Puppets! Puppets! Puppets! (Part 1)

By: Eric Stroud, dramaturg Hello you wonderful followers you! I am pleased to have this opportunity to write to you for the first time and most especially, to let you in on some unique aspects of our play! As Kasey mentioned a couple posts back, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written by William Shakespeare. It has been done countless times and in countless ways. So, when our director, Nat Reed agreed to direct the play, he was determined to make it special. Now, some of you reading this know A Midsummer Night’s Dream quite well, so some of the unique choices I am going to discuss will be even more surprising for you. However, for those of you, who don’t know the play; allow me to provide you with some insight. Parts of the original play surround the experience of some Mechanicals, or a group of men who perform plays for a living. However, as these men gather within the enchanted woods outside of Athens for their rehearsals, some things go astray. Within the original play, the focus on these Mechanicals is eclipsed by the more relatable story of the mixed up lovers. However, for this TYA production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Nat Reed has decided to give these frequently overlooked characters a wonderful new voice. This voice is obtained through Nat’s changing the Mechanicals to puppets; each hand made by Nat Reed himself and each distinct. The puppeteers will operate these puppets as if they were a part of their body, ensuring that each movement made is realistic and calculated. Now as new as puppets might be to the A Midsummer Night’s Dream setting, puppetry in theatre is nothing new. In fact, puppetry in theatre is believed to have originated almost 3000 years ago, in the days of ancient cultures. However, it has only been in Western culture since the 13^th century. Since then, it has evolved and reformed in countless ways, creating its own sub genre. We are excited to have these wonderful creations in our cast! To get you excited about the usage of puppets in this production, enjoy the pictures below; each illustrating some of the greatest theatre performed today with the inclusion of puppetry.

One of the London Stage's newest puppetry phenomenas, Warhorse has expanded the world of puppetry.

One of the London Stage's newest puppetry phenomena, Warhorse has expanded the world of puppetry.

Hey! This is a wonderful puppet from BYU's very own TYA production of Selfish Giant. Look at those puppeteering skills!

This is a wonderful puppet from BYU's very own TYA production of The Selfish Giant. Look at those puppeteering skills!

Though a little on the racy side, Avenue Q was one of the first Broadway musicals patterned after the idea of Sesame Street. A very adult Sesame Street.

Puppets can be quite large; and the dragon puppet from Shrek the Musical, performed at the Cadillac Theatre is no exception.

King Kong on Broadway anyone? Imagine the amount of puppeteers this guy requires.

Now here's one we all know in love. Zazu, from Disney's Broadway production of The Lion King. If you look close, you can see the trigger in puppeteer Jeff Binder's left hand. It opens and closes Zazu's mouth when he speaks. Though these blog posts will be on hiatus during Christmas Break, be sure to check back in January for PART TWO of Puppets! Puppets! Puppets! In this blog post I will show the interview I had with the director of this production, Nat Reed, who will gives insight on his inspiration for using puppetry and where his love for it originates. See you soon!

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by Amelia Johnson, Dramaturg Creating a show is a process. Though the run of the show is over, there was a lot more that went into the show than what was seen in those few weeks. Months before the run, the production team began meetings. They discussed the director’s vision for the show and began planning designs. Everything was approved of and discussed before lights were set, sets, were built, and the costume and makeup designs were implemented. This year, the costume and makeup designers drew inspiration from the local artist, James Christensen. Having passed away earlier this year, director Dallyn Bayles thought it would be nice to pay tribute to him in this way. Costume designer Dennis Wright was thrilled to base his designs of Christensen's style. He said, “What I really love about Christensen’s work is the whimsy that he incorporates into his characters. His distinctive use of patterns, layers and silhouette is really fun and distinctive. I wanted to be sure to capture that in the costume designs for this production. “I love this show, and the concept and design choices our team has made. I am excited to share it with our audience. As a big James Christensen fan, my one regret is that I didn’t actually get to meet the artist in person. I just returned to Utah last year and sadly, missed my chance. I am very grateful to be able to pay tribute to him in this small way”. Makeup and hair designer Sarah Bult also shared some of her thoughts. “After reading the script I looked through as many James Christensen paintings as I could find. I picked out textures, colors, broke it all down and paired certain characters with those elements. His artwork influenced everything from the shape and colors of hair down to the detail on the bead work of the hairpins. I loved that I could draw my inspiration from his work and create something that really embodied his artwork." Bult continued, “One thing I didn’t expect to be a challenge was that not many Christensen pieces have hair showing. This created a very unique and fun challenge for me. I had to look many different paintings, combine textures and colors, and use my own design style to come up with fun fairy tale hair and makeup styles that were reminiscent of Christensen’s artwork. I am very excited to see how all of the elements come together”. Join us on the 4th Wall next time to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes!

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Last week, A Midsummer Night’s Dream opened in the Nelke Theatre and it was a great success! Eric and I were pleased to be a part of the opening night and celebrate not only the opening night of the production, but also the 40th anniversary of the Brigham Young University Young Company. In order to set the tone of the evening, patrons were encouraged to check out the lobby display that Eric and I had created for the show. We chose to do a puppet making station, aptly named “The Mechanicals Puppet Making Station” where guests and participants could make their own puppet out of a sock or paper bag. Other craft supplies were provided for the participants—allowing them to use their imagination and create a unique puppet that they could take home. Creating such a lobby display, we hoped to provide patrons, and especially children, with an opportunity to use their imagination and create something special, as well as connect with the style of the production before seeing the show. The role of puppetry is crucial to this adaptation of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream—and we wanted to capture this and incorporate it whatever lobby display we chose. The actor’s hard work and rehearsal, as well as that of the production team, paid off—they did a marvelous job in telling the story of these loopy lovers and the adventures that take place in the magical forest. The puppetry skills and acting chops of the actors, the enchanting costumes, simple set design, and energy from the whole cast was thoroughly enjoyed by the very diverse and supportive audience. It was a packed house: if not sold out, very close. And this definitely contributed to the energetic feeling that pervaded the evening. Perhaps it was the presence of so many alumni from the Young Company that had come to support the production and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the formation of Young Company. Among the guests at the premier were Harold Oaks, founder of the BYU Young Company. Following the play, a presentation was made outlining and honoring the history and legacy of Young Company. Young Company has done an outstanding job for the last 40 years in providing quality theatre (adaptations and original works alike) for children that may not be exposed to the performing arts. A wonderful reception followed the presentation and was well enjoyed by cast and crew alike. A Midsummer Night’s Dream closes at BYU this Saturday, the 14th. Make sure to get your tickets soon and catch this unique production while you can! It will then go on tour throughout Northern Utah, presenting its whimsical and humorous message to elementary school children. Following are some images from the Opening Night Gala!

Puppets! Puppets! Puppets! (Part 1)

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