Puppetry : a reader in theatre practice / Penny Francis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Francis, Penny.

Series:

Readers in theatre practices

Readers in theatre practices.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Puppet theater.

Puppet plays.

Physical Description:

xv, 192 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.

Summary:

In this sophisticated and compelling introduction to puppet theatre, Penny Francis offers engaging contemporary perspectives on this theatre craft. She provides an account of puppetry's different facets, from its demands and techniques, through its uses and abuses, to its history and philosophy. Now recognized as a valuable and powerful medium used in the making of most forms of theatre and filmed work, those referring to Puppetry will discover something of the roots, dramaturgy, literature and techniques of this visual art form. The book gathers together material from an international selection of sources, bringing puppet theatre to life for the student, practitioner and amateur alike.

Palgrave Readers in Theatre Practice Series Editor: Simon Shepherd At the heart of every performance lies a tension - a tension between the material object and the magical transformation of theatre. Taking elements of theatre such as sound, puppetry and directing, the series explores this relationship, offering both the vocabulary and historical context for critical discussion and creative practice. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Approach 4

Puppetry, the art and the act 5

'Puppet theatre' and a 'theatre with puppets' 10

The puppet: animated figure and object 13

The animated object 18

The puppeteer 24

2 Related Arts 35

Masks 35

Automata 39

Ventriloquism 46

3 Techniques 49

Rod and string marionettes 50

Nether-rods 54

Glove or hand puppets 58

Shadows and silhouettes 62

Humanettes 67

Toy or paper theatre 68

Model Theatre 69

'Black Light' and 'Black Theatre' 69

'Tabletop', 'Bunraku-style' or 'rear-rod' 70

4 In Performance 75

Writing 77

Directing puppets 82

Design and making 85

Street theatre 87

Stages and other playing spaces 89

Lighting design 89

Sound design 91

Puppeteer and actor 91

5 Dramaturgy 97

Puppet production scripts 97

Playscripts for children 109

Devised and mixed media productions 114

6 Aesthetics 121

On the marionette theatre 121

Puppetry aesthetics at the start of the twenty-first century 126

On Bunraku 133

Notes on puppet primitives and the future of an illusion 136

The use of puppetry and the theatre of objects in the performing arts of today 141

7 History 145

Pre-theatre 146

The early puppet 'show' 149

The Middle Ages 150

Puppets in Commedia dell' Arte 153

The beginning of recognition 156

Puppets and opera 157

A growth industry 160

Modernism and a new language 166

Soviet riches 169

A distinct theatre art 173

The contemporary revival 175.

ISBN:

9780230232730

0230232736

9780230232723

0230232728

OCLC:

768466537