Insight into the Inspiration for our Puppets (Part 2)

May 06, 2014 12:00 AM

Tara Nicole Haas <a title="Insight into the Inspiration for our Puppets (Part One)" href="http://4thwalldramaturgy.byu.edu/insight-into-the-inspiration-for-our-puppets-part-one" target="_blank">In my last post</a>

By Tara Nicole Haas In my last post, I talked about some of the puppet companies that have inspired our puppet making for The Selfish Giant. Here are a few more who we would like to share! Blind Summit: "17 years ago Blind Summit started with two guys, one puppet and one story. There was no adult puppetry scene in the UK. There was no Lion King, Avenue Q or War Horse... no one wanted to do puppetry, or to watch it! Since then we have created 30 productions, trained 100 artists and even directed the puppetry in the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony. Last year our puppets were seen by over 330,000 people." Mark Down - Artistic Director • Puppetry innovators who are subverting and reinventing the ancient Japanese art form of Bunraku puppetry for contemporary worldwide audiences. • They believe that at a time when theatre is so under threat from the proliferation of new media, puppetry is one of the areas which offers a unique, live experience for audiences. They see puppetry as a radical part of the reinvention of theatre in our time. • Their work aims to challenge people's attitudes towards puppetry. Their puppets are modern and shows tackle contemporary issues that concern them.

Faeries Photo credit not found © 2008. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Handspring Puppet Company: • Founded in 1981 and based in Cape Town, South Africa, the company provides an artistic home and professional base for a core group of leading puppetry artists, performers, designers, theatre artists and technicians. Handspring’s work has been presented in more than 30 countries around the world. • The company is widely recognized as South Africa’s pre-eminent puppet theatre company. The company’s work spans three decades of creating theatre for adults and children. Recently, Handspring has been established as one of the most important puppet companies in the world. • Handspring has won several awards, including the 2011 special Tony award for their development of the puppets for Warhorse. • Africa has a rich culture involving puppetry, and Handspring is dedicated to keeping it alive by creating many different forms and types of puppet performance.

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by Janine Sobeck, dramaturg Tech week is one of the most exciting moments in any show. It's the time when we get to leave our rehearsal room, move onto stage, and add all of the production elements. To help the actors adapt to all the changes we usually make a gradual transition. Pre-tech: While still in the rehearsal room, actors are given certain rehearsal props and costumes to help them in the creation of their characters. In the case of Princess Academy, all the girls were given rehearsal skirts and all the characters were given rehearsal books and and other items (such as the miri flower). We also added all of the instruments used in the show. Tech day 1: The first day of tech included adding the set and sound. One of the biggest changes for our actors is the ramps on our stage. They finally had the opportunity to climb the mountain! Tech day 2: It's time to add the props! In order to support Director Megan Sanborn Jones' vision of the show, prop designer Scott Jackson made all of the props out of paper, letters, and books. Tech days 3-4: This is what we call an "All Tech." The final elements of the show (lights, costumes, and make-up) are added into the mix. Day 3 is spent working through all the cues in act 1 and day 4 is spent working through act 2. Tech days 5-7: The time has come to run the show! These are our dress rehearsals, where the goal is to do the show exactly as if it was a real performance. This means starting at our normal curtain time and trying to never stop. The director, playwright, dramaturgs, and designers sit in the audience making notes about what is working and what still needs to change. At the end of the nights, the actors and designers are given feedback and we rehearse any moments that need some extra attention. Tech day 8: Which is today! Tonight is the time when we finally get to add the final element of the show: the audience! Our final day of tech is known as the "preview performance." Friends, families, and students are invited to see the show before we officially open. While we always reserve the right to stop the show if necessary (it is, after all, still a rehearsal), we hope that everything will go smoothly!

Insight into the Inspiration for our Puppets (Part 2)

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