Course Catalog

Power of the Puppet in Performance

Lee Armstrong This theater/art based class will explore the power of the puppet, its diversity in world culture and its performance potential. It will include lecture, demonstration, video clips, discussion and “hands-on” puppetry. View rare footage and discuss the works of master puppeteers. Discover the uses of puppetry in teaching and therapy. Create a hand puppet or a moving mouth (Muppet-style) puppet. Develop puppet personalities and bring the character to life. Delve into story creation, staging and puppeteering techniques. Learn the basics of TV puppeteering. Put it all together in a final project in order to appreciate the puppet in performance. Note: Patterns for puppets are provided free, or participants may choose to order a kit at the 2nd class. Moving Mouth Puppet Kit: $30, Hand Puppet Kit $15. Puppets will be made in the 3rd class. Members will develop: 1. Skill to bring a puppet to life on stage and TV. 2. Basic knowledge of hand and mouth puppet construction 3. Familiarity with some of the great puppeteers and performances of our time. Lecture #1 Art of the Puppeteer & Hand Puppets An overview of the power and beauty of the puppet in performance, covering the work of major puppeteers ranging from the well-known, i.e. Jim Henson, Shari Lewis and Julie Taymor to less famous but influential masters, such as Bil Baird, Albrecht Roser, Henk Boewinkel, Philip Genty, Bruce Schwartz, etc. The history of the hand puppet in world culture. Demo: Basic puppet manipulation technique with objects and hand puppets. Use of props & staging. Hands On: Participants will use provided objects and hand puppets to practice basic puppet manipulation skills. Lecture #2 Moving Mouth Puppets & Developing Strong Characters The history of the moving mouth puppet (Muppet-style) in world culture. The effective use of hand puppets & moving mouth puppets in theater and as a tool in teaching, therapy, etc. The second part of the class will explore acting techniques for developing strong puppet characters. Demo: Mouth synchronization, characterization and character voices Hands-on: Participants will use their hand puppets and provided mouth puppets to explore character creation and voices. Participants will decide if, at next class, they want to construct a hand puppet, mouth & rod puppet, or be an observer. Material fee: $25 for a Mouth & Rod Puppet or $15 for a Hand Puppet. Or participant can observe and if desired, take patterns home (no materials fee as observers). Materials fee due at this time, if building a puppet. Lecture #3 Puppet Construction – Mouth & Rod or Hand Puppet Hands-On. Participants can make a mouth and rod puppet (Muppet-style) or Hand Puppet. Basic kits will be provided for assembling. No machine sewing required. Lecture #4 Character Development & Bringing a Story to Life Continuation of character development. Writing for the puppet stage. Utilizing the strengths of the puppet in the script. Demo: Simple story ideas for puppets. Use of a puppet stage, blocking, sharing the stage, armrods, etc. Hands-On: Participants will work solo or in small groups to create short vignettes with puppets, emphasizing character and plot. Lecture #5 TV Puppetry Demo: Basics of TV Puppetry. Use of Monitors (using the frame, sharing the frame, levels, tilt) Eye Focus, Breath, Mouth Synchronization, Walks, Armrods, etc. Hands-On: Participants will continue working solo or in small groups to rehearse their short vignettes with puppets, as a stage or TV piece. Lecture #6 Putting It All Together The class will view samples of contemporary puppet performance in theater, TV and film and discuss modern developments in puppet theater. Hands-On: Participants will continue rehearsing short vignettes, then have the option to perform these short pieces to the group, either as a stage or TV piece. Recommended Reading "Strings, Hands, Shadows: A Modern Puppet History" (DIAgram (Detroit Institute of Arts)) by John Bell, 2002. "Puppets and Puppet Theatre" by David Currell, 1999 Lee Armstrong, TV puppeteer, was hired by Jim Henson in 1982 to work on his Emmy award winning “Fraggle Rock.” She has met, or worked with, many of the puppeteers featured in the course material. Film credits include “Being John Malkovich” and “Monkeybone.” She is the recipient of two regional Emmys. For over 20 years, she has co-owned Images in Motion, which specializes in bringing art to life, from TV puppetry to 3D printing. She is active in the Bay Area puppetry community, and has lectured at several bay area OLLIs.

This class is not available at this time.

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