Marionette Gallery 17 - The trouble with women

Yes for me carving and creating women marionettes is not easy. Man, well you just churn them out and everybody will appreciate the character. With women characters you just have to get it right. Let me show you some of the early versions and the struggle it took for me to get to a nice, not over the top, convincing female character. After all these years I assume with my latest production to be finished, Beauty and the Beast it is about right. You will have seen them in other blog entries.

This curly black haired beauty was one of the first ones ever to see the light of day. You will be able to see from where the strings are attached, she could sway her hips. Nice little effect when she comes on stage. Though not a sustainable character for a show I thought. To over the top and a few technical hitches.

Here is a female character I created for -Fading memories-. With the apron, the idea was the housewife of the 30s, to fit into the script. Ponytailed and bright eyed, made for the show and I would have to think where else I could place her for another stage experience.

The resolute grandmother worked well. Maybe just another memory of my childhood appearing during the process of creation. She had parts in a variety of shows, Russian? Not really, all women wore head scarfs in my childhood, yes things change though she looks quintessential grandmother to me. For today a gray haired pair of cyclists might be appropriate? For each character it is hard to come up with a strong personality, convincing looks not to much over the top and not to flat. Believe me there were a lot that ended up heating the house.

Marionette Gallery 16 - The veteran in a wheelchair

War is a messy business. The heroes are dead and the survivors continue with mental and physical scars that come home with them. Growing up in the 50s there were enough WW2 veterans you could see in the streets. In wheelchairs like my grandfather, not the fast zippy hightech ones of today, but cumbersome vehicles of wood and steel. The old prosthesis and crutches left a legacy with me. Years later this figure emerged. Covered with the old blankets one hand missing and half the face gone. Or is it only a symbol for the inner pain? The fingers make the victory sign, still alive and wont give up.
Technically it is a rod marionette and it can be wheeled at enormous speed across the stage. As the wheels turn the hands go back and forth it conjures up a multitude of emotions in the audience. He was part of Fading Memories, a show of forgetting and not forgetting. Though wanted to put him in some standard role so he gets more acting time for himself.

Marionette Gallery 15 - Early creations

These two figures are some of the early creations of mine. My carving skills were very much in the beginning of their development and I started with a wood turned head form. That three dimensional shape got modified by adding the nose and carving into it. Looking at it now, the hands look rather crude though with a certain charm on their own.

puppetry and politics

YES it is election year in New Zealand and this September the country can decide the future course of our beloved islands. Thought it is therefore very appropriate to weave it into my blog.

For a lot of people there are only questions marks having those two p words together. Though there is a long history of this partnership. It is not only and all about entertaining when it comes to puppets, there can be clear political messages too. Early on Puppeteers travelled from town to town and were the bringer of news, in times when newspapers did not exist, not to mention radio, tv, phone or internet. Reading up on the history of our profession there are many instances that puppeteers were thrown out of town for political engagement. During the second world war puppeteers were used to entertain troops with clear political guidelines of what to perform, at least on the German side. I have a number of scripts from those days that make your hair stand on end.

Does it exist today you may ask, certainly it does. I was drawn to it by an article in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung on humour in Syria where it mentioned Masasitmati. Curious about it, you tube gave me the answer with some very exciting clips. Hand puppets as a caricature of political actors with funny dialogues. Half will have past me by not knowing the political situation there to any deep extend. Though there it was political theatre with puppets no doubt hilarious for an insider.

Today the Bread and Puppet Theatre in the USA is widely known for using the art to spread a political message. Peter Schumann, its founder, had a clear vision and saw the poverty and  abuse of power and what and exciting medium to get the message across. Check the internet there are numerous entries and you tube clips, its very interesting

Here in New Zealand it was Red Mole who used theatre, puppetry, masks and performing arts to great effect. They toured New Zealand extensively and worked in New York. Sadly Sally Rodwell and Alan Brunton are not among us any more but their legacy lives on with all the people that worked with them over the years.

Spitting Image is a British satirical puppet show of the 80s and 90s. It won Bafta and Emmy awards and I still remember scenes from those days about Thatcher and Ronald Regan. It found many copycats around the world, among them one here in New Zealand. 

CLIPS FROM ALL THESE ARE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AND YOU TUBE.

PLEASE EXPLORE!!!!! and create your own show, the world needs it!

Marionette gallery 14 - The seven dwarfs

The seven Dwarfs from the famous Brothers Grimm fairy tale of Snow White. It is part of world heritage and Walt Disney promoted it to his profit very well. For me the dwarfs were never the cute little figures created in the USA. Before I carved them in wood in 1999 I reflected on them and their life. Digging for gold and diamonds is no walk in the park. Accidents do happen and leave their marks on the body of the little miners. They are also not that jolly either. So some have an eye missing crippled fingers or other mishaps.

The next problem was how to get them on to the stage. The solution, a controlle that can have them appear as 'one' or in a group of three or two groups of two. This gave a lot of combination and action possibilities. As a choreographed appearance they created a lot of laughs. When they moved together, one for all and all for one, forward backward or in circles it was hilarious.  There needed to be a more articulated figure as well. So the leader dwarf was created as a solo marionette

Here he is the leader of the pack. With his big solid hands that can swing the pick and shovel with ease. He could interact on stage as an individual and after leaving the stage could return with all his mates.

the presence of the past, before the internet got BIG, 1990 and 1994

Reorganising my house shifting and changing, it is amazing what comes to the fore. From times before the internet was around and yes there were festivals too. And yes if its not on the net some might think it did/does not exist.
1990 might seem long ago. Strings Attached was one of the invited performers at the 150 years Treaty of Waitangi Celebrations. We performed Mustava and the Moon in the Waitangi visitors centre at 2.30 and 5 pm. Those were certainly memorable days, with the Bay full of large sailing shops and a large fleet of Wakas. A bit like a time warp of 150 year earlier. 

The same year, the show travelled to a huge Puppet Festival in India.

It was a dream representing New Zealand there. With practitioners from around the world, truly international. Africa and the Americas, Europe and Asia, Australia yes and Aotearoa, New Zealand. The show ranged from the traditional, like the Vietnamese Waterpuppets, to Massimo Schuster from France who presented an avant garde show that incorporated figures created from a Meccano set.

1994 was another exciting year with a festival tour around Europe. Performing YES, a table top production with the main figure digging itself out of a sandhill. The highlight, certainly being part of the main programme in Charleville-Mezieres that year. The show was very well received at each festival. Returning home to Wellington that year with a very different feel of internationality.

pictures of an exhibition

Looks like a great exhibition at the Orewa Estuary Arts Centre. Speaking for myself, I do enjoy the way they displayed my marionettes.  According to Kim the Director the opening went well and there is a good stream of visitors. They also organised a very nice programme alongside.