Puppetry: The Fun Parts

           A recent conversation with my college roommate Mike reminded me of something so simple and obvious that it is easily forgotten. I am one of the fortunate few. There are many out there more talented than I, or possibly more deserving, yet I am one of those rare lucky individuals who gets to do exactly what I want and get paid for it.
        I realize that when I have discussed my professional life in this forum and in other places it has often been with a sense of exasperation or bemusement. At times when dealing with the arts and entertainment industries you can too easily become cynical and bitter about the fact you appear to be living in some sort of Absurdist literature. There are weird hoops to jump through, strange business procedures that seem designed to prevent you from getting ahead, and people to cope with who seem downright otherworldly.

         Well this time I am not going to write about that at all. I shall not bemoan the fate I have chosen. There is to be no wailing and gnashing of teeth here. I will write about what I do and why I do it without cursing the gods or righteous indignation, no matter how funny I think I can make it. Without a single complaint  about aching muscles or the near impossibility of earning a living wage I want to discuss the Art of Puppetry and why after all this time I still get excited when I am asked to put on a show

Okay. One Joke...and only because I wrote it!

Q: What do you call someone who works in the arts who has no business acumen, personal charm, or discernible talent?
A: Executive Director!

Part One: Planning and Design
  Puppetry is really the art of problem solving at this stage. You figure out what you want to say and do and then try to figure out exactly how to make it happen. Does the character need to speak?  dance? fly?  Would this idea work best as a shadow show or mask work? What, in short are the specs? At this stage anything is possible. I love getting the most effect with  simple, elegant solutions. My Art-School explanation of puppetry was that it is a form of minimalism. You strip away all that is unnecessary  to get to the essence of what you want to say.

Life sized Monkey. Modified Bunraku style puppet. Work in progress

Part Two: The Build
If  I were to be forced to pick a favorite stage in the process this would have to be it. Often for me it blends almost seamlessly with the design and planning. I feel this is where I make most of my discoveries. It seems almost literally magical. With scissors and hot glue, sheets of foam, fabric and leather  transform into body parts which connect and become a whole new creature, waiting to come to life. I build with a method that I have, according to other puppeteers, invented that involves shaping and trimming the foam on the fly. It is a spontaneous,  organic method of working where the results can often surprise even  me !

Part Three: Rehearsal

Performing Dog. Based on a Sicilian marionette
  Built for my "Circus" show (currently on hiatus until I can find funding)
It took seven mop heads to make his coat!

If the Puppet comes to life during the building process, It develops a personality when you pick it up and manipulate it for the first time. The character traits I had attempted to portray solidify in this stage. Here is where my creation both literally and figuratively finds it's "voice". Once again this sounds like some sort of magic, but in reality, it is a form of play with a newly built toy.  Not only do I discover what I want this specific character to do or say, hopefully I find any flaws to my initial design and can modify them or find a work-around before facing an audience. If other people are involved in the show, this is usually where they are incorporated.  I find working with other performers changes my perspective and ordinarily enriches the experience.

  

Throg, A Troll. Muppet style Hand puppet.
This is possibly my most developed character.  

Part Four: Performance
To be honest, this is the aspect that first attracted me to puppetry. You would think that eventually the thrill of stepping onto the stage would wear off, but all these years later, it's still just as fun. For just a moment, my bizarre creation comes literally alive to someone else. It is the best kind of illusion. You can understand exactly how it works and still be taken in. I find myself a willing dupe of other puppeteers along with the rest of the audience. So long as they don't do anything to break the spell, in the moment I am eager to suspend disbelief and go right along with them. This seems to be a universal truth. Everyone but the very young understands that the puppet is in reality, a moving doll, yet most people will play along for as long as you are willing to engage them. Performing a puppet is a wonderfully liberating experience. Puppets are allowed to say or do practically anything. There is no typecasting and few taboos. I can be more outrageous, crankier, sillier or more whimsical than I could ever get away with offstage. With the right puppet and the right voice I can turn into a senile old woman, a disgruntled parrot, or a clueless martian. In that moment my identity can vanish, and be replaced by something of my own devising, only to come surging back whole and undamaged the instant I put the puppet down. Best of all, I get to make people laugh, to tell them stories, to maybe give them a moment of enchantment. The money is not and will never be more than a pleasant side effect. I get paid in applause! Tell me if you can think of any better way to make a living!