The Puppet Theatre

Jodie and I took a trip to the puppet theatre last week to try get some primary research for our project and get insight into how they are made. We went there with the intention of just taking a few photos and organising a date to talk to someone in more depth about puppets, but when we got there it was so much more informative than we could have hoped. One of only 3 puppet theatres in the UK we were lucky enough to be given a tour of the modelling workshops and theatre (where there was performance workshop happening) and got to talk to Zara Goodfellow who is part of the creative learning team at the theatre, about the different methods of making and moving puppets. What I didn't realise is that an easier method of making marionettes is to use rods instead of strings as the strings can be easily tangled. A wire armature with hinges and two rods - like the wolf puppet below - is a very simple and lightweight structure that we could add textures and fabric on to. The wolf puppet looks so realistic and I think thats because the performer has more control with rods as they are easier to move. Zara told us about a book by David Currell 'Puppets and Puppet Theatre' which has diagrams and instructions on how to making marionettes including how to work them. She is also going to connect us with Tin House productions, who specialise in making outdoor, large scale sets and puppets. Tin House were responsible for the elephants at the Lord Mayors procession this year in Norwich. After going to the Puppet Theatre, I am intrigued about the relationship between the performer, the puppet and the audience. The puppet and the puppeteer have a relationship - one cannot exist without the other. The puppeteer has to 'perform' the puppet in order to make it realistic, and it is a performance in itself however, for the most part the audience almost forgets about the puppeteer and focuses solely on the puppet. I love this dynamic and I think it would be interesting to create some kind of narrative between the puppet, puppeteer and the viewer.