Since I have started this blog (which was 8 days ago with a solo entry) I have received an amazing amount of encouragement and support, along with intriguing questions. The popular questions include where will I learn, what is my prior experience, etc, etc. However, one person asked the most obvious and important question:
Do I want to make puppets or perform with them? The answer is and most certainly has to be..."both, of course."
Creating puppets deeply satisfies my inherent tendency to draw, paint, and/or sculpt humans. When I sculpted those heads two weeks ago, I felt that my long-lasting affair with color and indulgent self-portraits had some greater purpose. I have never truly had the desire to depict landscapes or still life objects. When I do, I like painting crude symbolism in the background of a human subject or some bold, Fauvist landscape that would make a great background in a the Ballet Russe. That would also create a good stage in puppet theater.
I also have an unrequited love affair with modern dance. I fell in love with modern dance choreography while working at 171 Cedar Arts Center in 1999 (then under the artistic direction of the fabulous, Lois Welk, who also introduced me to the most amazing puppet show ever, The Star Keeper), coupled with very amateur studies in dance and dance history at SUNY Brockport. I'm an untrained dancer, but the aliveness I feel in my body when I move is captured oh so terrifically when manipulating puppets (especially bunraku, rod or shadow puppets).
While I admit that theater and theater people are incredibly annoying to me sometimes, I think some of that stems from the fact that I always lacked confidence and was too shy to engage in any form of it. In 6th grade, I timidly tried out and then immediately volunteered to be the lead makeup artist. Painting faces, painting puppets...same thing right? So in some ways, I get to act through a puppet and how cool is that!
I am not a musician and definitely not a singer, but I am an excellent collaborator and have a knack for sound sampling and sound effects. Any musicians out there want to collaborate with me someday?
Lastly, my favorite past time was reading General Hospital scripts out loud with my Aunt Jane in the "When I grow up I wan to be a soap opera star" nightgown she gave me when I was in elementary school. I was reminded this evening that I love reading scripts, and how powerful children's stories can be. Even bad children's stories can be outstanding if illustrated properly...and if they have any deeper message...power to the people! So for tonight's studio time, I opted to put the "creating" aside and do some research and reading on scripts. I decided I would pick a story or script and create from there over the next few months. The best part is...I can pull in some wonderful friends (I'm looking to you, Claudia B. and Susan L.) to create and perform this with me...just for the heck of it. It's good practice and great fun!
Stay tuned for some thumbnail sketches and developments. I found a cool puppet script that is free called Sasha and the Pearl tonight. Shortly after I read it, I started reading it out loud and drew some inspiration from some of my friend's unique and charming voices. Jen B., I stole your voice as Sasha. I also became visually inspired thinking about all the mixed media I could use. I thought a lot about how I could use light and perhaps image overlays with perhaps an LCD projector. It may call for a mix of rod and shadow puppetry, and lots of fun Fauvist paintings on cardboard boxes.
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