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Nø 21, November, 2011
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Oz Puppetry Email Newsletter
In this Issue:
Whatʼs On - November
News of Puppeteers and Projects BIG! Some giant projects - Kay Yasugi, Dave Jones, Deiter Barry
Tarrengower Puppetfest Update
Puppet Palace 2012
On the Road, Deck, Rails and Tarmac with CIE Philippe Genty by Simon T. Rann
Arlyn Arward for Puppet Theatre Design
Just Desserts - Kassius Kamel
Pat Brymer in Sydney
Front Cover: You never know what some people have in the back
shed! Fabulous dragon puppet by Dieter Barry.
More about Dieterʼs work below.
Whatʼs On - November
SLAM NOIR
SLAM NOIR
The inaugural Australian puppet slam - Slam Noir - is co-produced by Black Hole Theatre and Lana
Schwarcz. Supported by UNIMA Australia and hosted by St Ali's Cafe, the puppet slam will feature
short adult performances by puppeteers from Australia and overseas. The lineup includes: Stéphane
Georis, Megan Cameron, Amanda Maddock, Lynne Kent, Hamish Fletcher, Jeff Achtem, Rod
Primrose, Lana Schwarcz, Mike Bevitt, Jacob Williams, Penelope Bartlau, Leah Scholes, and Dan
Goronszy.
With shadow, hand, object and rod puppetry, lit only by handheld torches, the performances will unfold
across the table tops, window frames and ceilings of the funky St Ali's Cafe in South Melbourne.
They'll be funny, provocative, beautiful and satirical.
There will be live music from Derek Rowe and his band, food and drink from the cafe, and tickets
are a mere $10 at the door!
WHEN: Sat., Nov. 12, 7:30pm
VENUE: St. Ali's Cafe, 12-18 Yarra Pl, South Melbourne (between Coventry and York Streets). 7:30.
Bring a torch and light up your night!
In supporting this project, UNIMA concurs with the producers' aims: 1)to reveal to the public
the diversity and depth of the adult puppetry art form, and 2) to offer the artists a supportive
opportunity to experiment with new ideas. Two more slams are planned for outer Melbourne
and regional Victoria in 2012, and the producers will pursue potential slams interstate.
The producers propose that these events be presented in nontraditional spaces (such as
cafes and pubs) where the environment allows for more experimentation, and sets up a
responsive, dynamic relationship with the audience. The performers may improvise, present
a fragment of a developing work or try a form they've never used before. Each slam will be
defined by different parameters - ie the works will be in response to a certain body of music,
an event, or utilize particular imagery. The artists will be encouraged to move out of their
comfort zones.
The producers have joined the Puppet Slam Network in the US, opening up networking and
support opportunities for Australian artists.
UNIMA AUSTRALIA
A CENTRE FOR L'UNION INTERNATIONALE DE LA
MARIONETTE
PUPPETRY, LOCAL +
GLOBAL
WWW.UNIMA.ORG.AU
PO Box 151
South Melbourne
Victoria 3205
STÉPHANE GEORIS RETURNS!
Last seen at the UNIMA International Puppetry Festival in Perth 2008, the
acclaimed Belgian puppeteer Stéphane Georis returns in November for
performances in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth - presented respectively by
ImaginArta, Black Hole Theatre, Spare Parts Puppet Theatre and the
Fremantle Festival. UNIMA, Australia is proud to support his tour to the
eastern states. His shows will vary from place to place - checkout the
presenters' websites for details - and see below:
MELBOURNE
Sat. Nov. 12 @ 7:30 he will
participate in Black Hole's adult Slam
Noir (puppet slam) with Snow White
and a toothbrush....St Ali's Cafe,
12-18 Yarra Pl, South Melbourne. Tix
$10 at the door.
Sun. Nov. 13 @ 2pm, Puppet in the
Drawers, La Mama, 205 Faraday St,
Carlton. Bookings: (03)9347 6142.
http://www.lamama.com.au
NSW
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Proudly presents a unique performance from:
Chemin de Terre, Belgium
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A Puppet in the Drawers is a hilarious performance with
1 man + 1 chest of drawers + 40 objects.
Performed in 25 countries, this is a show not to be missed.
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Sunday November 6 @ 6pm
Annandale Creative Arts Centre, 81 Johnston St
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Tuesday November 8 @ 7pm
St Judes Hall, 34 Bendooley St, BOWRAL
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Tel: 0438 218 217 or Email: spuppet@ozemail.com.au
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Perth
Adam Le Polichineur de Laboratoire
(aka Professor of the Laboratory)
Here s a special heads-up for one of the wildest and
funniest shows coming to celebrate Spare Parts Puppet
Theatre s 30th Anniversary during the Fremantle Festival
from November 16 to 20.
All ze way from Belgium, Chemins de Terre adult puppet
comedy company will take puppetry to a new level of
laughter in which object theatre and delirious explosive
experiments explore a crazy vision of our world and our
future.
Turning the phrase don t play with your food on its head,
the show uses over 40 objects including fruit, vegetables,
eggs, a pizza and the odd left leg prosthesis in a madcap
comic performance by brilliant puppeteer, Stephane Georis
who plays Adam a Professor of Sciences who will
conclusively explain various scientific theories such as
Darwin s Law of Gravity, Galileo s Evolution of Species and
Sir Isaac Newton s lesser known views on l amour!
Warning: cauliflowers may be stabbed / carrots
dismembered / stuff may explodez!
Spare Parts Theatre opposite the Freo Train Station.
Wednesday to Sunday November 16 to 20 at 7.00pm
– as well as two matinees at 2.00pm on the weekend
Duration: 55 minutes – then hit the café strip!
Tix: $25/20 – on sale to you now
Book 24/7 online sppt.asn.au or phone 9335 5044
during office hours
The Arts Centre presents Perth Theatre Company and Weeping Spoon
Productions'
The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik:
Deep Sea Explorer
A tiny tale set in the deepest dark blue sea of a solitary explorer with a heart
as big as a whale.
When
19 - 20 Nov 2011 11.00 a.m. and 1.,30 p.m.
Venue
Playhouse Rehearsal Room, Victorian Arts Centre
Price Range
$16 - $18
Book Now
______________________________
News of Puppeteers and their Projects
Gary Friedman is in London. He writes:
‘London is abuzz with puppetry this week. I arrived rather jet lagged, after a 24 hour flight, yesterday in a
cold, wintery, but welcoming London, right in the middle of the Suspense Puppet Festival and a myriad
of great performances.
Staying with friends in North London is not too far from the Little Angel Theatre, where the centre of the
action is taking place. In fact, I'm participating in a 'Puppetry in Politics' symposium at the Little Angel
today, which is examining how puppetry has been used to change our world, past, present and maybe
even future trends.
There's even find a write up in 'The Stage' covering Suspense Festival and events here! Keep posted for
some of my personal experiences and reviews from London.
If you want to find out even more about what's happening in the UK puppetry scene, you can find the
British publication, Animations Online here! ‘
B
I G
A number of puppet makers have been
experimenting with large works recently.
Snuff Puppets have been woking with the Bellerrt Mooroop
Collage students to develop the Bunjil Creation Story . This
will be performed at the Big Opening of the Big West Festival.
Barking Spider have also been making giant lantern
puppets with Footscray North Primary for the same event and
last week Barking Spider performed with giant butterflies at
the Albury Botanic Gardens.
Read more about the large puppet projects of Kay Yasugi,
Dave Jones and Dieter Barry below
Kay Yasugi (Pupperoos Sydney) recently ran a 2 day giant puppet making workshop at Shopfront
Theatre for Young People in Carlton, Sydney. Puppeteer Kay Yasugi workedwith the Junior Ensemble
group of 8-15 year olds to devise and create a giant sea monster puppet for their end of year production
(directed byHoward Matthew & Luke Kerridge). The workshop involved experimenting with various
materials (including umbrellas, fans and cardboard rolls) to brainstorm ideas of what their sea monster
could be - including how it moves, what it looks/sounds/smells like and how it thinks. A twist
to this process was drawing the character of the monster from within the participants’ own selves (the
monster representing the side of themselves that people don’t see, e.g. loneliness, anger, fear).
Needless to say, building the monster was a lot of fun. The children used cane, masking tape, paper
and glue to create 2 beastly heads, 2 long necks, 2 tentacle-like arms and 2 ferocious claws. After the
various parts were joined together, some of the group had a go at operating the puppet. For many it was
their first time working with puppets (let alone giant ones!). Pupperoos will be returning to
Shopfront to help finish off the puppet and work with some of the ensemble in operating it.
Shopfront is a not-for-profit organisation and registered charity foryoung people aged 8 - 25. It is a
cultural network and production co-operative where all young people, regardless of their background or
ability, can create themselves. For more information about this organisation, please visit http://
shopfront.org.au/
Dave Jones, artist and puppet maker, was commissioned to create a giant puppet for the
Natimuk Frinj Festival (Nati Frinj) This festival is held annually in the small rural town of Natimuk
in western Victoria.
The massive puppet was designed to be suspended from the silos. Local primary school
children helped create an animation which was projected on to the front of the 12 metre
puppet. The animation focused on the drought, bushfire, locust-plague and floods that have
affected the town over the years. Dave recorded the remarkable process of building the puppet
in his blogs :
http://theartofdave.blogspot.com
http://natifrinj.blogspot.com
Erecting the puppet called
ʻPhoebe Sparklesʼ (named by children at the
Natimuk Primary school
The performance of Highly Strung at
the festival
_________________________________________________________________
Deiter Barry
of Deiter Barry Creations. The Saber crowned dragon or “Abrasax” was made by
Deiter Barry Creations to hover above the bar at Revolt bar and Arts space in Kensington.
With a wingspan of three meters and measuring nearly two meters in length he peers down on wary
patrons as they shakily enjoy their wines.
Abrasax was made starting with a PVC skeleton. The body shape was made using sheet foam and the
detail was hand stitched.
Finer details such as teeth and claws were made from super sculpy and the body was finished with a latex
and cotton layer to ensure the finished painted coat would have lustre, as you would expect a dragon’s
skin to. Finally, the wings were made with a mixture of PVC piping, sculpy claws and clear plastic sheeting
which were coated in a latex and shellac finish.
So if you find yourself in Kensington, stop in at Revolt (12 Elisabeth Street) and say hello to Abrasax. Also
the guys there make a mean latte.
deiterbarrycreations.com
DEITER BARRY
HOW TO MAKE
YOUR DRAGON
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Frame with head and tail
Body shape
Arms, legs, claws
Threading detail
Latex base
6.
ABRASAX, the dragon
Tarrengower PuppetFest
March 10, 11, 12, 2012
Maldon, Victoria
The festival is now four months away, with the
programme finalised and only a few days before the
website is published with information about the Fest.
The website will be officially launched on Monday
14th November.
This festival promises to offer a rich and varied experience of the Puppetry Arts. The
programme includes ten different shows plus an adult cabaret, a family cabaret,
roaming performances at the markets and on the Maldon/Castlemaine steam train,
the UNIMA Slam Noir, two wonderful workshops and a powerpoint presentation by
Richard Bradshaw. All this in two and a half days.
Providing for a broad age group, there is something for everybody to enjoy - from
puppetry for under 5ʼs, families and general audiences to adult puppetry with 15+
adult concept themes. Audience sizes vary, with performances for 1 person, 50, 100
and 200+. The range of venues encompasses the main community centre halls, a
disused mine tunnel, a huge climate-controlled steel shed at a vintage museum,
outdoor areas and the steam train.
There will be five new productions including 3 debuts by Sydney Puppet Theatre,
Men of Steel and Rachael Guy. Other performers/companies include Lemony S,
Richard Bradshaw, About Face Productions, Jenny Ellis, Dennis Murphy, Dream
Puppets, Lana Schwartz and Anna Paola; there are workshops and performances by
Gary Friedman, and the Puppet Slammers. (More about this in forthcoming news).
Some cabaret acts and roaming acts are yet to be announced.
Low cost accommodation (back-packer style) and camping opportunities will be
available for the festival. (Details and booking arrangements for this will be available
shortly.)
All those currently involved in organising this wonderful event feel that we have now
arrived at the point of HAVING A NEW PUPPET FESTIVAL IN AUSTRALIA, and itʼs
going to be a momentous occasion.
New Website address is: www.tarrengowerpuppetfest.org.au 14/11
Richard Hart
Artistic Director
Mob. 0408 898 337
available Monday,
FOR YOUR DIARY
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ON THE ROAD, DECK,
RAILS AND TARMAC
WITH
CIE PHILIPPE GENTY
By Simon T. Rann
Thursday 29/9/11, 10.30am: on the TGV to Paris,
somewhere between Vannes and Rennes
I think Leunig’s Mr Curly would feel very much at home in
this part of the world (Brittany); we never seem to travel on
a straight portion of track (which becomes VERY apparent
when you try to carry two cups of hot tea from the restaurant
carriage, through several other carriages, back to your seat),
and the TGV, capable of barrelling at an astonishing 300km/
h, seems to be rattling no faster than a Melbourne tram;
apparently there’s an antiquated law in Brittany that
prevents the government from building freeways here, but I
wouldn’t be surprised to find that the law in fact states that
they can’t build anything, from houses to train lines and
roads, with straight lines. It is in fact a blessing, as well as a
curse.
Two more shows behind us, performed in Vannes. These
were our first shows in Brittany, and there is only one other
scheduled (for Lorient, March 2012), which is unusual
because Philippe and Mary live here, in Quimperlé, and
there are usually more performances in the region. The
theatre in Vannes was big, modern and very comfortable, but
the acoustics were strangely flat, or ‘matte’ as our sound
technician says. The fact that the theatre was only half full
both nights made the ‘matte-ness’ seem ‘matte-r’, but it
didn’t matter, the shows were good anyway and we had
terrific feedback. We seem finally to have found our rhythm
again after the summer break.
Friday 7/10/11, 7.30pm: on the train from Trondheim to
Oslo, Norway
The 30th of September we played Nogent sur Marne, in the
banlieue of Paris (south-east of the centre). When I
recognised the exterior of the theatre (it’s a particularly ugly
60’s or 70’s glass and concrete construction that shares a
wall with a railway bridge), I realised that I’d played there
before. The show went very well and the audience were
unexpectedly responsive: I say ‘unexpectedly’ because
anywhere in Paris, the centre or the banlieue, the public are
usually warm, appreciative (some, like my girlfriend, might
dispute this), but also intelligent and critical; it takes a lot to
get them fired up, in either direction, because they are an
educated audience that sees a lot theatre, but once they are
fired up they like to let you know. I’ve seen a full house in
the grand Théâtre de la Ville standing, booing and shouting
abuse - intelligent abuse, but abuse nonetheless - almost
rioting during one particular show, and apparently it’s not
unusual. It wouldn’t happen in Australia. In fact I can’t
think of anywhere else in the world where something like
this would not be unusual, as it isn’t in France.
Last night we played in Verdal, which is a very small town
about an hour and a half west of Trondheim (Norway’s
second biggest town) by train. Verdal has a relatively new
and alternative (for Norway) theatre school that is part of a
larger university college called HINT. When Jacques Lecoq
died in 1999, one of his long-standing and highly respected
professors, Sandra Mladenovitch, took the unexpected
decision to leave the famous L'École Internationale de
Théâtre Jacques Lecoq -whose previous students include the
likes of Mummenschanz, Julie Taymor, Steven Berkoff, and
our own Geoffery Rush - to accept an offer to work at the
fledgling HINT theatre school, started by a former student of
hers, in Verdal. Philippe Genty had a long and professionally
stimulating relationship with Lecoq and took several of his
former students into the company. The HINT theatre school
has a policy of inviting teachers with specific skills and
directors with a specific vision to teach workshops to the
students or create a project with them. In 2008 the school
approached Philippe and Mary to teach. Philippe is not
interested in working with students, preferring to work with
professionals, so the company organised for myself and two
others to teach a workshop in France for five weeks to the
second year students in place of Philippe and Mary. The
workshop culminated in a performance that was staged
firstly in Nevers, and then in Paris, Oslo and Verdal. The
workshop and performance were a fantastic success, and
ever since the school has maintained a relationship with the
company and has organised several other workshops and
performances with us. In fact Philippe was in Verdal (doing
some preliminary work with students with whom he will be
remounting one of his old shows, Forget Me Not, next year)
when he had his stroke, and he and Mary were there with us
until this morning. The school has also started a festival of
visual theatre, the Internasjonal Festival for Visuell
Scenekunst. I think the intention is that their festival will
eventually become part of the Effervescence festival
(Philippe and the MCNN’s visual theatre festival in Nevers)
circuit. We were in Verdal, although in fact we played a few
kilometres away in Indereuil, for the festival. It was
probably the most enthusiastic audience I have ever played
for in my life; from the very beginning they were laughing
and responding to almost every little thing we did.
Norwegians are a very warm and very responsive audience
in general, but the addition of all the students and teachers
from HINT seemed to magnify this by a factor of ten.
Poster for the
Internasjonal
Festival for
Visual
Scenekunst,
Verdal, with
image from
Voyageurs
Immobiles
We were invited to have a discussion with the students the
following (this) morning, during which one of the cast
used the metaphor of downhill skiing for performing on
stage (I’m expanding on what he said, because I think it’s a
good metaphor): you do all the necessary preparations
before launching yourself from the top of the mountain and
effectively you don’t (can’t) stop until you reach the
bottom; sometimes you feel in total control, taking the
turns with skill and grace, controlling the rhythm and
tempo, even allowing yourself to lairise a little; other times
the descent is mechanical and boring, because you know
the mountain like the back of your hand, and you can
safely pass the time thinking about what your going to eat
for dinner; and still other times you feel totally out of
control, and everything whizzes by so quickly that you can
barely stay on your feet, and you don’t understand it
because you’ve skied the same mountain 200 times before,
but somehow you always manage to arrive at the bottom,
even if it is sliding on your bum with only one ski still on
and a black eye. Performing for an audience as enthusiastic
as they were in Verdal was like the latter for me; I seemed
to reach the bottom before I’d even drawn my first breath.
I never would have thought it possible to have an audience
that was too good.
Now I’m on the train to Oslo. This train trip, from
Trondheim to Oslo, which I’ve had the good fortune to
have made before, is one of the most beautiful I know. My
girlfriend, Angelique, and I have decided to stay in this
part of the world for a few days instead of returning to
Paris and then going to Helsinki from there, because that
would mean losing a lot of time in airports, airplanes,
trains and buses. We’re staying a couple days in Oslo, from
where we’ll fly directly to Helsinki.
Thursday 13/10/11, 11.00am: Sokos Hotel, Tapiola
Garden, Espoo, Finland.
Espoo is the second largest city in Finland, although
Helsinki (the largest) has only half a million people. Espoo
actually makes up part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area,
along with a few other municipalities. It’s on the shores of
the Gulf of Finland, so there’s plenty of water around.
What I’ve seen of Espoo, and to be fair, I’ve seen very
little, reminds me of Canberra: lots of big, ugly, concrete
and glass, 50’s - 80’s architecture with plenty of nature in
between.
The
Theatre
Espoo,
Finland
So far we’ve
done two shows here, and there are three to go. The theatre
is very small (perhaps 200 seats), but it feels warm and
intimate. After the premier we were invited to share drinks
and something to eat with the director of the theatre, the
French Ambassador, the local minister of culture, and a
host of other invited guests, and we were officially
welcomed. The director of the theatre explained that he had
seen Lands End, Boliloc and Vanishing Point (Cie Genty’s
last few shows) and had wanted to bring them all here, but
that his theatre was too small. Finally, with Voyageurs
Immobiles, he found a Genty show that could be squeezed
in, so he was very happy. The premier was a little rough for
us, but I don’t think the audience noticed (I don’t think
they ever notice), and they were very appreciative. In fact
the French Ambassador explained to me that he had never
seen an audience in Finland so demonstrative, and how this
was a huge compliment to the show. Of course he loved the
show too. The second show, which was a much better
show, made clear what the Ambassador had explained: the
audience were practically non existent, even though the
front row were only a couple of metres from us and we
could see them as plain as day. The applause at the end
though was very long and warm.
Sunday 16/10/11, 12.30pm: on a boat from Helsinki to
Tallinn.
The last three shows in Espoo were very good, and the
theatre was full and the audiences more alive than during
the second show. These shows were particularly good for
me. Every now and then, when I least expect it, something
shifts for me, and I seem to find another level of energy,
awareness, relaxation... This happened for me in Espoo.
Now I’m on a boat to Tallinn. It’s a two-and-a-half-hour
boat trip to Tallinn, so I’m taking advantage of the time by
writing this and learning my text for the Netherlands.
Voyageurs Immobiles is unusual for a Philippe Genty show
in that we, the performers, carry the story (the word
“journey” is perhaps more accurate) more than usual.
Usually the lighting, music, décor, props, materials and
puppets carry as much of the “journey”, or have equal
importance on stage, as we do. It’s also unusual in that we
speak and sing quite a lot: we speak in French, English,
Spanish, Italian and Haitian Creole, and we sing in
English, Arabic, Vietnamese, Spanish, Persian and
American Indian (which Indian language exactly I don’t
know). On top of this we speak portions of our text in the
language of the country we’re in. It’s quite difficult. Here’s
one of my lines in Finnish: “Pahoittelen, liian myöhäistä”.
Obviously, the only way we can learn to say things like
this is phonetically. It’s quite surreal to say mouthfuls of
strange syllables on stage, hear the audience reaction and
suddenly understand that the nonsense that came out of
your mouth is in fact comprehensible to the eight hundred
or so people who are listening to you. To date we’ve also
had to learn our pieces of text in German, Spanish,
Catalan, Polish, Czech, Norwegian, Italian, Russian,
Portuguese and Finnish. Finnish was the most difficult for
me so far, but for others Polish and Czech were the most
difficult. Next it’s Dutch: that same line is now, “Jammer,
te laat”. Speaking of Dutch, after our brief holiday in
Tallinn the dreaded tour of the Netherlands and Belgium
will begin.
Monday 24/10/11, 11.45am: Golden Tulip Inn,
Zoetermeer, The Netherlands
Three down (Rotterdam, Drachten, Apeldoorn), seventeen
to go. We were supposed to do twenty-two shows in The
Netherlands, but two have been cancelled. Nobody
complained, on the contrary, we were all slightly relieved.
Unfortunately, Amsterdam is one of the two shows
cancelled, however Amsterdam was to be our last show,
so now we get to go home a day earlier, and we’ll have
three days at home (instead of two) before a two week
season in Lyon.
There has been quite a build up to this tour: we’ve all
been terrified at the prospect of performing so many
shows in so many theatres in so few days. Only a few
times so far have we had to bump in, set up, perform,
break down and bump out in the same day. Here that’s
what we’ll do every time except once (in Eindhoven we’ll
have the luxury of playing twice), and most of the time
we’ll do it on successive days. For the technicians it
means going to the theatre in the morning, setting up all
day, doing the performance in the evening, breaking
down the set, bumping out, eating dinner on the mini-bus
while travelling to the next town (which could be as much
as three hours away), sleeping briefly in a hotel, going to
the theatre in the morning, setting up all day… and so on;
they will sleep only a few hours a night for as many as
five successive nights. The cast, on the other hand, are
based in Zoetermeer, which means we have to drive to the
theatre (which again could be as many as three hours
away), warm-up (normally we set up immediately and
warm up just before the show, but we’ve had to change
our routine so that the technicians can have as much time
as possible on stage to set up), do our set up, do a vocal
warm-up, perform, pack up our stuff, and drive back to
the hotel in Zoetermeer. It’s tough, or it’s going to be
because until now we’ve only had one long drive (two
and half hours). It’s not the going to the theatres that’s
hard; in France we regularly do 3, 4, up to six hours of
travel the day of a performance (which incidentally is not
allowed in Australia, or wasn’t when I last toured there),
it’s the long drive after the show that’s tough, because it
means arriving back at the hotel around 2am, tired, stiff
and hungry, and then cooking and eating - if we’re not too
exhausted. In France we can at least relax after the show
and bump out because we stay in the towns we play. The
next block of five successive shows will test us.
Wednesday 26/10/11, 3.05pm: on the mini bus to
Turnhout (in the north of Belgium), The Netherlands
Bad news: one of the cast has strained or torn his medial
collateral ligament (MCL) and has gone back to France to
have an MRI. It happened during the performance in
Apeldoorn. He finished the show, although in some
considerable pain, but the day after he couldn’t walk.
Fortunately we had the day off. I went with him to see a
physio and her diagnosis was that it was his MLC, but to
be sure he should have an MRI. In The Netherlands
there’s a three-month waiting list for an MRI, so he’s
returned to France where he can have one sooner. He will
be out for anywhere between two and ten weeks.
Fortunately it’s the same guy who was out with a
different problem before the summer holidays, so we
needed simply to talk through what we did the last time
we performed without him and we could perform last
night in Delft. It’s a bugger (if I could write something
stronger I would); the show is much more difficult especially for the guys - without him, and at the
beginning of an already difficult tour it’s not what we
need. We have no choice but to go on. It’s highly unlikely
that he’ll be back during this tour, and in all probability
he won’t do Lyon either. There’s even a question mark
about whether he will come back at all, because on top of
these health setbacks we’ve all noticed that his heart no
longer seems to be in the show. If he doesn’t come back
we’ll be faced with a whole new set of problems, but it’s
too soon to start worrying about that. It’s a sunny
afternoon and the Netherlands is flying past my mini-bus
window. Soon we’ll be crossing into Belgium. Things
might seem difficult, but I can always console myself
with the thought that what I am living was once my
dream.
Sunday 30/10/11, 12.15pm: Golden Tulip Inn,
Zoetermeer, The Netherlands
Two days off – phew! We’ve spent a lot of time on the
road; Delft was not so far, but the others (Turnhout and
Aalst in Belgium, and two shows in Eindhoven) were
more than two hours drive. Apart from our departed,
injured friend the rest of us seem to be holding it together.
We all have niggling pains: a swollen knee here, a bit of
tendinitis there, a bad nights sleep and headache over
there… it’s not very often that you’re 100% for any
performance (it comes with the territory), but we are all
very tired. We were tired also when we did five weeks in
Théâtre du Rond-Point in Paris last year, but we still had
the energy to complain about the relative lack of
hospitality, but two nights ago, during the setting up,
when there’s usually a lot of banter going back and forth,
we were so tired that nobody spoke. It was eerie. I can’t
say I’ve ever experienced that before. Last night the
banter returned, but that was because we knew we had
two days off ahead of us.
The theatres have all been big, modern, clean, and with
lots of space back-stage, which makes our work much
easier, and the technical crews have been very efficient.
Audience numbers are down a little, but apparently they
like popular entertainment, like musicals, in this part of
the world, and Philippe Genty is relatively arty and
unknown; in times of financial crisis people go the theatre
less often and so want to see a sure thing. Last night was
a full house though.
The Theatre
Nogent sur
Marne
The big news is that our injured cast member has decided
to leave us. The manner in which he has done it has upset
everybody: he left for France to have an MRI, without so
much as agood-bye to most of the cast and all the
technical crew, and then just sent an email telling us he
was quitting the show. He was injured before the summer
holidays and went four months (including the holidays)
without performing, so we rehearsed him back into the
show, and now, not even a month later, at the beginning
of perhaps our toughest tour, he’s quit; the feeling is that
he’s been inconsiderate and selfish, and that after
everything we’ve been through together he owes us
more. We’ve had to decide if we continue without him,
or if we replace him. It’s really a decision for the cast,
as we bear the burden of the extra work. We don’t know
yet what Philippe and Mary want, because we don’t
know yet if they know (it’s his responsibility to inform
them), but usually they let us decide. We’ve discussed
it, and in general we agree that it would be better to
replace him, but only of it’s with somebody who knows
the drill, i.e. someone who’s already worked for the
company, because we don’t have much free time to
rehearse and it’s hard enough learning a new show
without also learning the ins and outs of working for the
company. If we cannot find somebody soon we will
continue as seven. We want to rehearse again with
Philippe and Mary in any case, to simplify what we’re
now doing, as most of the decisions we made the first
time our colleague was away incapacitated were made
very quickly and under duress, so that we could at least
perform, but they are not perhaps the best decisions.
I haven’t yet written anything about Zoetermeer;
something to look forward to (not!). Au revoir!
Simon T. Rann, 2011
ARLYN AWARD SOCIETY
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Luman Coad, Administrator
e-mail: coadpuppet@eastlink.ca
2012 Arlyn Award for Outstanding Design in Puppet Theatre Deadline
February 15, 2012 is the closing date to receive entries for consideration in the next Arlyn Award
for Outstanding Design in Puppet Theatre. Eligible productions must be premiered in 2010 or
2011. Any puppeteer, anywhere in the world is eligible to enter.
The Arlyn Award is a world-wide search for outstanding design in puppet theatre. In 2010, the
Arlyn Award was presented to Sima Mizra-Hosseini of Tehran, Iran for her production of
“Arash.” As well, three Certificates of Recognition in Design were awarded to Onny Huisink of
Edam, Netherlands for “Riket met de Kuif”, Karina Bleau and Anne Brulotte-Légaré of
Montreal, PQ, Canada for “Häiku du Dernier Souffle?” and Michael Haverty, of Atlanta, GA,
USA for “The Phantom Limb.” Puppet designers from Russia, England, and Canada have
received previous Arlyn Award which consists of a trophy and a cash prize. As well, Certificates
of Recognition in Design have been presented to designers from France, Canada, Finland, the
United States.
Any puppeteer, anywhere in the world is eligible to enter a production which premiered in 2010
or 2011. To enter, please submit a brief paragraph of the designer’s goal for the production, up to
ten illustrations of designs and production photographs, and a five-minute (maximum) video in
Flash format showing the production’s design in action. Send entries to
arlynaward2012@eastlink.ca or mail to Arlyn Award, General Delivery, Garden Bay, BC V0N
1S1, Canada. Full information on entry requirements can be found at http://arlynaward.org
Every two years the Society’s Board of Directors selects a three member international jury. At
least one juror must be an established puppeteer and at least one juror must be an established
designer in ordinary theatre. Each jury sets their own criteria and their decision is final - it cannot
be altered by the Board of Directors.
For information on the Arlyn Award and photos of past recipients, please visit
http://arlynaward.org
"
JUST DESSERTS
Out and About in Melbourne
with Kassius Kamel
As you know I have been lying low for some months in order to evade those who would have
me and my family served up as Christmas dinner alongside the turkey.
But I did feel I was losing touch with the masses and with all that has been happening in the
world. So I decided to get off my knees and join a crowd or two where I could mingle with the
multitudes and remain undetected.
Oh, and what a ʻcrowdedʼ couple of weeks itʼs been in Melbourne and Iʼve had quite a jolly
time.
First I caught a tram into the CBD, which is quite befitting for someone with royal connections, I
believe, (although I must say, it was not a comfortable journey - a lot of rattling and scarcely
room to spit).
When I alighted, I was swept along Swanston Street by a tide of city workers and I cupped my
ear and jabbered to myself about schedules and meetings as everyone else seemed to be
doing.
An lo and behold! - if I didnʼt find myself in a camp-out at the city square - lots of colourful tents
and people singing and swaying and waving banners and there was face painting and yellow
cake too.
I enquired of one young fellow wearing a death mask if this occupation signified a protest
against camel cullers. He responded, “Yes, that too, whatever takes your fancy!” and so I
joined in and sang a few songs and chanted ʻWe are the 99%ʼ and ʻEat the richʼ and slept the
night in a tent. All good fun, until the batten-bearing police surged in and things got a bit feral
for my liking.
So I moved on. Someone suggested that if I enjoyed ʻcommunal camp-outsʼ I might like to try
the crowd at Tullamarine airport, although it was unlikely that anyone would be singing there.
A little later I joined a crowd of people waving flags and smiling at an elderly lady in a pink outfit
with matching hat. I tried to curtsey as I thought sheʼd appreciate such deference, but
somehow my hooves got caught up in some of my knees and I suffered quite a nasty fall. In
hindsight I think it would have been better if Iʼd just attempted a neat little bow.
So I hobbled home to rest up - which was just as well because Melbourne Cup Fever was upon
us and Iʼm so allergic to horses.
May you all get your just desserts - K
An Evening with Pat Brymer in Sydney
Pat Brymer is a leading puppeteer and puppet craftsman based in Los
Angeles who has been creating puppets since 1973. He is well-known
for building the puppets and props for the late great puppeteer, Shari
Lewis. He started his puppet making career at Hanna Barbera and
has produced puppets for Disney. Film credits include The Muppet
Movie, Short Circuit, My Stepmother is an Alien, Indiana Jones and the
the Last Crusade, So I Married an Axe Murderer, and Team America,
World Police.
During October Pat spent some time in Sydney, and Rob Bremner
(Sydney puppeteer) organised a get-together and presentation which
was attended by many of Sydneyʼs puppeteers and puppetry
enthusiasts.
Photo by Kay Yasugi left to right:
Allan, Pat - holding the monkey hand
puppet, Marilyn, David, Sue, Peter, Andrew,
Rob, Kay, Allan, Trudie).
Top: Sketch of Pat Brymer by Kay Yasugi. Right: Pat Brymer
with puppet, Benji. Pat made Benji and sother puppets for a
childrenʼs show that is being filmed now in Sydney. Kay Yasugi
is working on the film, which is called ʻThe Amazing Houseʼ.
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Snuff Party #3 - part of the Big West Festival.
Puppet experiments, live music, bar and raw humans included.
Footscray Drill Hall
395 Barkly Street
Sunday 27 November
8PM till late
General Admission $5
Dance amongst giant Human Body Parts. Experience the world from the
inside an enormous ear. Be charmed by the flirtatious batting of our giant
eye. Or thumb wrestle with the world’s biggest hand.
About O.P.E.N (Oz Puppetry Email Newsletter)
O.P.E.N. is a free and voluntarily produced newsletter and is open to all. You can contact us on
dreampuppets@netspace.net.au Past issues of O.P.E.N. can also be accessed on our website:
www.dreampuppets.com
Please send reports of any known or suspected puppet activity by the 25th of each month.
(Profiles of puppet characters or drawings/cartoons also welcome). Please keep photo resolutions
low. Preferably send written material in .doc form so that it can be edited or rearranged on the
page.
Publication will be during the first week of each month.
If you have urgent news: deadlines or notice of performances previously not advertised,
you can send it to us for inclusion in Op-date at any time.
LINKS to more information about Australian puppetry:
www.PUPPETRYNEWS.com
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www.unima.org.au #
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www.dreampuppets.com
www.schoolofpuppetry.com.au
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http://africanpuppet.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/OzPuppetry
www.puppetpalace.com.au
Julia Davis and Richard Hart, November, 2011
Dream Puppets has a new puppeteer : (Idan Friedman)
Photo by Gary Friedman.