I had planned to make a blog entry by Monday of each week and this week I would have pictures of how to make a puppet from a stuffed toy. The making wasn’t the problem; the cold (and taking and uploading the pictures) was.
So I figured I could write about my most favorite puppetry incident: the arrival of Mr. Coconut. And then I’ll give you some pretty easy homework which will not be graded but will last your lifetime as a puppeteer. Isn’t that great? Of course it is.
This happened nearly forty years ago and has stayed with me, fresh and evergreen, through all these years. Naturally, it involved my husband and fresh produce; how could I forget?
I was a young wife, married maybe a year, maybe two, and my husband was just back from the army. I went grocery shopping and he asked to go along. As I remember, it was a bright and sunny day in Chicago and a wonderful day to walk to the Krogers.
As we were in the produce section (and I was on my mettle, surrounded by all those older, more experienced shoppers), I was paying lots of attention to my list and the produce and very little to my hubby. Bad idea. Because the next thing I knew, he walked up to the shopping cart with a hairy oval fruit, wiggled his hand and said in falsetto, “Hi! I’m Mr. Coconut!”
He was grinning. Primly, I said, “Put that back or put it in the cart.” I hope that somewhere in there, I laughed. Probably, I didn’t. I took myself very seriously in those days.
Cut to thirty or forty years later when I’m becoming a puppeteer. Finally, I can be not-quite-so-serious about myself and my work which now includes puppets. As I work on technique, working to make my puppets live, I remember that day in the grocery store.
My husband had just walked up to a piece of fruit, noticed its potential, and connected with it instinctively. He gave it a voice and a personality and words to say. He was --- at that moment in time --- an expert puppeteer.
O.K. So he’s a goof. That helps. And he was accepted into the first class of Ringling Bros. Clown College. That helps, too. (He didn’t go, but that’s another story.) How could I get that spontaneous connection?
Practice. And a little imagination.
And here comes your homework. No, you needn’t go to the grocery and be a goof in the produce isle. That’s already been done by my dear hubby. But you might go to your fridge and look in the crisper. What would that zucchini’s or pear’s voice sound like?
Go to your closet and take a look inside. What would your cotton blouse vs. your silk blouse sound like? Would one be prim and the other sultry? And if so, which one?
Do you sew or have a box full of cloth scraps somewhere? What would that leopard skin print sound like? Would a hot pink scrap sound like a little kid chewing gum, a teenager from the 50s, or a southern belle? See what I mean?
Now, try saying some of those voices out loud. Record them, if you like, just to hear what your voice is doing with this challenge. If it doesn’t sound as you would like, try variations and record them, too.
As you go through your house, give voice to some of the objects there. But don’t rush; you have a lifetime to do this, young puppeteer! That’s your homework for the rest of your life: to imagine the spirits (if you will) of various objects and to make some of them come to life. That’s what puppeteers do and you can, too. Just think of Mr. Coconut!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
What's Next, Doomed Beginner?
First, if you've just come to this blog, scroll down and begin at the beginning. I've decided to divide post #1 into three parts so that if you start hyperventilating somewhere, you can stop and come back later. New things, like performing in public, are difficult. Be gentle with yourself.
In the last post, I talked about what to do if you'd like to give puppets a first try. Just do your usual story time, but add in a little friend. This friend can be called any name you like (I chose Little Earwig; see my P.S. about Little Oatmeal). You can have one little friend who comes along regularly to story times; or you can change your little friend to match your story. Last post had The Three Little Pigs, so you could use a pig puppet if you have one. If you don't, use what's at hand or bring a stuffed animal from home.
What?! You don't have any stuffed animals? That's just fine. Ask around. We'll be covering simple puppets in the days to come, so hang on. You may wind up with a Little Pig sooner or later!
The point is, you don't have to do anything. The puppet does all the work without saying or doing anything. No words to remember; no costume or scenery changes; no heavy lifting. Easy-Peasy, as they say!
Yeah, right.
No, seriously. My assumption with the last post was that, for whatever reason, you wanted to try a puppet as an experiment. Like most adults, you have preconceived notions about what puppets are all about and that puts you off. You get up in front of kids every week and tell stories and that's just fine. Somehow, when you add puppets, its another thing and it's scary.
Please remember this: the kids don't care. They don't. There is a magic to puppets and the children are willing to play along. They don't care. They will invent moving mouths where there are none. They will say that puppets fly when they never left the ground. And they will assure you that Little Earwig was smiling at them and enjoying the story right along with the audience when Little Earwig didn't even move past the intro. It's called imagination. You know; that thing we're supposed to be encouraging. Later on, when we are more grown-up, we call it the willing suspension of disbelief and it makes the theater and novels work quite well.
So what's next, Doomed Beginner?
Nothing special. Just keep on inviting Little Earwig back to story times and get comfortable. You never have to go past this phase. Seriously. A puppet friend at story time never has to do anything, just be there. You can interact with your friend. You can nod in agreement with each other; look surprised or even frightened together. Whatever you want to move the story along. And your little friend never, ever needs to say anything. Pantomime on a very basic scale is enough. Or not at all. But I think you will find as time goes by that it's easier and easier to interact with your friend and it gets the children involved in the story. And if Little Earwig ever does say something, you'll have quite a reaction to work with.
Here are some things to consider when starting with your puppet friend:
1. Make your trial time finite. That way, if you really don't want to continue with puppets, you can legitimately say that you gave it a fair trial. Make it no more than a month, I'd say, for that initial trial time, and six weeks at the most. Use me as a reference if this is being imposed from someone or somewhere else.
2. Make some decisions in advance. Do you have a puppet or a stuffed animal? If not, and this trial period is being imposed from someone else, will they spring for a puppet for you to use? If not, that weakens their position somewhat, I'd say. But you never know with management.
Decide if you want to have a single puppet friend or change puppets with each story. Who knows what will work for you? But make a decision and stick with it. Remember, it's only a trial period. You're gathering information about this.
3. Journal about your experience or at least make some notes. Remember you are working with puppets and they are strange, wonderful, magical creatures. All kinds of ideas might spring up, so write them down. Who knows what you will find?
4. Keep it simple and easy on yourself. There are a gazillion ways to approach puppets, I have found. You don't have to do them all at once. Relax and enjoy the show. Hey! It's puppets, remember? And bless you on your voyage.
In the last post, I talked about what to do if you'd like to give puppets a first try. Just do your usual story time, but add in a little friend. This friend can be called any name you like (I chose Little Earwig; see my P.S. about Little Oatmeal). You can have one little friend who comes along regularly to story times; or you can change your little friend to match your story. Last post had The Three Little Pigs, so you could use a pig puppet if you have one. If you don't, use what's at hand or bring a stuffed animal from home.
What?! You don't have any stuffed animals? That's just fine. Ask around. We'll be covering simple puppets in the days to come, so hang on. You may wind up with a Little Pig sooner or later!
The point is, you don't have to do anything. The puppet does all the work without saying or doing anything. No words to remember; no costume or scenery changes; no heavy lifting. Easy-Peasy, as they say!
Yeah, right.
No, seriously. My assumption with the last post was that, for whatever reason, you wanted to try a puppet as an experiment. Like most adults, you have preconceived notions about what puppets are all about and that puts you off. You get up in front of kids every week and tell stories and that's just fine. Somehow, when you add puppets, its another thing and it's scary.
Please remember this: the kids don't care. They don't. There is a magic to puppets and the children are willing to play along. They don't care. They will invent moving mouths where there are none. They will say that puppets fly when they never left the ground. And they will assure you that Little Earwig was smiling at them and enjoying the story right along with the audience when Little Earwig didn't even move past the intro. It's called imagination. You know; that thing we're supposed to be encouraging. Later on, when we are more grown-up, we call it the willing suspension of disbelief and it makes the theater and novels work quite well.
So what's next, Doomed Beginner?
Nothing special. Just keep on inviting Little Earwig back to story times and get comfortable. You never have to go past this phase. Seriously. A puppet friend at story time never has to do anything, just be there. You can interact with your friend. You can nod in agreement with each other; look surprised or even frightened together. Whatever you want to move the story along. And your little friend never, ever needs to say anything. Pantomime on a very basic scale is enough. Or not at all. But I think you will find as time goes by that it's easier and easier to interact with your friend and it gets the children involved in the story. And if Little Earwig ever does say something, you'll have quite a reaction to work with.
Here are some things to consider when starting with your puppet friend:
1. Make your trial time finite. That way, if you really don't want to continue with puppets, you can legitimately say that you gave it a fair trial. Make it no more than a month, I'd say, for that initial trial time, and six weeks at the most. Use me as a reference if this is being imposed from someone or somewhere else.
2. Make some decisions in advance. Do you have a puppet or a stuffed animal? If not, and this trial period is being imposed from someone else, will they spring for a puppet for you to use? If not, that weakens their position somewhat, I'd say. But you never know with management.
Decide if you want to have a single puppet friend or change puppets with each story. Who knows what will work for you? But make a decision and stick with it. Remember, it's only a trial period. You're gathering information about this.
3. Journal about your experience or at least make some notes. Remember you are working with puppets and they are strange, wonderful, magical creatures. All kinds of ideas might spring up, so write them down. Who knows what you will find?
4. Keep it simple and easy on yourself. There are a gazillion ways to approach puppets, I have found. You don't have to do them all at once. Relax and enjoy the show. Hey! It's puppets, remember? And bless you on your voyage.
Puppets for the Innocent, the Traumatized, and the Doomed!
Don't do what I did, unless you're a glutton for punishment or have no idea what you're doing or are a certified (and certifiable) goof! No, I didn't try to put on a three-act version of Beauty and the Beast complete with transformations, smoke and fire, etc. But I did jump right into puppet plays. If that is what you'd like to do, fine. Just don't do what I did: grab some puppets, have no rehearsal, and jump right in. Hey! I know the story; how hard could it be?
Thankfully, kids aren't adults, aren't cynics, don't pick everything apart, and --- generally --- love puppets. If you don't believe me, and haven't used puppets, put a puppet on your hand (or a stuffed animal or doll on your lap) and sit in front of a bunch of kids. Hold up the puppet and notice how the eyes of the children go directly to the puppet or toy. And most, if not all, are smiling in anticipation.
This is where beginning puppeteers --- librarians, teachers, Sunday school teachers, moms, etc. --- freak out. What do I do next????!!!!?!?!?!?!
1. Take a deep breath. Take a couple. Gather yourself together.
2. Remember: they're smaller than you are. So are bugs and frogs. Don't think about that too much.
3. Introduce your little friend. Smile at the audience and say, "This is my friend, Little Earwig." Turn to Little Earwig and smile. "Wave 'Hello', Little Earwig!" Wave Little Earwig's arm or nod his/her/it's head at the children. "Little Earwig is here to listen to today's story, The Three Little Pigs." Little Earwig nods his/her/it's head, waves an arm, or signals 'yes' in some way. Then, you launch into your story.
You can hold Little Earwig in your lap and pretend he/she/it's not there. If you are brave, you can occasionally look at Little Earwig during the story. If you are insanely, outrageously daring, you can actually appear to have an interaction with Little Earwig as the story progresses. But it's not necessary; the kids will be thrilled just the same.
Little Earwig is a hit and you didn't do anything but say hello and tell your usual story!
P.S.: One of our local professional puppeteers has a puppet named "Little Oatmeal!" So is "Little Earwig" so outrageous? Absolutely not, if that's what it takes to get you started. So there.
Thankfully, kids aren't adults, aren't cynics, don't pick everything apart, and --- generally --- love puppets. If you don't believe me, and haven't used puppets, put a puppet on your hand (or a stuffed animal or doll on your lap) and sit in front of a bunch of kids. Hold up the puppet and notice how the eyes of the children go directly to the puppet or toy. And most, if not all, are smiling in anticipation.
This is where beginning puppeteers --- librarians, teachers, Sunday school teachers, moms, etc. --- freak out. What do I do next????!!!!?!?!?!?!
1. Take a deep breath. Take a couple. Gather yourself together.
2. Remember: they're smaller than you are. So are bugs and frogs. Don't think about that too much.
3. Introduce your little friend. Smile at the audience and say, "This is my friend, Little Earwig." Turn to Little Earwig and smile. "Wave 'Hello', Little Earwig!" Wave Little Earwig's arm or nod his/her/it's head at the children. "Little Earwig is here to listen to today's story, The Three Little Pigs." Little Earwig nods his/her/it's head, waves an arm, or signals 'yes' in some way. Then, you launch into your story.
You can hold Little Earwig in your lap and pretend he/she/it's not there. If you are brave, you can occasionally look at Little Earwig during the story. If you are insanely, outrageously daring, you can actually appear to have an interaction with Little Earwig as the story progresses. But it's not necessary; the kids will be thrilled just the same.
Little Earwig is a hit and you didn't do anything but say hello and tell your usual story!
P.S.: One of our local professional puppeteers has a puppet named "Little Oatmeal!" So is "Little Earwig" so outrageous? Absolutely not, if that's what it takes to get you started. So there.
Introduction
Hi, there. My name is Carol Exner and I am a retired librarian-puppeteer. I love using puppets in the library, at story times, special performances, and just about any time or place I can think of for using puppets.
But it wasn't always that way. I followed a noted puppeteer in my job at a branch library, so I felt intimidated by her notable skills and artistic abilities. Worse, the first time I used puppets in a performance was at my job interview! Horrors!! Traumatized, I hid from puppets for the next year and a half or so.
Thanks to my predecessor, I had a closet full of great puppets she had bought or made. There was a little theater --- made for kids, really --- and oceans of good will. What I lacked was experience, nerve, and a way forward.
That changed over the following months, so much so that in my seventh year on the job I took a sabbatical to write a book about my knowledge of puppets. I was at a crossroads, I felt, and the best way for me to proceed was to write down everything I knew and go from there. Maybe in the writing, a way forward would be shown to me.
What I'd like to share with you in the days to come is some of what I learned. If you want to learn about puppets or learn more about them, this is a good place to start.
But it wasn't always that way. I followed a noted puppeteer in my job at a branch library, so I felt intimidated by her notable skills and artistic abilities. Worse, the first time I used puppets in a performance was at my job interview! Horrors!! Traumatized, I hid from puppets for the next year and a half or so.
Thanks to my predecessor, I had a closet full of great puppets she had bought or made. There was a little theater --- made for kids, really --- and oceans of good will. What I lacked was experience, nerve, and a way forward.
That changed over the following months, so much so that in my seventh year on the job I took a sabbatical to write a book about my knowledge of puppets. I was at a crossroads, I felt, and the best way for me to proceed was to write down everything I knew and go from there. Maybe in the writing, a way forward would be shown to me.
What I'd like to share with you in the days to come is some of what I learned. If you want to learn about puppets or learn more about them, this is a good place to start.
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