Post #2: How does puppetry work in this play?
I approach puppet design as a series of questions:
- WHY PUPPETS?!
(For real. This is the most crucial question of all. Is it a purely practical consideration -- “my stage is three feet square” “my actors can’t fly” -- or are you trying to _say_ something aesthetically by using puppets instead of actors?)
- How realistic or abstract is this show as a whole?
- is the show “about the puppetry” or is the puppetry “about the show?”
I.e., should the audience’s attention be primarily focused on interpreting the design language as an end in itself? Or is the primary purpose of the puppetry simply to tell a story, with Meta questions about the nature of the medium itself more sublty integrated into the design?
*** Those are the big questions. And now on to practicalities:
- What scale are we working in, and why? How will their performance area be defined?
- How many puppeteers will operate each puppet?
- Do the puppeteers have as long as they like to pick the puppet up and prepare to perform, or are transitions into and out of the puppet character relatively quick?
- Are we working with practiced puppeteers, or performers who are relatively new to this medium?
And the answers, for Serendib:
- WHY PUPPETS?!
Utilitarian reasons: We want to stay true to scale, and the Toque Macaque monkeys are relatively small, delicate animals, with females approximately the size of a large housecat and the males about 30% larger. Their movement is very different from that of humans.
Some aesthetic / conceptual reasons: one of the central questions in Serendib concerns how we humans see and understand ourselves. Performing the monkeys as puppets allows us to visually develop the interplay between observation and projection.
- How realistic or abstract is this show as a whole?
Fairly naturalistic, sprinkled through with magic realism. The monkeys should look very appealing and very “special” with movement as realistic as is possible.
- Is the show “about the puppetry” or is the puppetry “about the show?”
The puppetry is about the show. The look of the puppets shouldn’t be distracting or incongruous to the set, lighting, and costumes. The design be internally consistent.
- What scale are we working in, and why? How will their performance area be defined? In “close-up,” the monkeys will be true to scale. They will be played on a selection of surfaces throughout the space, elevated above the floor. For “long-shots” of action at a distance, we will flip the perspective 90 degrees, and use a far wall of the stage as a “floor.” The Mini Wayang puppets traverse this vertical space in bird’s eye view.
- How many puppeteers will operate each puppet?
One. An interesting challenge.
- Do the puppeteers have as long as they like to pick the puppet up and prepare to perform, or are transitions into and out of the puppet character relatively quick?
Mostly quick transitions, both onstage and off. Some scenes with performers playing a monkey and a scientist at the same time.
- Are we working with practiced puppeteers, or performers who are relatively new to this medium?
Mainly actors, with good movement chops. I’ll be doing a Puppetry 101 Training during the first week of rehearsal.
The Design Process
Sunday, January 28, 2007
