touring diary 9 last for the year

Here we go! After on and off touring during the year and the start in Bluff so long ago, the theater has arrived in Kaitaia, the end of this years 30 years anniversary tour. Feels great and the audiences are as responsiv as everwhere.

Ahipara school is ready to watch the show.

After the show the classes can walk through the back of the stage.

They have a close up look at the marionettes and can ask me questions.

Packing up and the show will travel south. One day in Whangarei and two days in greater Auckland and the tour is over. Thank you to all my audiences it was a great year and hope to see you again. Underneath the view from Ahipara towards Cape Reinga.

touring diary 8

Halfway up to Auckland having to get another tank full of Petrol. Great that I bought these magnetic stickers. Ordered six.....why? Surprise but one got stolen already. They are a great conversation starter too. People took photos of them and some are surprised that there is someone doing marionette shows in New Zealand.

Auckland, the land of busy motorways, unreal houseprices, a casino, beautiful beaches, extinged vulcanos and so much more. Here is a photo from Mt Eden. The central city at the back and all is half surrounded by water, just beautiful!!!!!

Shows are going very well and tomorrow am on my way to Kaitai, the last leg of my tour around New Zealand. It all started in the beginning of the year in Bluff, way way way down south. Having been to all provinces over the year was just great. Witnessing the changes due to the unreal expansion of dairying, the devastation of the Christchurch earthquakes, the decline of some small towns and the rocketing houseprices and migration to Auckland. My country changes in the fast lane. Hope we all can keep up with it. Cheers 

Let there be light - about my stagelights

Not that long ago in historic terms, electricity did not rate a mention. Nobody had a switch on the wall and if they had, nothing happened. The shows were done by candlelight or the old oillamps. Gas came later well and electricity is a recent arrival. Part of the stories about puppets coming alive, is in my opinion due to these live flames that flicker and move. Todays flicker is so short we do not notice it with the human eye. So what do I use to light up my stage? The shows I do tend to be in a darkened environment with my zoomspots ajusted on the stage.
For the last 25 plus years I used the selecon zoomspot 650. The company in those days was New Zealand owned and operated and is now part of Philips. They did and do a great service and are sturdy and reliable. Great choice all those years ago. Still going after all those years is without question a sign of great quality. And surving 25 plus years with a touring company is simply outstanding!

Here they are in the back of my Nissan Cefiro Stationwagon. They have seen the world and apart from the ocassional change of the light bulb and a broken cable, they are as good as they were on the first day. Yes scratches and marks are part of aging.

Here is an image of my standard setup during one of my shows on the Auckland/ Northland tour. The lights are on and the show starts. The beam is ajusted to a rectangle to fit the stage and not light up the surrroundings. Sometimes my marionettes should do a show by candlelight in a drafty tent. Just to hark back to the beginnings of our profession.

HOLD PRESS!!!! THESE ARE BRAND NEW FROM SELECON

 BASICALLY A REPLACEMENT AND THEY ARE SO MUCH MORE ADVANCED.

Just great light power and they use less energy. So happy with them! If they last as long as the first lot Iight actually be retired. :) Cheers and keep the lights on!

touring diary 7 and a few things of interest

Yes the year is coming to and end and in mid November the last leg of the year around New Zealand will happen. Auckland and Northland for three weeks. Pretty excited about it. In the mean time it was shows around Wellington. Maybe I should write more about it. But its being home for me, sort of not touring. Here we are packing again and being on the road in my Nissan station wagon. Yes same thing as in the beginning of the year. Though different scenery ... I'll keep you updated.

October 2015 will see a  puppet festival in Wellington!!!!!!!!

Preparations are on the way for next years touring programme. Apart from New Zealand over the year 2015 with Beauty and the Beast, there is a good chance for Europe!!!! So if you are interested that we visit your country and do some performances, let me know. :-)


Thanks for the email asking about purchasing a puppet. Yes that's possible. I can even create a whole set for your theatre. Just get in contact.

Marionette Gallery 20 - Dog and Rat

Yeah a dog and a Rat. They did their appearance in numerous shows. Sometimes it is great to use them as a sidekick and interaction to lighten things up. Both have, as you see, no legs. Makes it a bit tricky to operate as you sort of have to glide them over the stage floor. You certainly do not want them to 'fly'. The dog is the more audience friendly of the two as you can imagine. Small fluffy dogs seem to have a universal appeal to audiences around the world!

Marionette Gallery 19 - Part of Beauty and the Beast

Fresh of the press.... no not really. Fresh from the workshop.  This creature is the little helper of the Beast from the well know story Beauty and the Beast. It will start touring in 2015.  The first time I made an unpainted figure. The wood is half rotten and worm eaten totara, a native timber of New Zealand. You can notice that nicely looking at the hands. In essence it is a shoulder piece with the two hands attached by strings. The head is free floating and can move up and down as well as sideways by manipulating the control. The idea was to have something a little bit scary. No reason to freak out your audience. This figure moves just brilliantly and expressively. It will be a real joy to work with. You might say it is just an elaborate 3 string marionette and you would be right. Why not try your own. Enjoy the process and the handling of such creatures. Cheers  Norbert

Puppet Collection 3 Turkey

                                                                             

Way back during the big Festival in India I met Hayali Torun Celebi the master shadow puppeteer from Turkey. We got on very well and he agreed to sell me the beautifully crafted puppets and story board. Coloured leather, they are a pleasure to look at and handle. There is so much one could write about shadow puppets and its history in these parts of the world. More than 300 years is a lot of history and under puppetry and politics there could be a lot to be said to. Karagoz and his friend did not hold back in comments to current developments. I wonder what they would have to say to the conflicts in the area in 2014. But here its just an introduction to maybe starting your own collection. Puppets of all shapes and kinds are an interesting part of world history.