Tag Archives: art

Is it enough to make a pretty puppet?

Posted on by Collette Knowles
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Huge amounts of stuff have been happening this week.

Among other things, I have been preparing for my primary school workshop at the Bay Primary in Bridlington.

This largely involved cutting circles out of plastic bags, (both good for the environment and cheap for the school).  I have been doing prototypes as well, to check that what the kids will be doing works.

I’ll be working with two classes of Year 1s and they’ll be making a puppet each to the theme of “Lost in the Toy Museum”.  Half will make hand and the other string, but everyone will learn to make both.

In order to make it value for money for the school and to fit as much in as possible, the emphasis is going to be on learning about puppets and how to use them and how they differ from toys, (amongst other things).  The making part will be relatively simple.

I’ve often felt when doing puppet making workshops that while the children have made excellent puppets, that there was no time for them to learn how to use them properly.  It has seemed like it was just a fun activity for them to do with no thought about what happens to the puppet once you’ve made it.

I remember when I was a Brownie, our well meaning Brownie leaders thought that drawing a face on a paper bag, (for a hand puppet) was a good activity for us to do.  But I don’t think a single thought was given to whether or how we would use these puppets to act a story.  I doubt any of them was used to perform with at all.

The point of a puppet is to perform and make theatre.  If a puppet does not get used in this way, it is just a toy, or even a sad useless decoration that hangs on the wall.  I don’t have a problem with decorations or toys but I do not think a puppet is ever truly a puppet unless it is used to put on a show of some kind.

One of the major differences between a puppet and an actor is that an actor will always be themself.  They may be themself dressed differently and acting a character, but they are “acting” and they go back to being themselves afterwards.

A puppet IS the character, it doesn’t take off it’s wig and make-up after the show and then go off for a cup of tea.  It does not have any purpose or life outside of the show.  This may seem sad, but actually it means that puppets are better at totally being the character than a human actor.  They can do things that are physically impossible for a human to do.  They can look like humans cannot too, even with the very best costume or make-up.  Imagine a person trying to do what a dissecting skeleton marionette does.  However thin, a person could never “be” a skeleton that moves, they could just try to look like one.

For this reason, although it is nice to give children complete imaginative free rein, I shall be teaching them to think about what the character of the puppet will be before they fully create its appearance.  In my experience, children left to themselves will often be extremely dull and unimaginative and all copy each others ideas.  If you narrow the options available this can actually increase the creativity of the result.

Consider, who would use their imagination to create a puppet out of rubbish if other “nice” materials are available?  Being creatively selective is what puppet making is all about.  Out of all these things, what looks like an eye?  Narrow it down further; I’ve decided to make an evil character, so I won’t pick something that looks like a cute or friendly eye, but something that could look angry, sinister or supernatural.  Then you have to consider how you want the puppet to move.  If you want a character to move with sharp spiky movements, you might not use a light floaty costume.

So, you can see how, if you wish to make a puppet for performance, you have to think first, then make, then perform.  If you just make and perform, the puppet might not be able to do all the things your story requires.  Just making is a fun educational exercise, but what is it teaching them to do?  To make something that is largely useless and will be quickly abandoned and forgotten.  To make a puppet for performance and to perform a show will be giving a child confidence and pride in their achievements and often brings shy children out of themselves, as it is not them, but the puppet who speaks.  And of course to perform is a puppet’s function, a puppet performing fulfils its reason to be.  Why bother otherwise?

A trip to the Victoria & Albert Museum….!

Posted on by Collette Knowles
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I was recently fortunate enough to be invited to audition with “Oily Cart” for their new production “Ring-a-ding-ding“.  This necessitated me once again trying to find the cheapest way of getting to London and back.  I eventually settled on a drive to Skipton, a megabus to London and a train back to Skipton departing at eightish in the evening.

The huge time gap between the end of the audition and the return train filled me with glee, as this gave me an excuse to visit that fantastic storehouse of wonders: The Victoria & Albert Museum!

I naturally was planning on taking a look at the puppets in the theatre section.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get round to seeing the museum of childhood section but there were plenty of other things on display in any case.

I knew the Little Angel would have some puppets on display, as they had been getting them out of storage when I visited for my Goldilocks audition with them.

After tearing myself away with difficulty from the other collections in the museum, I eventually located the theatre section.  Sure enough, Little Angel’s puppets were there, beautifully displayed in a fantastically carved reclaimed theatre box.

There are far more puppets in the V & A’s collections than are on display at any given time.  There is also a wide variety of educational source material, take a look at the website, where you can find more information on all of the things I’ve taken photos of here.

For those who are confused about what relevance the pictures of the refreshment rooms may have.  I have a personal interest in William Morris and his contemporaries because his links with the Pre-Raphaelite movement.  I did extensive research into this area for my A-level art and design personal project.  I find his wallpaper, tile and stained glass design work intensely satisfying to look at and the philosophy behind it admirable.  Although he has been appropriated in the modern day by the bourgeoisie, at the time his ideas were very radical and involved the ordinary worker regaining dignity and satisfaction from the things he made rather than being just another cog in the wheel of the factory system.

I also think it is important as a theatre maker to have a wide ranging interest in different areas and art forms.  I am very keen on cross collaboration and while specialising in one thing alone can result in high technical prowess, it can be a limited and limiting approach.  I am all for diversity and creativity, hence my attending the Decibel Performing Arts Showcase in Manchester recently.  I shall tell you about that in another post.

For similar reasons I have included pictures of masks.  There is a lot to be said for using a combination of masks and puppetry, as seen in the Lion King Musical stage show and the work of Horse + Bamboo, to mention a couple.  It could be said that a puppet is like a full body mask into which the performer projects their energy, but also uses it as a disguise to hide behind.

I have recently heard from enthusiasts in the Toy Theatre world, that Toy Theatre practitioners hate puppets; who are the enemy because they are more dynamic and accessible and get more attention as a result.  Similarly I have heard hard-line puppeteers decrying the use of puppets by actors in a “storytelling” capacity.  My personal view is that producing great theatre that entertains people is the most important thing, and that any techniques or materials you might use should serve that aim.  That is a mistake that a lot of modern films make.  They get carried away with the technique of the special effects and forget about telling the story well.

Speaking of Toy Theatre, some of you may be wondering about what has happened to the other half of my Toy Theatre adventures in Blackpool.  I was aware that I hadn’t posted anything for a while and thought I would get this one out quickly while I work on finishing the Blackpool post, so eyes peeled for that coming soon!

I am also aware, that I am in the main, woefully ignorant of the history of a lot of the puppets etc. that I have photographed above.  I am also aware that I am getting very few comments on my blog, so please, please!  If you have any extra information on the things in this post please do contribute.  Equally, if you have an opinion on any of the things I’ve mentioned please say!  I would love to have a discussion with you!  Just click on the post title and a comment box and “sharing” options will appear at the bottom.