Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2008 21:48:32 -0800
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Love of the stage


dear Rolande,

I will be in nyc . area ny state. area. in jan 16 to 27... out side of jan
20. when I will be in wa dc.

are you preforming? during this time.
i really like your words here on puptcrit. so id love to see your work
im coming from the pacific nw. van bc. can.

if you have any shoes during tha time.
do let me know. i travel to see the show.

best .
randy ross .
carnival sized cinnamon hearts



On Sun, Nov 30, 2008 at 4:39 AM, <puppetpro-AT-aol.com> wrote:

> I guess this is part of my DNA.
> I've always considered the stage -- any stage -- like an altar. It is a
> wondrous experience, and can be transformative for all...
> The variety of experiences I've had, (good and bad), have not lessened my
> excitement and awe.
>
>
>
> I have a show today -- "The Snowmaiden" at the Hudson River Museum in
> Yonkers, New York. 2:00 p.m.  Snow is predicted. Funny how often we do this
> show it snows. "You book the show, we bring the snow" we joke.
>
>
>
>
> Rolande
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mathieu René <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca>
> To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
> Sent: Sun, 30 Nov 2008 1:26 am
> Subject: [Puptcrit] Love of the stage
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi all.
> I had a puppeteering gig earlier tonight and it was a blast!
>
> I wonder what makes a stage performing experience so thrilling, energizing,
> motivating, inspiring, and overall satisfying, like nothing else?
> Care to share your takes on it?
>
>
> Mine are:
> -People's acceptance or other positive judgement, even if only for the
> duration of a show, is powerful and honest. You feel it when they don't
> respond.
>
> -Energy seems to flow between audience and performers, making it more than
> the sum of both.
> Peter Balkwill (of the Old Trout puppet Workshop) spoke about the energy
> flow during a puppet workshop I took with him in 2007.
>
> I remember him saying something about when a person forgets a line or a
> move, the energy flow is stopped, and the circuit being interrupted, makes
> everyone feel bad, until it20is restored.
> I think I understand it a lot better now.
>
> -the risk of messing it all up in front of so many people and yet the
> chance
> of succeeding against all that, must bring a lot of thrill!
>
> -I think sharing has a lot to do with how great everyone can feel during
> and
> after a show.
>
> -It can be negative too, when a show goes bad, it can get really bad.
>
>
>
> Background (aka: the Parrot's Debut)
> :
> I built a parrot puppet (in the spare time I didn't have last week), and I
> charged the event for the rental of the puppet and my puppeteering salary.
> It was a great opportunity, because I really wanted a parrot puppet for my
> own puppet menagerie, and more stage experience.
>
> I was puppeteering the parrot for the Pirate host of the evening.
> The crowd responded really well to him.  The complicity with the host was
> instantaneous, and we had a lot of fun. The charcater was comical, and it
> worked. I've never been good at telling jokes on purpose, unless I was
> imitating a good joke teller who said it to me first. But my parrot puppet
> seems to "have it", that punchline and quick witted responses.
> How come???
>
> Some small bugs are still in need of fixing on that puppet, but it did the
> job really well, and I learned a lot I wouldn't have if I were just
> wiggling
> it around in my worskshop. Logistics of moving a rod and mouth puppet on a
> stage that wasn't designed for it, are rather hard to imagine without
> trying. A bird perch I was promised w
> asn't built, so the parrot had to stand
> on a flat commode.  Thankfully, I planned ahead and made the feet posable,
> which helped, but the parrot feet (fleexe covered) had a tendency to slide
> on the polished wood...
> I'll build a perch then, for future gigs.
>
> One time, in order to avoid jumping over set pieces to get into the
> audience, I improvised an exit backstage, kept my puppet character's voice
> alive (wireless mike) and accessed the audience through the side doors.
> Next gig of this sort I get, I'll insist on trying the puppet in the actual
> set well before the show.
> Tonight this couldn't be done, due to the logistics of a roaming event
> without a set venue, and me running straight from another gig.
>
> I was lucky enough to be spared the puppeteering hood, at the last minute.
> It was in most part thanks to the host, she backed me up with good
> arguments.  I had made a hood as planned, but it was rather ugly,
> shape-wise
> (fabric hanging from the rim, cap showing atop it, weird beak-like
> protrusion).
>  I really need to see a picture of the baseball cap and fabric suggestion I
> received here on Puptcrit.
>
> We received the final texts on the same day, but multiple versions. So
> there
> was no way to memorize the final lines properly. I can barely believe it,
> but that kind of brought a bit more thrill to the experience.
> Some introductory parts were missing for some of the perfomers (their own
> omissions). So we improvised a whole lot, and wow, what fun stu
> ff we came up
> with backstage between dance numbers, and even more while on stage. The
> audience was into it, I was amazed at how well it went, considering my
> apprehensions. It had been a year since my last stage performance. I
> completely beat stagefright many years ago, but it doesn't mean I don't get
> a little worried about my abilities once in a while.  Tonight I was worried
> about all the improvising and some of the directions, but it went rather
> smoothly. A few small hickups in movements when the parrot was on the
> pirate' arm or shoulder, but all due to the fact we hadn't rehearsed our
> interactions. It quickly became easy.
>
> I thank goodness for puppet-induced split personalities, and for stage
> managers backstage!
> I'd love to do such gigs again, and work with that host again. She was a
> true profesionnal, and a fun blast to work with. I've rarely seen someone
> so
> flexible and understanding in front of chaotic circumstances.
> She treated me like a fully qualified and equal colleague, despite her many
> more years of experience as a host and performer. We came up with ideas
> together. I find that refreshing!  She was already a huge fan of puppets,
> so
> that must have helped.
>
> It took a while for my parrot to be annoying enough to her that she could
> bare to be a bit harsh with him on stage, as her pirate character required.
> We played with that a lot on stage. The hosting bits turned into its own
> storyline, where parrot and pirate get into a big=2
> 0fight, separate (parrot
> gets an audience member to adopt him), and get back together, best pals
> again.
>
> I'll have time to take pics of the puppet in about two weeks.
> Then I'll post them online.
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
with love and affection
edith gloria hole
carnival sized cinnamon hearts puppet shows
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