Puppetry
This workshop asks the question, how do you bring an inanimate object to life?
I run two styles of workshop:
The first starts with a simple piece of cloth, and takes the students on a guided improvisations to help them to bring an object to life and play with it. Time allowing, students will be introduced to manipulating objects in pairs. Running alongside the improvisational work, there are exercises to help the students gain the necessary focus and body awareness that puppetry requires.
The second workshop, which is where my research into puppetry is heading at the moment, is the use of glove puppets within a Commedia Dell 'Arte context. As well as basic manipulation, the workshop explores characterisation, rhythm of movement, dynamic movement through space and teaches a method of creation of material influenced by the working methods of Commedia.
The aim of these workshops is to introduce students to the special theatrical magic of object manipulation and puppetry. Time allowing the work can build towards showings.