German puppet master - designer, builder and author, Hans jürgen Fettig's famous 1973 book Glove And Rod Puppets, A Handbook of Design and Technique is one of our greatest puppetry books. I don't think that this puppet master has been given the acknowledgment he deserves for his influence on modern puppetry. I know many puppeteers who have been much influenced by Fettig's unique designs, innovative use of cardboard and household odds and ends to create incredible puppet designs. If you are interested in finding an old copy of this book, you can try contacting Ray DaSilva's Puppet Books Online.
In the late nineties, I was fortunate enough to interview this puppeteer in Charleville-Meziers, France. He had already been living in France for a number of years and I filmed this private masterclass in an interview which he did for me in French. Now for the first time, I would like to share this unique short interview with you here. Enjoy!
New York puppeteer and UNIMA USA councilor Gretchen Van Lente (in photo right) possibly hasn't made it to the hall of fame yet, but is certainly being features on the Nokia Wall at Heathrow's new terminal 5 airport in London. “Shadow Puppets” is a narrative story conveying the adventures of a young girl who dreams of other worlds. The audience is invited to follow her from a bedroom in london, to the wild west, outerspace and beyond as she spreads good will wherever she lands. GH avisualagency along with Drama of Works conceived and developed the story as well as a cast of unique puppet characters for this Nokia piece. Steering away from the computerised animation seen all too much these days, this three minute short was executed and acted out by hand by the puppeteers at Drama of Works under the direction of GH ava and captured using Hi-Definition cameras. It is currently being played around the world in Nokia's flagship stores as well as the new British Airways' T5 terminal at London's Heathrow airport. Check it out here!
Looking for a Monster - the original puppet play, written in 1943 by a young thirteen year old writer, Hanus Hachenburg in the Terezin concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, has finally been captured on film. After nine years shooting a documentary film on the life of Hanus and his inspiring puppet play, we filmed the play in a studio at Wesley Institute for the Arts, in Sydney this month. The film will now be edited and I will keep readers updated on the release shortly. You can watch a slideshow of the photos on the right of this blog and view the production website here!
With more then 22 000 now reported dead in the terrible earthquake in China's Sichuan province and rescue teams arriving from all over the world, UNIMA China is requesting support from puppeteers from around the world in helping to sponsor a puppetry counseling project for the children. They report that they have learned much from Taiwan, in their experience helping children and youth after an earthquake in the past. I have not heard of a central coordinator for this project as yet, but if you can assist in any way, please email Simon Wong at the UNIMA China Hong Kong office here!
If you read my report last month from the UNIMA 2008 Congress in Perth, you will know that UNIMA China's Chengdu contingent won the bid to host the 2012 UNIMA World Congress. The worst earthquake in thirty years has just been recorded in China's Sichuan province, an area that had been completely cut off from road and telephone contact due to damage from the quake. The official death toll now stands at ten thousand, with another ten thousand buried under the rubble, although these figures could still rise significantly. A huge aftershock registering 6,1 on the Rigter scale today hit Chengdu, the apparent epicenter of the quake.
Blogging a Quake, Live from Chengdu - Bloggers unite amid catastrophe in China's Sichuan province, raising questions about whether the death toll could have been lower. Apparently the Olympic torch relay in Beijing is continuing despite China's worst tragedy in decades. Now the question naturally arises regarding the upcoming UNIMA Congress and Festival due for Chengdu in 2012. Watch this space for details as reports come in!
Here's a report just received from UNIMA China's representative Simon Wong in Hong Kong:
"There was a 7.8 grade earthquake which took place yesterday, on 12 May afternoon at 2:20pm - about 100 meters from city Chengdu, Sichuan Province, Mainland China. I made initial contact with Mr. WANG, the Director of Chengdu Museum, and Ms. TANG, the Deputy President & General Secretary of UNIMA-China Centre, and found out that there was no harm directly to the museum and the UNIMA China Centre.
However, we are still unable to make any assessment of the true harm on Chinese traditional puppetry because the western region of Mainland China is one of the main origins of Chinese puppetry. We still have no news about the Chinese puppeteers and puppet troupes living in these areas. May I draw your attention to you being ready to give your support to the Chinese puppeteers and troupes at any time and to keep your prayer on their safety. I am going to keep you posted on the progress after my visit trip to Chengdu in early June."
A new Puppetry for Film and Television Course is starting, once again, at the Wesley Institute for the Performing Arts in Sydney, Australia in June 2008.
This puppetry for television workshop, lead by Jim Henson- trained master-puppeteer and director, Gary Friedman, is suitable for film makers, puppeteers, performers, and others interested in learning about how puppetry is made for the screen. The course will include design and construction of puppets, manipulation for the camera, developing scenarios for performance, voice, characterisation development and short performances. Participants will develop, perform and direct their short scenarios for a course show-reel.You can watch a short video of the course right here!Dates: Eight consecutive Wednesday evenings from 11 June - 30 JulyTime: 6.00 to 9.00pmCost: $599 plus $100 for materials**Early-bird $99 discount for bookings before 30 May 2008, plus extra 5% student discount!For more info, contact us here!
German puppet master - designer, builder and author, Hans jürgen Fettig's famous 1973 book Glove And Rod Puppets, A Handbook of Design and Technique is one of our greatest puppetry books. I don't think that this puppet master has been given the acknowledgment he deserves for his influence on modern puppetry. I know many puppeteers who have been much influenced by Fettig's unique designs, innovative use of cardboard and household odds and ends to create incredible puppet designs. If you are interested in finding an old copy of this book, you can try contacting Ray DaSilva's Puppet Books Online.
