suspense Festival were certainly a highlight and I'd recommend everyone to keep a lookout for their next edition in 2013.

Suspense Puppetry Festival in London

2011-11-04T19:44:00.002+11:00

London is abuzz with puppetry this week. I arrived rather jet lagged, after a 24 hour flight, yesterday in a cold, wintery, but welcoming London, right in the middle of the Suspense Puppet Festival and a myriad of great performances.
Staying with friends in north London is not too far from the Little Angel Theatre, where the centre of the action is taking place. In fact, I'm participating in a 'Puppetry in Politics' symposium at the Little Angel today, which is examining how puppetry has been used to change our world, past, present and maybe even future trends.
There's even find a write up in 'The Stage' covering Suspense Festival and events here! Keep posted for some of my personal experiences and reviews from London.

If you want to find out even more about what's happening in the UK puppetry scene, you can find the British publication, Animations Online here!

BAMcinématek Puppets on Film

2011-10-27T14:36:00.002+11:00

Bam festival 'Puppets on Film' is being launched in Brooklyn, New York on 12 November 2011. There are some great puppet classics being screened like 'Puppet' the new documentary that interweaves a broad look at the fraught history of American puppetry (its marginalization as children's theatre and its sudden explosion as high art) with an intimate thread following Dan Hurlin, a downtown artist, as he creates a complex puppet work about eccentric an Depression-era photographer; 'Being Elmo - A Puppeteer's Journey'; 'Rehearsal for a Sicilian Tragedy' by Roman Paska and John Turturro and the latest 'Muppet Movie' amongst others.

Long before computer graphics, fantastic creatures came to life as puppets made of foam, fabric, metal and wood. Puppets on Film, co-presented with the Jim Henson Foundation, features fascinating documentaries about puppetry as well as a roster of fantasy films and shorts from the around the world. If you'll be around New York in November, take this opportunity to see some puppet gems!

Last night at the Melbourne TV puppetry workshop

2011-10-13T14:08:00.002+11:00

After many weeks of design and building of their television puppets, we have finally begun the performing of the puppet for the camera. The puppeteers in the photo are focused not on their puppets, but on their TV monitors on the floor. The current eight-week introductory TV and Web course has a wonderful young energetic focus on performing for the camera and the importance of this communication tool in our modern web-based world. We've recently been invited to implement a four-week intensive TV training course, in co-production with a local TV channel in Burkina Faso, West Africa next year. Watch this space for future courses in Australia and International on-line courses we're running next year too. If you are interested, drop me an email here!

Corporate Puppetry

2011-10-10T23:15:00.003+11:00

Over the past weeks, I have finally started making inroads into the world of corporate creativity in Australia. It was, at first, a daunting process, with the question "how would the corporate world accept 'a puppet' as a tool of transformation, communication and change"? I've never really been a part of that executive club with the corporate empire seeming extremely alien to my world. I'd never even dared to don a suit, let alone enter the golden gates of 'The Corporation'. That is, until now! Armed only with a roll of brown paper, a Mbira (African thumb piano) and a few household objects, I entered the boardroom with baited breath. I suppose I anticipated the suits would attack me and tear my creative soul into shreds, but this didn't happen. They instead lapped it all up and cried out for more.

So imagine this. A bunch of business executives rolling around on the floor and re-discovering their 'lost child', while animating an empty soap bottle, a hammer, a pliers, a bottle opener and a broken garden tap. The results were outstanding and the metaphor worked like a charm.

It all began with a large insurance company wanting to expose their IT Department to a creative experience, where they would get the chance to empathize with both their product and their customers. I lead them through some improvisation techniques, which allowed them to feel 'safe' in the creative space and gave them the license to explore the 'characters' injected into their objects and resolve work related issues while telling their stories.

Then last week, I participated in a three-day Creative Methods Conference, sub-titled 'Widening the World of Work' held at the Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne.

Not only did I get a chance to learn 'the true corporate creative experience', but I also got the chance to present a short taster workshop last Thursday afternoon in the Bishop's Parlor. (You can see cartoonist Simon Kneebone's impression of the workshop above). You can also view my short promo piece for the Storyteller Conference blog here.

All in all I found the conference a truly inspiring three days, meeting like-minded souls engaged in both creativity and change in the empire of the corporate. Watch this space for more such talk soon!

Jim Henson 75 years old today!

2011-09-24T16:10:00.002+10:00

Seventy-five years ago today in Greenville, Mississippi, Jim Henson was born. In 1954, while attending Northwestern High School, he began creating puppets for a Saturday morning children's show called The Junior Morning Show. After graduating from high school, Henson enrolled at the University of Maryland as a studio arts major, thinking he might become a commercial artist. A puppetry class offered in the applied arts department introduced him to the craft and textiles courses, in which he graduated in 1960. As a freshman, he had been asked to create Sam and Friends, a five-minute puppet show for WRC-TV. The characters on Sam and Friends were forerunners of Muppets, and the show included a prototype of Henson's most famous character: Kermit the Frog.

In the show, he began experimenting with techniques that would change the way puppetry had been used on television, including using the frame defined by the camera shot to allow the puppeteer to work from off-camera. This was just the beginning of what turned out to be a magical career, in which he co-created 'Sesame Street', 'The Muppet Show' and the tons of ideas, cartoons, films and television series, which has inspired so many generations of children and adults. He died very suddenly in May 1990 at the young age of 53.

My own memories of Jim were meeting him for the first time at the UNIMA Congress in Dresden, East Germany in 1984. I was interviewing many of the puppeteers during the festival for a UNIMA publication and also for my audio archive. A few years later, while studying at the Institute International de la Marionnette in Charleville-Mezieres, France, I was told that Jim would be coming over to France to run a course in 'Puppetry for Film and Television'. I immediately applied to participate and was very fortunate to be one of twenty puppeteers chosen from around the world. So we all gathered together at the Institute to meet the Muppet Master in May 1987 and we even captured that exact scenario in one our our student short films during the course (see here!)

After the course, I kept in touch with Jim and when I began working on developing 'Puppets Against Aids' later that year, Jim invited me to New York to assist me in helping to attract some funding for the program. I found him to be a warm and generous human being who was more concerned for the greater humanity than for himself. May we all learn from this great master, who would have turned seventy-five years old today. Long may your memory life, Jim Henson!

Puppets hit the streets of London

2011-09-12T23:28:00.000+10:00

Have you ever wanted to build giant puppets and take over London? Well, now's your chance, if you live in the UK. The Puppet Centre Trust looks like it's recently sprung back to life with a dynamic new Project Coordinator by the name of Emma Leishman. Watch out for that name!
I now receive their news updates and there's a great workshops being organised on the 19-20 November at the Mandiga Arts Studio.

Using heat formable, flexible and lightweight materials, participants will be making backpacks for outdoor puppets, focusing on how to carry, articulate and manipulate a variety of medium and large scale Mandinga puppets. Participants are encouraged to come with their ideas and designs.

The workshop leader is Charles Beauchamp, Co-Artistic Director of Mandinga Arts, who trained as a painter and printmaker in London and Paris and practiced for 30 years with numerous individual and group exhibitions in galleries and museums in Europe, USA, Japan, the Ukraine and South Korea. For the last 20 years Charles Beauchamp has concentrated on street theatre and carnival arts. Along with artist and Co-Artistic Director Julieta Rubio he has collaborated with circus, carnival, dance and community groups in England, Ireland, France, Italy, Colombia, Cuba, South Africa, Denmark, Germany and China.

Mandinga Arts was established in 2002 by Co-Artistic Directors Charles Beauchamp and Julieta Rubio in response to a demand for artists to work together on outdoor performance and to practice, improve, educate, share and promote carnival arts. The company brings together live music, carnival, street costume and dance, drawing on diverse influences from Europe, Latin America and Africa, with community based contributions to the carnival and outdoor performance movement in the UK.

In 2012 Mandinga Arts will play a pivotal role in 2012 Cultural Olympiad project Night of Festivals which will see an impressive carnival parade in Nottingham in June and in Leicester during the July Games Opening week-end. For more information, contact Emma Leishman at the Puppet Centre Trust here!

Melbourne Fringe has Puppetry on offer

2011-09-11T21:00:00.001+10:00

This years Melbourne Fringe Festival, which runs from 21 September to 9 October, has a great variety of puppetry on offer. There's the Cautionary Tale of Barry Von Peabody, a curious tale of unrequited love and murder?, created and performed by Jacob Williams. The production is performed in a tiny tent, which only seats twelve, set up in Jacob's garden in Brunswick East.
'Still Awake Still' is a Jump Leads production, created & directed by Jessica Wilson, featuring one grand piano, three mischievous musicians and a most peculiar dream. Then there's X-Pirates - a puppet adventure - featuring Zombie pirates, steam-punk robots, monsters of the deep and an epic skeleton army sword battle, X is Terrible Comfortʼs newest work.
'Squaring the Wheel'- how to complicate easy things (pictured above) takes place when a curious and playful tramp meets a strange world of contraptions and machines, everything turns into a challenging and surprising discovery.
Then there's The Magical Oak Tree - a monstrous musical adventure, with a huge cast of colourful characters to entertain young and old, this Melbourne made production is sure to awaken the little monster inside us all.
For the full program and bookings, check out the festival fringe program here!

A Puppet Slam in Melbourne?

2011-09-11T19:55:00.000+10:00

Welcome to Australia's first official Puppet Slam event! Talented puppet artists present new short works for each slam. The first slam event will be hosted at St Ali Cafe, 12-18 Yarra Place, South Melbourne on Saturday 12th November. The event will use no lighting... or rather, the audience shall be responsible for supplying the lighting. What does that mean? It means that you should bring along a torch and a couple of spare batteries, so that everyone can see what is going on. It's an exciting way to see theatre! You can join the group on FaceBook too:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Slam-Noir-Puppet-Slam-Melbourne/269332609750812

Fascinating Puppet Animation

2011-09-06T19:16:00.000+10:00

Animator, director, designer, Barry JC Purves has put together a sensitive piece on the making of his Tchaikovsky. A delightful animated piece written, directed and animated by Barry, who was talking as he animated, showing the puppet moving at his intended 25fps. You can find more insights into Barry's fascinating world here.

Puppetry for TV and Web Course for Melbourne

2011-08-29T22:05:00.003+10:00

Gary Friedman Productions presents a unique opportunity to learn the art of performing puppets for television. This puppetry workshop, lead by Jim Henson- trained master-puppeteer and director, Gary Friedman, is suitable for film makers, puppeteers, performers, and others interested in learning about how puppetry is made for the screen. This course, eight evenings of three-hours per week, will include design and construction of puppets, manipulation for the camera, developing scenarios for performance, voice, character development and short performances. Participants will develop, perform and direct their short scenarios for a course show-reel.

You can view previous such courses, run over the past few years, here, here and here!
The exact venue is still to be confirmed, but it will be in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
The eight-week course is at a special discounted price of only $799, with limited places available.
For full information and bookings, contact us here.

Australian Artist in Schools Program

2011-08-29T21:21:00.002+10:00

For our Artist in Schools 2011 program we adapted the course from our 'Looking for a Monster' project, which I'd been working on for many years. For some time, we'd been thinking of launching a school's program based on the 'Monster' project but we first needed to run a pilot program to see how it would work in both primary and high schools. So we chose Curl Curl North Public School (primary) and Strathfield South High School to run the ten-week pilot.

The main student work was done using shadow puppetry and the results have been documented for you to watch. You can view the Making of the High School program here and the High School Shadow Performances here. The Primary School Program documentary can be seen here.

We used the puppet playand poetry by the young Czech writer, Hanus Hachenburg, as a springboard for students to start observingand reflecting upon themselves, their community and greater world around them.The overall themes were becoming 'Every-day Heroes' as well as 'Using the Arts to Change the World'.

We began the ten-week project with simple‘World of Paper’ exercises, in which the students had to portray their heroes orfamous people they respect by building them out of brown paper and bringingthem to life. This was followed by students developing their own stories, with messages which they wanted to share with the world. Some of the students developed Identity poems or used historical figures or events, which they brought to life using shadow puppetry.

“ When the students came up with their stories and engaged in thecreative process, what they produced and what I think they learnt from thewhole ten-week program was quite amazing. I felt that the students achieved something really special. I don’tthink I’ve ever seen this group of children do something to such a high level.

In terms of the stories themselves, the messages were so powerful, for example ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ and thestory of Nelson Mandela’s life, which were very important stories to tell. Tohave done them in a typical classroom format could have worked, but I believe this is away they will remember, because the whole process was creatively scaffolded. Ithink that Gary’s involvement in facilitating that scaffolding was crucial. The high level of the shadow puppet plays produced was very unique, because although children are often able to play and create, they seldom have the expertise that was provided by the artist in residence programme.

One of the most powerful things we achieved was the integration ofbasic skills. For example – I was listening to one of the students, who had previously struggled with the whole literacy process, telling thestory from the perspective of her character and her telling of the story wasnow actually outstanding."

Jan Warhurst, Deputy-Principal, Curl Curl North Public School, NSW, Australia

A Month of Surprises

2011-08-29T18:39:00.001+10:00

It's been so long since I last posted anything. No excuse folks, but in the past month, amongst other stuff, we have relocated from Sydney to Melbourne. Although it's still in Australia, or so they tell me, it's really like another country and the red tape has been horrendous. But now that we're based in the 'culture capital' of Australia, we have all sorts of new plans in the pipeline, so stay tuned.

We took our two-year old son, Idan (in the pic above), to watch Melbourne-based puppet company Dream Puppets performing 'Dreamer in the Deep' last week and he was blown away. In fact he doesn't talk about anything else now, so it looks like my prediction when he was born might just be correct? Take a look at my post from two-years back here!

Spider-Man or Spider-Monster, the Musical..

2011-06-17T03:36:00.001+10:00

SpiderMonster, the Musical spoof promoting Sesame Street's 42nd season to launch in September 2011, follows a rather controversial report in the New York Times of 15 June, which discusses 'Spider-Man - Turn Off the Dark' the latest Broadway musical. It's former-director, (puppeteer, film and theatre director), Julie Taymor had been replaced in March, just three months before its official Broadway opening this week.

The official opening was pushed back repeatedly after actors were involved in a wave of accidents. In March 2011, it was delayed yet again to allow more time for its creators to make improvements in the wake a near-universal drubbing from the nation's critics, who broke with tradition to review the show before it opened. The musical became a national object of pop culture fascination — more so, perhaps, than any show in Broadway history. Despite its woes, 'Spider-Man' has been among the highest-grossing shows on Broadway since preview performances began in November 2010.

You can watch an ABC news report on the show here and a review of the Broadway Spider-Man here!

New Muppet movie or not?

2011-06-17T02:39:00.000+10:00

According to The Muppets' You Tube Channel, the brand new Muppet movie "The Muppets" is due for general release on 23 November 2011, just in time for the American Thanks Giving holiday.

Thirty-two years after the original 'Muppet Movie' was released in 1979, Disney have put out an extremely confusing trailer and it certainly doesn't appear to be the first. Last month, another trailer to 'Green with Envy' was released, which you can find here. Two people searching for love, but only finding 'The Muppets' looks like a rather sad let down for older Muppet fans.

According to the blurb "When Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater, they help Kermit reunite the Muppets to stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theatre."

You can find more on the making of and the exclusive set photos of this new Muppet Movie here, and make a decision for yourself, but don't say I sent you!

'War Horse' scoops Six Tonys

2011-06-13T20:50:00.003+10:00

At an emotional ceremony in New York last night, Handspring Puppet Company's 'War Horse' won six Tony Awards for Best Play; Best direction of a play; Best lighting of a play; Best Sound design of a play; Best design of a play and a special Tony Award for Handspring Puppet Company.

According to Janni Younge of Handspring in Cape Town, South Africa, their acceptance speech went something like this:
"People ask why they have such an emotional response to this play about a horse made of cane and aluminum. After thousands of years of our dependence on the horse, the First World War ushered in the modern era and we lost forever the horse in our lives. It is that story that Tom Morris so fortuitously recognized in Micheal Morpurgo’s ‘Warhorse’ and its possibly that immeasurable sense of loss that makes this play about horses so emotional.

The people at Handspring who have made this award to us possible, are the team who build the horses in Cape Town led by Thys Stander and the incredible puppeteers here in New York, who, under the guidance of Mervyn Millar, perform this feat night after night. We feel so lucky to have been part of such a fantastic creative team and that Nick Starr and the National Theatre put so much trust in what must have seemed a crazy idea at the time. Thank you Broadway League and American Theatre Wing for honouring puppetry with this special award." You can watch the BBC clip here. Here's the report from the BBC!
This is a major triumph for world puppetry and as part of that world and a friend of Handspring, I am extremely proud.

Will UNIMA China be ready for 2012?

2011-05-29T20:40:00.002+10:00

After much anticipation, the 21st UNIMA Congress and Festival 2012 has finally launched their website. Although not much information is yet available, it is a start to what we hope will be a wonderful first for Asia in hosting UNIMA's Congress & Festival.

The world puppetry congress and festival is scheduled to take place in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, of Southwest China from 28 May to 4 June 2012 (see my previous post here).

On May 12, 2008, only one month after China was awarded the 2012 hosting rights by UNIMA at the 2008 Perth Congress, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck causing damage to the area, killing about 80,000 people and injuring 26,413 as of May 12, 2008. 4,021 of the casualties and most of the property damage were from Dujiangyan and Pengzhou, two cities within the administration of Chengdu, the sub-provincial city. Chengdu did not suffer any discernible damage.

Although the website is now up, there is no official word yet about the program contents of this prestigious event, so watch this space and hopefully there'll be more info available soon.

For more information about the 2012 Congress, you can check out the official unfinished website here or look at the UNIMA Norway website here for further information.

South African puppeteers win the Tony

2011-05-04T21:26:00.000+10:00

A remarkable feat for world puppetry was made this week when South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company, which created the life-size and lifelike cane-and-plywood horse puppets for War Horse, was named a special Tony award winner on Tuesday. War Horse also received a best play nomination. This award has come following a spate of recent successes which has made world puppetry proud. Recently after opening their hit West End production War Horse at the Lincoln Center in New York, Handspring were invited to present their work on TED (see my post here) and now they stand their own on the world stage once again. Congratulations to Adrian and Basil, you make us all proud. You can read more on today's report here.

Looking for a Monster brought back to life

2011-05-01T12:26:00.011+10:00

I really don't believe in coincidence. Why? You might well ask? Many of you might know that much of the last decade I have spent in the research and development of a extraordinary puppetry project, based on the life of a thirteen-year old poet in Czechoslovakia. This talented boy wrote a puppet play, while interned in a concentration camp during the Second World War.

To cut a long story short, we have finally developed the project into a school-based educational program. This we are piloting in two Sydney schools starting tomorrow. Yesterday while surfing the post-Royal Wedding comments on Face Book, I stumbled across an article about Holocaust Remembrance Day which I discovered just happens to fall on Monday 2 May 2011 - the very day we launch the new project.

Our project gives an insight into the clandestine children's magazine, Vedem (In the Lead) published by the young boys in room L417 of the children's home in Terezin between 1942 to 1944. Sixty years on, we are bringing this work to life in Australian schools, not as a Holocaust story, but as a universal story highlighting the themes of empathy, multi-cultural tolerance and the use of the Arts to change the world.

Looking for a Monster website has just been re-launched. There are some films posted in the column on the right under Looking for a Monster Films. For more information about the project, take a look here!
Photo: Alex Weltlinger

Old comedy and puppetry work hand-in-hand..

2011-04-02T18:00:00.001+11:00

Today when I was surfing FaceBook here in Singapore, I discovered an old comedy skit by comic genius duo, Harvey Korman and Tim Conway from a really dated Carol Burnett Show (1974-78). The above clip is a prime example of his ability to make his co-stars laugh uncontrollably involved Lyle Waggoner as a captured American airman, with Conway as a stereotypical blond-haired Gestapo agent charged with his interrogation. Stating that "the Fuhrer" had taken particular interest, Conway produces a small Hitler hand puppet. With Conway providing a falsetto voice, the puppet suggests that singing might relax Waggoner's character to the point he is willing to talk. In a long, drawn-out fashion, the Hitler puppet sings "I've Been Working on the Railroad", and with each passing verse, Waggoner loses more of his composure, finally laughing hysterically when puppet-Hitler screeches, "FEE-FI-Fiddely-I-O!"
The sequence is in two parts and the second part can be found here!

Handspring Horse on TED

2011-04-01T15:34:00.002+11:00

When I first saw Handspring Puppet Company's production of 'War Horse' in London, which I wrote about here, I was blown away by the sheer genius of bring the horses to life on stage. Now finally, the masterminds behind 'War Horse, Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones have appeared at TED (see below), which is a must see for anyone even vaguely interested in the art of the puppet. The production will open at The Vivian Beaumont Theater in New York on the 14th of April, so make sure you get to see it!

World Puppetry Day from Thailand

2011-03-23T01:20:00.000+11:00

Yesterday was World Puppetry Day. As you might be aware, we are still traveling in Asia and it's not always easy to get the time or connection on the Thai island of Koh Phangan, where we are right now. But I would like to post the official UNIMA message written by my dear friend, Prof Henryk Jurkowski for the Worldwide Puppetry Day 2011:

"Here I am, in the town of Omsk in Western Siberia. I enter the ethnographic museum where my eyes are immediately drawn to the great display case where dozens of figures - idols of the Ugrofine tribes, the Menses and the Chantes, are to be seen. They seem to greet every visitor. My instinct moves me to respond and I greet them in return. They are magnificent. They represent a surviving trace of the spirituality of generations of primitive humanity. They and their imaginary world are at the root of the first manifestations and images of theatre, both sacred and profane.

Art collections are overflowing with idols and sacred figures which little by little fade from memory. But in the museums there are also puppets which even now guard the imprint of the hands of their creators and manipulators. In other words, these puppets retain traces of human dexterity, fantasy and spirituality. Puppet collections exist on every continent and in almost every country, the pride of their collectors. They constitute important sites for research, guarding vital memories while bringing important proof of the diversity of our discipline.

Art, as with many other human activities, is subject to two tendencies: unification and differentiation. Today we see the co-existence of the two tendencies in cultural activities. We clearly observe how easy it is to travel, in the air or via the internet, which multiplies the number of contacts we make in the various congresses and festivals, leading to greater unification. Soon we will indeed live in the global village of McLuhan.

This state of things does not mean that we have completely lost our feeling for cultural differences, rather that a great number of theatre companies will henceforward use similar means of expression. Styles of puppetry such as the ningyo joruri of Japan and the wayang of Indonesia have been assimilated both in Europe and America. At the same time groups from Asia and Africa are using European puppet techniques.

My friends tell me that if a young Japanese artist can become a virtuoso player of Chopin, so an American can become a master of /joruri /or a dalang performing /wayang purwa. I would agree with them, on condition that the puppeteer assimilates not simply the technique but also the culture associated with it.

Many artists have been satisfied with the exterior beauty of a puppet which nevertheless holds for the spectator the potential for discovering other forms of art. In this way the puppet invades new territories. Even within the actors' theatre, it has become the source of many metaphors.

The widespread presence of the ancient figurative puppet is now linked to a movement in inverse proportion to the territory it occupied before. This is due to the invasion of the object and, on an even bigger scale, to everything related to matter. Because every object, all matter, when animated, speaks to us, each demanding its right to a theatre life. Thus from now on the object will replace the figurative puppet, opening a pathway for the artist which leads to a new poetic language, to creations full of rich and dynamic images.

The imagery and the metaphors which were once characteristic of each type of puppet, distinguishing the one from the other, have today become a source of expression for each individual puppeteer. Thus we have a new single, poetic language depending not on a generic tradition but on the talent of the artist and his or her individual creativity. Unification of the means of expression has given rise to differentiation. The global village of McLuhan has become its antipodes. The various means of expression have become the instruments of an individual language which always prefers original solutions. Of course, the tradition of the figurative puppet has not disappeared over the horizon. Let us hope that it will always remain as a valuable point of reference."
Henryk Jurkowski – 2011

Rico puppet causes uproar in the air...

2011-02-09T16:04:00.001+11:00

Rico, as you may well remember is an Air New Zealand rodent, who flies in style. He was created by Jim Henson Creature Shop for Air New Zealand's commercials last year. Then a few months ago, while we were working in Asia, it was widely advertised that Rico's manipulator, puppeteer Tyler Bunch was busy filming for the latest Henson epic 'The Muppets', and thus was unable to shoot for the second series. (The first series were featured here and here.)
Although I sent a few puppeteers for the auditions in Sydney, no one ever got back to us about the local casting. So when the new series of ads were featured on a You Tube channel today, it did come as a bit of a surprise. All I can deduce is that they managed to get Tyler back to film the second series.

Air New Zealand Crew are reported to have said Rico's ribald antics were at odds with international research highlighting the value of on-board video briefings, according to the New Zealand Herald. One staff member was angry a pre-flight film on the airline's 777-300s featured the puppet with his oxygen mask over his ears, rather than his nose and mouth. He said research showed that in emergencies passengers relied on their recall of pre-flight demonstrations. But enough said, I think they're great, but don't take my word - check them all out here and judge for yourself.

Furry Puppets Go Daddy

2011-02-09T09:32:00.001+11:00

US based Furry Puppet Studio has been doing some great work of late. Puppeteer-designers Zack Buchman and Maria Gurevich opened their NY-based studio a few years ago have been creating really visually stunning puppet characters. Take a look at their website here.
Their latest commercial for web company 'Go Daddy' is perfectly catered for puppets, with a great sense of humour. There is a great little clip on the making of this commercial, which you can watch here!

Puppetry in Singapore

2011-02-06T08:14:00.002+11:00

Our next SE Asia Creativity and Innovation Workshop tour will launch in early March in Malaysia and Singapore. Gary Friedman and Sharon Gelber travel internationally facilitating workshops, incorporating storytelling, puppetry, movement and improvisation. The objectives are to encourage and enhance team building, innovative thinking, creative problem solving and risk taking.

This short film provides a taste of their recent work at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, working with students, faculty, administration staff and business entrepreneurs. The predominant purpose of the workshops are to use puppetry to challenge inhibition, and establish a 'safe' environment for opening communication and unleashing untapped innovative potential.

Puppetry performance using the medium of brown paper and every-day objects provides the opportunity to explore all modes of communication, demanding teamwork of a very profound and intense nature. Story telling enhances group empathy and opens up a level of frank open connection, which is unique and liberating in academic and business circles.

Humour is used throughout to put participants at ease and open the doors of communication for the sharing of opinions, as well as ‘safe’ and constructive self-analysis and group critique. Participants are provided with the forum to uncover their own talents, see the strength of team members, work with members of their own faculty as well as other faculties to discuss and explore issues that are significant to them in their work and personal lives.

If you are interested to read the latest NTU evaluation report on this international work, just drop me an email here!

'Being Elmo' released at Sundance

2011-01-28T08:21:00.000+11:00

A bright new documentary film Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey was released this week at Sundance Festival. It is a light-hearted documentary about the puppeteer behind Elmo. His name is Kevin Clash and this is his story.
Beloved by children of all ages around the world, Elmo is an international icon. Few people know his creator, Kevin Clash, who dreamed of working with his idol, creator of 'The Muppets', Jim Henson. Displaying his creativity and talent at a young age, Kevin ultimately found a home on Sesame Street. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this documentary includes rare archival footage, interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney and others and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop.

There are a few previews of this fascinating film on the web. You can meet the directors here and get a taste of the film here! The crowds at Sundance Festival went crazy when Kevin Clash discussed his life and adventures with Elmo. You can get a taste of this here!
Thanks to PuppetVision.

Puppetry New Year - what a way to start..

2011-01-18T03:41:00.000+11:00

My apologies for the slow start to the year in posting articles. It has been a great summer thus far, which started at a music festival in New South Wales, Peats Ridge, not far from Sydney. It began with a 'World of Paper' workshop and there followed by bringing in the new year in fancy dress. Suddenly everything has taken off and we're off to Asia, once again, for a second workshop and performance tour of Malaysia and Singapore in March.

For the past few weeks, we have been compiling an evaluation report for our last bunch of workshops in November at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. In fact there is a FaceBook page now up dedicated to Puppetry at NTU. You can find the link here!

A Happy Puppetry New Year...

2010-12-26T13:32:00.001+11:00

Trust that you all had an excellent Xmas. We are ready to get into an exciting and curious 2011. We are all asking what will the new year bring? I am optimistic. Before we discuss the new year, we do have one more short workshop this year. In fact we are running our end-of-the year workshop, for those that will be in Australia, at Pete's Ridge on 30 December. What's Pete's Ridge I hear you asking? It's a great music festival in New South Wales and we are performing in a venue called Boudoir de la Fox on 30 December at 11am to 1pm.

But what are your plans for 2011? If you have anything exciting planned, please let us know and we will be happy to share this with everyone. We have another Asian Tour coming up soon and many other exciting tours planned for later in the year too, but one step at a time. As usual, we in Australia will be leading the world in bringing in the new year, as we are still way ahead of everyone else. Wishing you all a wonderful 2011...

WikiLeaks Global Puppetry

2010-12-22T20:59:00.001+11:00

During the past months, WikiLeaks have been targeted by the US government and more recently many other country's condemnation of the whistle-blowing website which landed it's director, Julian Assange in hot water. But let's look at Assange, who comes from a family of puppeteers.

Today I spoke to his mother, Christine Assange, who runs the Fairytale Puppet Theatre in Queensland. She told me about Julian growing up with his roots in theatre and masks, even in the days before she embarked on her puppetry journey. While growing up in Australia, both Julian and his father used mask and theatre as a means of making social comment. It seems like this must have had a profound influence on his later choice of career, in which he developed his social commentary into the infamous whistleblowing website WikiLeaks.

But what is it about puppeteers that drive them to become involved in social and political commentary in our world. The truth is this tradition goes way back. In eighteenth century England, actor, writer and puppeteer Samuel Foote took his traditional Punch and Judy Show onto the streets of London to critique the British Monarchy, after actors criticizing the monarchy had been banned. When the police came to arrest him, he calmly stated "It wasn't I that said a word, it was these puppets here that should be arrested!"

This tradition has continued to our very day when puppeteers throughout the world have brought their puppets onto the streets to comment or critise the regime, as I even did during those dark days of Apartheid in South Africa. United States puppetry troupe 'Bread and Puppet'
and the British television series in the nineteen-eighties, 'Spitting Image' both used their media to criticise and protest against the government of the day.

In 2005, see my post here, a British Punch and Judy man was banned from using Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden puppets in his Kent seaside show in England and in 2004, see my post here, during George W Bush’s re-inauguration campaign puppetry was banned in the United States. Now what does that say?

Meanwhile, Mr Assange remains remanded in custody in Britain pending proceedings to extradite him to Sweden to face sex crime allegations. Revelations embarrassing to governments all over the world, divined from the hundreds of thousands of US State Department cables leaked by Mr Assange, continue to be published by media organisations internationally.

Back in Australia from an Asian Adventure

2010-12-22T19:01:00.002+11:00

My apologies for not keeping you all updated on our SE Asia Tour during the past six weeks. It was just a really hectic time and especially traveling with a twenty-month old and doing 'Paper and Puppetry' workshops throughout Malaysia and Singapore, followed by a two-week break in Bali, which was great, despite the fact that I fell in the rain in the last week and fractured my spine. It was a really memorable tour and I believe it opened up the Asian market to our Creativity work.

The highlight of the workshops was our two-week stint at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore (NTU). Our topic was ‘Demystifying Creativity and Moving beyond the expected, and into a space of novelty and uncharted territory in every aspect of life’. Our brief was to carry out a pilot programme of study in the use of puppetry to break down barriers that currently exist: thus overcoming inhibition and establishing a 'safe' environment for unleashing innovative potential.

During the NTU season, we worked with Administration staff of NTU Ventures , a department which offers assistance to business start-ups in Singapore. We also had a two-day workshop with the Entrepreneurs of these start-up companies. (See the short video above!) We held a workshop for the Faculty of the university, where we worked with professors and lecturers from Engineering, Business School, Education, Humanities & Social Sciences and Arts. Even the Associate Provost of the university attended. The final workshop was the only arts-related one for stop-frame animation students . You can view a slide show of each workshop by clicking on the name links!

The evaluation outcomes of the workshops were extremely positive. One of the comments from the faculty of education stated: "The workshop reminded me of the importance of communication and team work – critical in a big organization and in the area of education. It was also a humbling experience (there are so many creative colleagues around me!) It was a comfortable platform for me to meet people of other nationalities and from other schools within NTU. I also took comfort that creativity need not be in the form of a patent for a product which the engineers produce, but that we teacher educators are also being creative as we teach and prepare teachers for the next generation (abstract and not so measurable). My greatest take-away would be the reminder to celebrate life and humanity. I will make sure I pass this passion and compassion on to our student teachers."

We look forward to continuing our creativity work in Asia early next year. Watch this space!

Our Asian Puppetry Advenure begins here

2010-11-06T17:00:00.002+11:00

Our Asian adventure is about to begin. On Wednesday we fly off to Malaysia, where we'll be conducting workshops for primary, high school students, as well as teachers in Penang. We'll be giving them a taste of creative thought and expression through our 'World of Paper'. Exploring creativity is moving beyond the expected and into a space of novelty and uncharted territory.

After Malaysia, we'll be working ion Singapore at the Nanyang University for a few weeks. The purpose is to inspire creativity amongst students, faculty and small business start-ups. (You can read my previous post here when this work was first commissioned). After Singapore we are scheduled to explore Bali for a few weeks.

But let's discuss the creative process and reflect on the archaic educational system that still exists in most countries today. Universities and educational institutions that are worth their weight are starting to realise that a new approach is desperately needed. According to research (Watch Sir Ken Robinson's take on this here!) about 70% of jobs in the next twenty years, don't exist yet. So what does this mean in real terms? It means that we need to stimulate a new way of thinking and problem solving in our youth. Often our natural-born talents are ignored and the creativity that we may develop when we are young, gets forgotten as we are molded by our educational institutions. These skills will be most important, if we are going to be able to cope with an unknown future that faces us. So we have to encourage our youth to find their talent and passion and really nurture these soft skills to enable themselves to think creatively. What we are trying to do is harness these often-lost talents and assist our students in re-discovering their own natural creativity. Stay tuned to my Asian reports from next week!

Wake up UNIMA China

2010-11-04T15:03:00.010+11:00

Today I received an email, via UNIMA Australia, with the first information about the UNIMA 2012 Congress and Festival to take place in Chengdu, China from 28 May to 4 June 2012. On searching the web for an official UNIMA China Congress website, I discovered that there actually isn't one! The only UNIMA China website is outdated and last updated in 2002.

The last time I discussed Chengdu 2012 Congress was a month after the 2008 UNIMA Congress in Perth, when the region was hit by a terrible earthquake in Sichuan province, (see here), which left the fate of the next UNIMA Congress to anyone's guess. Well, it looks like the region was quickly rebuilt and the Congress & Festival will be going ahead and now we wait in anticipation to view all their details on the website. In the interim, you can download the PDF festival application forms for Chengdu from the UNIMA-USA website here.
(But please note that the closing date for applications is the end of November 2010, which doesn't give much time to those interested in participating!)

A perfect blend of Puppetry and Dance

2010-11-04T14:12:00.004+11:00

What recently caught my eye and not even knowing that they had performed at the Sydney Festival 2010, was Canadian dancer/ choreographer Crystal Pite and her company Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM. They have also been performing in the United States with their piece, Dark Matters. The title refers both to astrophysics and human impulses, exploring the idea of undetectable forces at work in cosmology. With original music by composer Owen Belton, this stunning theatrical hybrid of puppetry and dance opens as a sinister fable in which an artist creates a puppet with fateful results, and culminates in electrifying contemporary ballet. Pite's choreographic language—edgy, gorgeously fluid—shows the influence of years dancing with William Forsythe's Ballet Frankfurt, but is seasoned with her own humor, intelligence, and intensity.

The puppetry and dance blend in so perfectly together and I was very impressed by the choreography and manipulation. It is the perfect combination of the arts in this visually striking piece. Keep your eyes open for this troupe!

Their new production 'The You Show' invites you recover the body of the dancer, to witness the translation of your own stories in an expressive body language and watch it yourself, as you fall and fly as the hero of your own existence. Whether you're a Superman or a simple man, life is an epic.
It reminds me a little of the choreography of Phillipe Genty. It is set to perform in Los Angeles in February 2011 and May 2011 at The Clutch in Vancouver. You can join them on FaceBook here or view an extract of their new work here!
Our thanks to Puppeteers Unite!

Iranian Puppet Master will hold masterclass in Georgian Republic

2010-11-01T14:16:00.003+11:00

Iranian Playwright, director and Master Puppeteer, Behrooz Gharibpour has been invited by Tbilisi State University in the Georgian Republic to hold a ten-day master class from 24 January 2011, according to our sources at the Tehran Times. Gharibpour will discuss methods of staging puppet opera and discuss his Aran Puppet Theatre's opera performance of 'Rustam and Sohrab'.

“There are many experts on puppetry in Georgia, but due to the lack of skills in staging opera puppet in the country, they have invited me to share my experience with them,” Gharibpour explained.
In addition, he shall assess the potential of Georgian artists in performing puppet shows. He plans to use his puppets and the films of the shows he has previously directed in the master classes.

According to Gharibpour, “Rustam and Sohrab” was warmly received by Georgian theatergoers and the Georgian press gave wide coverage to the opera puppet show during the Tbilisi Festival of Theater.
Gharibpour has previously staged the opera puppet shows “Macbeth”, “Ashura” and “Rumi” in Iran and internationally. For those who weren't aware UNIMA Iran is said to have the highest membership of any of UNIMA's 64 member countries, which shows the popularity of the puppetry art in Iran.

Cårven Der Pümpkîn for Halloween

2010-11-01T13:28:00.001+11:00

On Halloween, people from certain cultures undertake a process of Cårven Der Pümpkîn, which make use of dangerous objects. Disney's Muppet Studio released this short viral video in time for the festival yesterday, which already has over a million hits, which only goes to show how far American culture permeates our world. The Swedish Chef has finally got his green card! Enjoy.
Thanks to Muppets Studio.

The Muppets Kitchen puts me off my lunch

2010-10-19T14:47:00.011+11:00

When I discovered The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora this morning, after going for my Asian travel vaccinations, I was really hungry, but after watching the Muppets kitchen chaos, I'd already lost most of my appetite. Disney have come up with a novel idea to get their cooking show up, by featuring the well-loved Muppets on a new web-based channel. Below the movie player are dozens of recipes in which the gourmet Cat Woman, from Mississippi, and Muppets cook up a storm together. Check them out here!

Montenegro is Haff the Man

2010-10-18T16:39:00.001+11:00

I remember the day in 2007, that we visited Chicago puppeteer, Michael Montenegro. He actually doesn't live in Chicago, but in the beautiful leafy burbs, his home surrounded by trees and wooden sculptures. And then I haven't heard much news from Michael, until I read that he has gone back into his exciting symbolist theatre with two new pieces, Haff, the Man and Falling Girl. Theatre Zarko is said to revive the meaning and value of Symbolist theatre in Chicago. The Chicago Theatre Blog discusses the fact that the show provides the best of both worlds. It contains all the immediacy and risk of live theater, while integrating light (Scott Lee Heckman), music (Jude Mathews), sound, projections (Ellen O’Keefe) and movement to almost pristinely pure cinematic effect. Even the performers’ stately movements – setting up between scenes – take on a ritualistic element within the overall performance, replicating the economy of modern poetry. Nothing is wasted. Every word, every sound, every puppet’s shaky gesture or turn of the head generates deep and lasting poetic impact. It runs until 21 November.

Haff, the Man: written and directed by Michael Montenegro
Falling Girl: co-directed by Ellen O’Keefe and Michael Montenegro Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes, Evanston, Chicago, USA. You can watch a preview of the production here!

Fly me to New Zealand with a puppet

2010-10-17T13:38:00.001+11:00

We just flew back to Sydney early this morning on a dreadful Tiger Airways flight from Melbourne. This was a bit of an anti-climax after a fabulous few days of workshops and great meetings with fellow-puppeteers, theatre agents and friends in Melbourne.
On our return, I discovered a new series of commercials made by Hensons for Air New Zealand, starring Rico. I think I'll certainly chose them over Tiger for our next flying adventure. There will be three more cute ads screening on You Tube from 20 October. Check them all out here!
Another interesting interview on Face Book you might like to watch is the launch of Rico's new book about the South Island, which he refers to as a good read by the toilet. Watch it here!
Thanks to PuppetVision.

One-day Puppetry Workshop in Melbourne

2010-10-08T22:29:00.000+11:00

I am very excited to announce that Learning-Movement consultant & OT, Sharon Gelber and I will be conducting a one day 'World of Paper' Raw Creativity Workshop in Melbourne on Saturday 16 October from 9am to 5pm.

The workshop will take movement and story telling to the most elaborate ends. Our work using paper puppetry is designed to activate the brain, tantalize the senses to enable creative thought and performance at your peak ability. This workshop is ideal for teachers, university students, professionals, therapists, creatives and lion tamers. Places are $150 (all inclusive) and limited so if you are keen to join us, call The Book Affair now to reserve your place: 03-9347.3542 Look forward to having you join us for a wild day!

Improbable 'Panic' comes to Sydney Opera House

2010-10-07T13:10:00.023+11:00

After provoking Sydney audiences in 2006 with The Hanging Man, UK-based Improbable Theatre returns to Australia with their latest production Panic. You can catch a preview of the show here!

Drawn from personal stories and current obsessions, this tale of love is Improbable with puppetry, pratfalls, aerial feats and the longest list of self-help books ever announced on stage. Suggested for mature audiences, Panic embodies a childlike imagination blended with an adult’s wistful meditation on love, sex, life and death. Conceived as an improvisatory vaudeville, the production represents a return to intimate scale by the freewheeling troupe whose talents helped collaborate on the international hit Shockheaded Peter and Philip Glass’ opera Satyagraha.

PuppetryNews subscribers can buy tickets for the special price of $20 + booking fee. (Use the promo codes FRINGE when booking online or call the Sydney Opera House Box Office on 02-9250 7777).

Feist does more with puppets!

2010-10-06T22:30:00.001+11:00

I remember so well Feist's debut into the puppetry scene, when in 2008, she was first featured on Sesame Street with her hit song '1, 2, 3, 4'.
Now the pop icon has a new music video out. Honey Honey sung by Feist, features puppetry by the Old Trout Puppet Workshop from Calgary, Canada.

The Banff Centre, in collaboration with the Old Trout Puppet Workshop, is offering a two-week exploration into the creative art of puppet theatre from 26 December to 11 January 2011.

The Old Trouts are a company founded on the collaborative nature of ensemble-based creation, they build their shows through a process of consensus, which shall be the thesis of this workshop. Over the 17-day period of the workshop, participants will explore exercises that identify the physical awareness and synchronicity of an ensemble, as well as participate in an arena of debate and building that facilitates an effective sharing of ideas. These exercises will in turn support the foundation of original, theatrical, puppet performances to be developed in the subsequent part of the workshop. The Banff Puppet Theatre Intensive will address elements of design (both set and puppet), scripting the silent narrative, collaborative directing, and manipulation of puppets.

Participants will create individual puppets, engage in small ensembles, and, in the nature of collective creation, create short experimental projects to be presented publicly. The workshop shall launch forth from the position that there are no right or wrong answers, but rather, through conversation and execution, that there is a way to discover the most inspired and effective solutions. The Banff Puppet Theatre Intensive is open to puppeteers, actors, dancers, directors, designers, teachers, visual artists, writers, and anyone with a willing spirit. To apply, contact The Banff Centre here!

Handspring's 'Or you could kiss me' opens in London tonight

2010-10-05T13:21:00.003+11:00

Or You Could Kiss Me is the new production from the acclaimed, Laurence Olivier Award-winning Handspring Puppet Company is opening at the National Theatre in London today.

In the winter of 2036, in a shabby apartment in Port Elizabeth, two old men search for a way to say goodbye after a lifetime spent together. In the perfect summer of 1971, in a very different South Africa, their handsome younger selves search for the courage to fall in love. And poised halfway between these two stories - one imagined, one remembered - their real-life counterparts bear witness to both the beginning and ending of an incredible journey.

Or You Could Kiss Me is an intimate history of two very private lives, lived in extraordinary times. The production uses a bare stage, a handful of domestic props and the puppetry of Handspring Puppet Company, whose techniques were seen in the National Theatre and West End hit War Horse.

Neil Bartlett, writer and director of Or You Could Kiss Me, is the former artistic director of the Lyric Hammersmith. His work also includes a production of Romeo And Juliet for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
UPDATE: The show opened to rave reviews in London. You can now watch a few films of the rehearsal and workshopping process of Or You Could Kiss Me here!

Last chance to participate in October Creativity Workshop in Sydney

2010-09-28T19:19:00.003+10:00

Click on the poster for all the workshop details or check out my previous post here!
Book now, only a few places left.

Dr Egg and the Man with No Ear in Canada

2010-09-28T19:08:00.003+10:00

Dr Egg and the Man with No Ear tells the story of a mysterious scientist, Dr Egg, who offers a previously unthinkable possibility; he can grow the man a new ear. But first he needs a piece of his daughters' precious flesh. The Man refuses to harm his daughter. Eager to make her father happy, the daughter makes her way to the lab of Dr Egg and offers her ear. When the science is done, the ear grows and grows. But it does not stop there. A new life is made. And it looks a lot like her. The Daughter is faced with a serious dilemma.

Through puppetry, projected animation, original music, and performance, this exquisite production raises issues surrounding genetic modification in a fun and whimsical setting. It was created and directed by Australian artist Jessica Wilson and based on an original story by Catherine Fargher. Co-directed by Redmoon Artistic Director Jim Lasko, Dr. Egg and the Man with No Ear provides entertainment and insight for children and adults alike.

The show first opened at the Sydney Opera House in July 2007 and then played at the Victorian Arts Centre. In August 2008 it began a very successful seven-week season at Redmoon Theater in Chicago, USA. Dr Egg presented at the International Performing Arts for Youth Showcase in January 2009 and is touring Canada in October / November 2010. It will play at Les Coups de Théâtre in Montreal, at The Cultch in Vancouver, at the Ottawa International Children’s Festival and at the Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse. The highlight of the tour will be a season at Les Coups de Theatre in Montreal, which coincides with CINARS. So if you are in that part of the world, keep a look out for it!

Katy Perry gives up Sesame Street for The Simpsons

2010-09-27T12:18:00.000+10:00

After being evicted from Sesame Street (see yesterday's post) for being too hot, super-star Katy Perry might just have found a new home on The Simpsons. Perry will apparently be guest in a Christmas-themed episode of the animated comedy performing with puppets. First Sesame Street with Elmo, now on The Simpsons with puppets - has this pop idol an obsession with puppets you might well ask?

“In the wake of Elmo’s terrible betrayal, the Simpsons puppets wish to announce they stand felt-shoulder-to-shoulder with Katy Perry,” quipped series executive producer Al Jean in a statement to EW.com. Not only does the singer wind up leading Homer & amp; Co. in a rendition of “The 39 Days of Christmas,” she plays the unlikely role of… Moe’s girlfriend! Yes, from Elmo to Moe she goes. (And as you can see in the picture above, her sartorial selection for this gig probably wouldn’t have been Street-approved either: The PBS show announced on 23 September that it wouldn’t air Perry’s performance after previewing it on You Tube and receiving complaints about her cleavage-revealing outfit. By the way, her Simpsons bit was shot in mid-September, prior to the fuss.) Perry, the musical guest on Saturday Night Live tonight, won’t be the only celebrity gracing this Simpsons episode; Martha Stewart also pops up, but in cartoon form. “The Fight Before Christmas” airs 5 December on Fox.

Our thanks to California-based Puppet 101

Elmo & Katy get too hot for Sesame Street

2010-09-26T20:26:00.001+10:00

Before pop star, Katy Perry could get her milk teeth into young Elmo, their Sesame Street debut was canceled by the producers. Sesame Street's You Tube site apparently had US parents up in arms cause Katy wasn't dressed accordingly for her Sesame Street appearance. But who's being conservative here? You judge for yourselves. No porn, no nudity, not even any sexual innuendos, just a misunderstood fashion statement made by the American hit singer. It has given Katy 3.5 million You Tube hits though. You can watch the actual report here!
PS. If you want to watch a bizarre report on how they make her smell like cotton candy, click here!

Sesame Street: A YouTube Interview with Elmo

2010-09-25T14:42:00.000+10:00

It must be something to do with Jim Henson's birthday or Sesame Street's anniversary, but You Tube is honouring Sesame Street today with an Elmo attached to the You Tube logo. It's a short cut into this Q&A session with Elmo being interviewed by his fans across the world. Enjoy!

One-Day Paper Puppetry Workshop in Sydney

2010-09-16T19:57:00.002+10:00

We have has so many requests to conduct our 'World of Paper' workshop in Sydney, that we've decided to do one before we leave on our SE Asia Tour in October. We are happy to offer you a workshop to catalyze your next creative breakthrough.... explode into a space of free flowing ideas and expanded vision! bring you an exhilarating experience into creativity and performance. Activate your brain and tantalize your senses to think and perform at your peak ability.

This one-day workshop will take place on Sunday 10 October 2010 from 10am to 5pm (with a one-hour lunch break). The cost of the workshop is $150- (including materials, tea and snacks). To book, please email me ASAP, as we have limited places available. You can see our latest workshops film here!

Here is some of the feedback we've had from our workshops:
"It was just astonishing! It was good to feel that we were in a safe environment that we could trust each other and explore and create... Magical... Absolutely worth the day!"
"I think we all need a chance to relax and to release things, and to explore possibilities with people .... The workshops were extremely valuable not only in their ability to stimulate us creatively, but bring us to a different level of understanding about ourselves and about how we interact with each other."
"It provided an opportunity to tell stories and share parts of ourselves that we never get the opportunity to. All sorts of stereotypes were cracked wide open."

The Puppet Film

2010-09-16T18:30:00.001+10:00

In this documentary by American David Soll, we discover that, unlike many other countries, where puppets are embedded in religion, folk crafts, and high art – America has long thought of puppetry only as a children’s medium, relegated to sock puppet shows and kids television. Since the nineties, however, serious, adult puppetry has exploded in the United States. Although it still sits at the fringe, there has been a marked increase in press coverage of the puppet world and every year sees more high-profile productions featuring puppets. On Broadway, in the avant-garde, and even at the Metropolitan Opera, puppets are suddenly on the American mind.

This ‘puppet renaissance’ suggests a key question for the film: Why was puppetry first marginalized in America, and what does it mean that we’ve returned to this ancient form? Some have argued that the explosion of puppetry is part of a larger reaction against technology and digitization. As puppeteer in the film puts it, “Can you take apart your iPod and fix it? Of course not. But you can fix your bicycle.” In other words, puppetry symbolizes a yearning for mechanical, analog, basic interactions with the world. Others have suggested the disappearance of puppetry in the West was in line with the ascendance of realism, and thus the reemergence of puppetry signals a decline in realism. Is it possible that puppetry is a symptom of a culture-wide backlash against these pillars of the modern era?
We now wait with baited breath for the release of another interesting puppetry doco!

Puppetry Workshops for SE Asia

2010-09-15T13:51:00.000+10:00

Let's talk about innovation and the role it plays in our lives! Is it true that our reliance on technology dampens our creativity and thinking outside the box?

We have been invited to run some pilot paper puppetry workshops at a university in Singapore in October-November this year. The challenge that this particular university is facing, is the lack of innovation in the mindset of the Singaporean culture and the discomfort in students posing questions or speaking up for themselves at university and in the society in general.

During the 80's and 90's the University of Singapore was responsible for creating thousands of engineers, with little latitude for creative risk-taking. They have developed a 'safe' attitude that seems stuck in their "fear of failing or embarrassing themselves". Upper management would like to see this fear overcome, with risk taking, especially in the communication between students themselves and when dealing with faculty. Hopefully this will become part of a healthy learning system.

The development of soft skills in communication is now seen to be paramount, with the country moving away from pure financial services and IT, towards a society rich in nurturing knowledge content. In a generation and a half, Singapore has been successful in surpassing even the USA in it's gross domestic income per capita. In order to remain relevant and economically vibrant, the country is now spending more on research as opposed to training.

We are currently developing a pilot programme, in the use of puppetry to break down the barriers that currently exist; thus overcoming inhibition and establishing a 'safe' environment for unleashing innovative potential. Stay tuned for more information as the project develops.

As Edward de Bono states, "We need tools of creativity to enable us to change ideas".

If I were King of Australia... Edward de Bono

2010-09-15T10:00:00.004+10:00

Named 'The Godfather of Lateral Thinking', Edward de Bono, was in Australia over the past week to participate in a Creative Innovation 2010 Conference in Melbourne. Run by Creative Universe, the idea is to unlock our full creative potential. The concept of the conference was to share ideas and try to solve a few global and community issues. A good idea should create value to both ourselves and our communities.

This is the work which we are involved in, using our paper and puppetry workshops. We present these world-wide in schools and universities, to help nurture creativity and channel ideas into short performance pieces, which then can be taken much further. How much creative innovation are we missing out by not thinking outside the box, while at the same time forgetting to look at the wealth of innovation deep inside of ourselves.

A Puppet Intervention

2010-09-13T15:33:00.001+10:00

Here is another discovery I recently made on Vimeo. Two men, working out of an abandoned cotton mill near Chapel Hill, NC, in the United States create an annual spectacular of drama, music, dance and giant puppetry that is enjoyed by thousands. Working with the debris of an industrial age, their message of engaging life simply and honestly is the result of complex, and sometimes contentious, collaboration with the cast and musicians, as well as dozens of volunteer puppet-makers. This film follows the making of one such production. I certainly look forward to seeing the full documentary.

The life of a British Muppeteer

2010-09-12T20:45:00.000+10:00

I discovered this fascinating short documentary by Max Clendaniel, on the life of British puppeteer, Mak Wilson, who has worked on many of Jim Henson's iconic films, such as Labyrinth, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Storyteller series, Babe and Dinosaurs. He describes his work with Jim Henson and how when he really started getting close to Henson, was the time when Henson suddenly passed away. Mak played some great characters and describes some of these fantastic opportunities in his life, a life in which he also battled with depression. It's a great little doco. Enjoy.

"Creativity and Literacy Show" in Melbourne

2010-08-06T15:44:00.002+10:00

This weekend sees The Education Show taking place in Melbourne. The show will feature the latest products, resources and services for schools and featuring an extensive professional development programme, including a unique 'Puppetry in Education' stall featuring Melbourne-based 'Dream Puppets' and yours truly, Sydney-based 'Gary Friedman Productions'. We became more involved in both primary and high school education earlier this year, when we received at Artists in Residence grant to work in a few school's in northern Sydney. (In the short film, above, you can view the work in a short interview with Jan Warhurst, vice-principal of Curl Curl Public School in Sydney).

The Education Show at the Caulfield Racecourse in Station Street, Caulfield in Melbourne on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 August from 10am to 4pm and entry is free to the public. Their will be some provocative seminars taking place on both the days. For info click here! Incidently for those of you interested in education and if you haven't seen Sir Ken Robinson's address to TED in California on "Do school's kill creativity?" It is an important thought provoking piece, so click here.

The Chalk Giants

2010-07-22T17:37:00.005+10:00

Today I discovered an visually exciting looking production which is opening at the Norwich Puppet Theatre, UK in two days time. It features a well-known young British puppeteer, Steve Tiplady, artistic director of the Little Angel Marionette Theatre in London. Steve has been integrally involved in the growth of adult puppet theatre in the UK over the past few years.

The Chalk Giants begins in the present with a film of puppeteers Sally Brown and Steve Tiplady and musician Jonathan Lambert on a nature walk at Hunstanton as they invite the audience to come with them on a tour through the ancient landscape of England. The production uses film shot at significant sites along the chalk escarpment which traverses southern England to tell parts of the story and to bring the landscape to life. I wish we could watch some of that now!

The production opens with the creation of Jack, a puppet drawn in chalk which magically comes to life, and the discovery of some beans that are, of course, also made from chalk. At first, this appears to be the familiar tale of Jack and the Bean Stalk but soon it becomes apparent that there is a twist to the tale. Jack kills Blunderbog Cormoran, the giant at the top of the beanstalk, and begins a quest to rid England of giants. A fun, fast and furious tale ensues with Jack slaying giants across the land. However, is Jack the hero of the day? Blunderbog’s distraught wife and a wonderfully sensitive narrative leave the audience to decide.

The new production combines chalk together with shadow puppetry, a toy theatre, rod puppets, pre-recorded and live film, to give a cutting-edge contemporary performance of a traditional tale steeped in legend and imbued with a sense of England’s past. Guyanese-born poet, John Agard, has been specially commissioned to write a collection of narrative poems, dialogues and scenes, which are threaded through the story and add another layer of richness to the show. The Chalk Giants is beautifully augmented with music by Jonathan Lambert. The folk-influenced musical accompaniment adds vibrancy and an additional dimension to the production. Jonathan performs his compositions on clarinet, bamboo flute, and appropriately, a xylophone made from stone. Ancient lithophone sounds from a cave at Skiddaw in the Lake District are woven in and there are songs ideal for audience participation.
The production will also perform at the Edinburgh Festival next month. Wish I could be there! For details check here!

What, Adult Puppetry on the BBC?

2010-06-30T17:35:00.000+10:00

Animal puppet sex on a British adult TV sitcom? I was quite tickled today to discover 'Mongrels' about a metrosexual urban fox called Nelson. It's a new BBC adult puppet television series that began in the past week. Andy Miller, director and creator of the 'Mongrels' has written a blog about his adventures in creating this innovative puppet series here. You can also view some of the 'Mongrels' episodes on Andy's blog post too!

You can find the series details on the BBC Three website here. Unfortunately due to international copyright restrictions, the webcasts are limited to the UK.

Interplanetary Puppetry from Connecticut

2010-06-29T19:32:00.000+10:00

Some of the America's leading puppeteers gathered in Connecticut in the United States over the past week. The group gathered at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford on a large estate with four theaters and participants ate and slept there, generally working twenty-four hours a day.

Some of the best-known American puppeteers attended, like Alissa Hunnicutt, Heather Henson, Fred Thompson, Pam Arciero, Miguel Romero, Bart Roccoberton Jr and Muppet master, Marty Robinson.
You can join the O'Neill National Puppetry Conference Facebook Page here!
NPR Radio broadcast a great report on the puppetry conference, which you can listen to here!

World Cup Soccer Final Puppets

2010-06-29T17:53:00.002+10:00

Throughout our recent International Tour, I've briefly followed the news and heard many reports on the current World Cup Soccer in South Africa. As reported in Puppetry News on 14 June and now on CNN, the World Cup Soccer puppets (click here) have taken South Africa by storm. The giant puppets are a Franco-South-African project presented by the Gauteng Provincial Government, and the French Institute of South Africa together with the group 'Les Grandes Personnes' from Burkina Faso. They have announced that they will make a guest appearance at the World Cup Final at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on 11 July.

Giant Puppet in Old City of Jerusalem

2010-06-16T17:34:00.005+10:00

The Old City of Jerusalem is a fascinating place with its mixture of cultures, foods, religions and languages all bound by its ancient walls. What you wouldn't expect to find is a wondering giant puppet. Last night while taking in a visual display of sounds and lights in the Old City, I stumbled upon Meir the Giant. Created by young Israeli artists, Michal Ben-Anat and Oded Davidovitch, Meir has emotional perception and his heart beat and blushing is controlled by the main puppeteer, who manipulates the head. It was quite fascinating to watch the Giant interacting with the crowds and seeing his emotions through the coloured lights inside his body. You can watch a video clip of Meir the Giant here!

Muppet Workshops in Atlanta

2010-06-15T07:30:00.003+10:00

It only came to my attention today, thanks to a great post by Puppatoons in the States, that renowned Mupeteer Steve Whitmire held two fascinating workshops at the Centre for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta in January. Whitmire took over performing Kermit the Frog when Jim Henson passed away in 1990. (For those of you who've already seen the post, apologies for the repeat). The notes by Puppatoons seem extremely interesting to anyone involved in puppetry for the screen.

In Steve Swanson's weekly podcast MuppetCast, both Part One and Part Two the workshops were wonderfully covered, together with an interview with Steve Whitmire in Part Two.

Puppetry and the World Cup.. at last!

2010-06-14T18:22:00.002+10:00

How on earth could the Soccer World Cup relate to African puppetry? In the past few days, the world has become obsessed with soccer. I am in Israel this week, on the last leg of our European Workshop Tour for 2010, before returning to Australia and I was waiting to find a puppetry group who would relate to the major events taking place right now in South Africa!

Finally the email came through from South African photographer Gisele Wulfsohn and the article was there! The Giant Match is a bigger-than-life show played outdoor by 28 four-metre high puppets and dozens of masks and objects complete with storytellers and musicians.

Involving over 100 South African actors, musicians, dancers, puppeteers, visual artists and craftsmen from various communities around Johannesburg, as well as international artists from France, Burkina Faso, Italy and Chile, this new and unique show was initiated in the context of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. It's a Franco-South-African project presented by the Gauteng Provincial Government, and the French Institute of South Africa together with the group 'Les Grandes Personnes' from Burkina Faso.

You can watch a clip of their work here!

New Puppetry Commercial rips off Royal de Luxe

2010-06-01T05:53:00.003+10:00

It was a strange surprise to see the new commercial for Mayflower Transit made in the United States this month. It copies exactly the extraordinary giant puppetry produced by the well-known French puppet company Royal de Luxe. The commercial, produced for the Grey Agency in New York was done by The Character Shop in California. The gigantic puppet of the young girl is well made and manipulated by master puppeteer, Rick Lazzarini. Lazzarini, together with The Character Shop created the commercials for Orbitz, which ripped-off the BBC television series in the sixties Thunderbirds. Check out the commercial and you be the judge.
On the Mayflower site, you can view a few different versions of this commercial.

Extraordinary War Horse last night

2010-05-21T19:11:00.001+10:00

Joey, the main horse from War Horse leading the Royal Household Cavalry in a Royal Salute past the Queen at the Windsor Castle

Since arriving in London this week, the highlight of our visit has been attending a performance of War Horse at the New London Theatre last night. After two sold-out seasons at the National Theatre, War Horse moved to the New London Theatre and it continues to play to full houses every night. The National Theatre together with Handspring Puppet Company in South Africa produced the show in 2007 and the extraordinary horse puppets were designed and built by puppet-master, Adrian Kohler.

A few birds, a goose and a handful of horses make up the puppet cast, which are joined by a large human cast in the show. From the moment the goose waddles on to the stage, you can see the wonderful puppetry skills that Handspring have imparted. When Joey, the young foal, makes his first appearance, the three young puppeteers breathe in unison, which really breathes life into this young horse and the illusion is complete. The breath, sounds, together with ear and tail movement give the horses an extraordinary life that makes one believe that it's actually the horses manipulating the puppeteers and not the other way round. As strange as this might sound, it's very difficult to believe that they are puppets at all.

Set in the backdrop of World War 1, this powerful story is carried by great performances and manipulation, which together, produce the best piece of theatre I have seen for a very long time.
Steven Spielberg has apparently chosen War Horse to be his next film, which is due for production next year and this seems to be when the live production will open at the Lincoln Centre on Broadway.

“This level of puppetry hasn’t been seen on Broadway before, and this is what audiences are going to find riveting,” said Handspring's Basil Jones, last year, in an interview here.

You can watch the trailer here and the making of War Horse here and a Channel 4 report here!

TV Puppetry from a Norway Fjord

2010-05-16T02:48:00.003+10:00

When I was invited, late last year, to spend a week teaching television puppetry to a group of enthusiastic puppeteers in Kinsarvik, a tiny town in the fjords of western Norway, I keenly accepted and planned this into our European Workshop Tour for 2010. Last weekend we flew from Toulouse in southern France, via Paris and Oslo to Bergen, which took an entire day. We were picked up in Bergen by our host from a small theme park, Mikkelparken and Hardangertun holiday resort and driven the three-hours north-east to Kinsarvik in the land where the sun set at eleven at night. Mikkelparken had a set of great puppet characters developed and these were performed at the theme park in summer. My task was to assist them in developing this project for eventual television broadcast and to improve the professionalism of their live performances. It was fascinating listening to the folktales they had developed and brainstorming how these could be transformed to the small screen.

Kinsarvik (with a population of 459) is the most idyllic place to work and holiday. Our week in Kinsarvik was fantastic. We are now in Bergen for two days, before we fly to London. Stay tuned for more!

AIS Puppetry Workshop in Vienna

2010-05-10T21:49:00.014+10:00

This 'World of Puppetry' workshop was filmed last month at the American International School in Vienna, Austria, run by Sharon Gelber and myself. It demonstrates the extraordinary puppetry improvisation skills of the students with spontaneous character creation in ten minutes.

In another short film, you can watch here - I'm having fun demonstrating some puppetry improvisation skills for the workshop participants in Vienna. This is part of our European Workshop Tour 2010. Keep tuned for more...

Visit to Balsamique Théâtre in France

2010-05-10T21:49:00.000+10:00

On the weekend we had the privilege of visiting my old friend Francois Boulay and his artistic partner, Danish Lone Nedergaard at Le Balsamique théâtre in Feycelles Midi-Pyrénées in southern France. (In the photo - Francois is on the left, Lone in the middle and myself on the right with my son Idan). Next year will be the thirtieth year anniversary of our first International Puppetry Course, the first ever at the Institut International de la Marionnette in Charleville-Mezieres in France. It was during this course in 1981 that Francios and I were exposed to the great masters of European puppetry as our mentors.

You can view some slide shows of the work of Le Balsamique théâtre Métamorphoses and Musique et marionnettes!

Puppetry shows up controversy in South Africa

2010-05-01T10:23:00.002+10:00

In the South African world of political controversy, there has recently been a great divide caused by the honorable Judge Richard Goldstone, expected not to attend his grandson’s barmitzvah, because it would draw large protests against his anti-Israel United Nations report. The Chief Rabbi of South Africa Warren Goldstein commented that the UN report "has unfairly done enormous damage to the reputation and safety of the State of Israel and her citizens. " The South African web-based puppetry satire team ZA News recently got their own Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela to comment on this controversy. Tutu quipped "you don't have to be Jewish to be Jewish, but it helps..."

Punch and Judy Annivesary in Covent Garden

2010-04-29T17:14:00.001+10:00

In a previous article I wrote in 2005, I recalled my participation in the 325th anniversary of Punch and Judy in Covent Garden, London in 1987. This year on 9 May, the 348th birthday of Mr Punch will be celebrated. It's been so long since the days that Punch and Judy professors, as they are called, roamed the streets of England using their puppets to criticise the powers of the state. Entertainment was, of course, part of the deal, but sadly the political clout of the puppet has all but disappeared.

But if you are around London in early May, do visit the professors strutting their Punches in Covert Garden. Sadly, we will only be in London a little later in May.

Puppetry in Portugal

2010-04-29T04:23:00.001+10:00

Today we conducted magical workshops with the talented students of St Julian's School in Carcavelos in Portugal. The small groups of IB Drama students from years ten and twelve initially created some magical scenarios out of brown paper. These were embellish through the use of voice as their instruments, as no spoken language is used in the story telling. Sounds and song help to bridge gaps and create a universal language when using the metaphor of paper to tell a story.

Two weeks ago we did a week of workshops in Slovenia. These were for students, teachers, puppeteers and professionals who wished to learn more about using puppetry. After Slovenia, we had a few gorgeous days of sightseeing in Venice and Milan, before flying to Lisbon this week.

You can view our American International School Workshop slide show from Vienna here. I still haven't had the time to finish editing the short films we are making of our workshops in Europe this year, so please be patient. More from France next week!

Lone Wolf Tribe in America

2010-04-20T18:21:00.002+10:00

Lone Wolf Tribe is a contemporary puppet theatre ensemble in the United States, which according to their blurb 'blends history, sociology and psychology into brutally poetic contemporary narratives'. Their production of 'Bride' caught my eye this morning here in Slovenia, while looking on the UNIMA USA web site.

While God the Father struggles with dementia, the dismembered Mother Goddess crawls through the dark of heaven's basement; calls for salvation go unanswered as the world below spins closer toward Armageddon. Bride remembers the bloody shift from polytheism to monotheism, conjuring a 4,000 year old love story whose partnership has been long forgotten, and whose union may be our only hope. Although it seems a bit gloomy for my taste, the puppetry used in this production seems varied and inspiring.

Workshops in Vienna

2010-04-19T06:07:00.002+10:00

Our first two weeks in Europe were spent in Vienna. We ran workshops at both the Vienna Inter- national School and the American International School all of last week. During our three days of workshops at the VIS, besides our paper and object improvisation, we also ran a short puppetry for film workshop with film students. On Friday we ran paper workshops at the American International School. The participants were IB theatre students from years eleven and twelve and their creativity was extraordinary. I am working on a short film of their work which I'll post as soon as it's done.

This week we are working in Slovenia. Based in Velenje, we are working with schools, teachers and puppeteers throughout Slovenia, before heading to Italy. Keep tuned for our news on the road!

Easter Bunny Muppet Special

2010-04-02T08:21:00.005+11:00

The gruesome Easter Bunny has finally been released. Instead of eating chocolate Easter eggs, it feasts on cute little bunnies. How grotesque! Wishing you all a bunny-free Easter. Enjoy.

Out the Box Festival - African Puppetry Hit

2010-03-31T08:33:00.014+11:00

Having just wrapped up the biggest festival of Puppetry and Visual Theatre on the African continent, Out of the Box continues to inspire and attract new puppeteers. Not only does UNIMA South Africa host the festival but it also ensures there is a developmental aspect - such as ongoing education in the field of puppetry.

At the opening, The Handspring Puppet Company, made the unprecedented announcement that they would be handing out annual awards for productions at Out the Box at the end of the festival.

The festival included an adult and a family programme bursting with local productions and international offerings from Israel, the Netherlands, Mozambique and Belgium.

Highlights included Inua, a production by Jori Snell from Denmark and the Netherlands. Snell's physicality is astounding, as is the production's magical realism in its storytelling and use of music as she looks for the essence, the 'Inua' of things, through creative use of light and shadows. Out the Box 2010 provides an inspiring journey into the rich world of puppetry and visual performance that South Africa has to offer. I'm only sorry I couldn't be there for it this year!

Artists in Residency Puppetry Program Interview

2010-03-28T00:39:00.019+11:00

After two month's of daily workshops in three North Sydney schools, the Artists in Residency Puppetry Program has finally come to an end. During the workshops at Curl Curl North Public School, Assistant Principal, Ms Jan Warhurst, was interviewed and in this short film she discusses her feelings about the project and what she believes makes this type of work important in stimulating the creativity of both students and teachers. The project is a creative partnership between Sydney North Demonstration School, Gary Friedman Productions, The Department of Education and Training, The Australia Council and Arts NSW.

Our next project begins in Vienna at the end of next week. Keep tuned for our regular European tour reports!

Curl Curl School Puppetry Project 2010

2010-03-21T19:53:00.022+11:00

After two months of work with these young people, with very limited exposure to basic puppetry skills, the students blossomed at our school performances at Curl Curl North Public School last week. Using only simple brown paper and common household objects with no spoken language, the children created elaborate stories where the power of their entire imagination was harnessed.

Their work took them on a creative journey, which combined the power of Brain Gym with some dance and movement, a guided meditation, some improvisation work with brown paper, in which characters emerge to relate their non-verbal stories and lastly object theatre work, which take the children's stories into yet another dimension.

We are about to embark on a three-month European Workshop Tour next month. This will take us through Austria, Slovenia, Portugal, France, Norway, the United Kingdom, Hungary and the Middle East. Keep tuned to Puppetry News for regular updates and news from the road.

PS. Last but not least 'Happy World Puppetry Day' for today. World Puppetry Day is celebrated with an objective to preserve and popularise the art of puppetry around the world. This year there are events planned in India, an International Festival in Istanbul, Turkey and UNIMA's news here!

Ted E Bare's Retirement Tour in Australia

2010-03-14T18:23:00.024+11:00

Fresh from a recent tour of New Zealand, popular American ventriloquist David Strassman is touring Australia with his Ted E Bare's Farewell Tour in May this year.

I am not sure who we are bidding farewell to, because according to David's recent interview on New Zealand television, the farewell to the Bear is just a publicity stunt, because the Bear never really leaves the show.

A star-studded tribute to Ted E. Bare’s greatest show biz moments, “Ted E.’s Farewell Tour” will follow Strassman’s journey of discovery to replace the irreplaceable little bear. This moving, hilarious and wild ride will feature the razor sharp wit of Chuck Wood we have all come to fear, as well as uncover some new and extraordinary characters desperate to join the show in a hilarious “You’ve Got Talent- Puppet Edition” segment.

David Strassman is considered by many to be one of the best ventriloquists in the world. His shows are hilariously funny and razor sharp, featuring full stage production complete with dazzling sets and state-of- the-art theatrical effects. You can catch his Australian Tour in either Queensland, South Australia, Victoria or New South Wales and the dates are up on his website here.

Message for World Puppetry Day

2010-03-13T13:14:00.015+11:00

UNIMA General Secretary, Jacques Trudeau has posted a message by the renowned theatre director, Robert Lepage, written especially for World Puppetry Day on 21 March 2010. Versatile in every form of theatre craft, Robert Lepage creates and directs original productions that shake the dogma of classical stage direction to its foundations, especially through his use of puppetry and new technologies.

“Like many people, I was profoundly affected by the earthquake which has recently devastated Haiti. Looking at the images constantly relayed on television and on the web I asked myself, among all the mediums of the performing arts, which would be the most effective for expressing the human dimension of such a cataclysm? Which medium would best evoke compassion without descending into mere pity, to inspire solidarity without being moralizing, and which would be best able to provoke in our own body an echo of the physical pain of the wounds and amputations?

In fact, I asked myself how one could transpose onto a stage not only the grief of the Haitian people, but equally their resilience which both moves and inspires us at the same time?

It seemed to me that the puppet would be the best medium to convey this tragedy. Its powerlessness, its vulnerability, but in equal measure the force of its purity and its innocence combine to create a link both intimate and unique with the spectator. Such solidarity probably arises from the major advantage it holds over the human theatre and the cinema: the actor plays a part, the puppet is always true.

In contrast to the actor, the cruelties done to the puppet are not feigned and when its strings are cut, when it is beaten, ridiculed, humiliated, ill-treated or dismembered, it never complains. It is repaired, re-pasted and once again it is on its feet, as good as new.

This truth endows the puppets with a magnificent power, since they seem at the same time to be capable of facing up to the outrages of destiny and to possess the courage needed to rebuild a world in ruins."
Robert Lepage, Quebec

To view some of Lepage's work, take a look here and discussions with him here!

Beaker dies on the net

2010-03-07T05:58:00.005+11:00

After month's of secret rehearsals, Beaker has finally persuade Disney Studios to let him post his new song 'Dust in the Wind' onto You Tube. As expected, the song has finally killed his blossoming singing career. Check it out!

New Schools Puppetry Programme in Australia

2010-02-25T05:26:00.009+11:00

A new Puppetry Partnership Programme was launched this month in three Sydney schools. This short film provides images taken during the first week of the eleven week puppetry programme taking place in February and March 2010. The partnership between Gary Friedman Productions and the North Sydney Demonstration School, in collaboration with the University of Sydney Education Faculty is designed to expose the students and their teachers to the language of metaphor and symbolism. It is aimed at enriching their creative expression and literacy outcomes. The programme will culminate in a mini-school's puppet festival and evaluation of the work.

We have still some openings for workshops in Europe during our 2010 International Workshop Tour from April to June. If you are interested in this work, please contact us. Enjoy the film clip!

Barking Spider launches new show

2010-02-01T17:11:00.000+11:00

Opening in Melbourne, Australia tomorrow is a brand new production by Barking Spider.

“Dispatch” is about a puppet character 'Sorrel' a little girl who has died and is unable to realise it.
“Dispatch” is ethereal and timeless in feel. A single narrative line is peppered with weaving mini-narratives that are born of each suitcase as Sorrel discovers them. “Dispatch” runs for approximately one hour and is suitable for teen and adult audiences.

This contemporary and ethereal puppet theatre work, written and directed by Penelope Bartlau, is performed by Bartlau and Justine Warner. The production runs from tomorrow, Tuesday to Sunday 7 February at 8pm, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 4pm.
The Venue: 45 Downstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Bookings: (03) 9662 9966 or www.fortyfivedownstairs.com.au

Puppetry for Television Course films

2010-01-31T06:13:00.002+11:00

Last week saw the completion our January 2010 'Puppetry for Television and Web Course' at the Wesley Institute in Sydney. Our talented participants ended their course by completing two short films, My Fur Lady and Baby-Faced Thugs. (Click on them to view)

The films were made and edited as the culmination of a intensive two-week course, during which nine newcomers to the industry were introduced to all aspects of puppetry for TV and the Web, including puppet building, improvisation, performance for the camera, story-boarding and producing a short film in a team.

I also put together a short piece on Behind the Scenes at the course, which shows the making of the two short films. You can take a look at this short film here.

Puppetry Course - Day Five

2010-01-08T22:33:00.013+11:00