Puppetry Beyond Entertainment, How Puppets Are Used Politically to Aid Society
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PUPPETRY BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT, HOW PUPPETS ARE USED POLITICALLY TO AID SOCIETY By Emily Soord This research project is submitted to the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Design April 2008 i Declaration I declare that this Research Project is the result of my own efforts. The various sources to which I am indebted are clearly indicated in the references in the text or in the bibliography. I further declare that this work has never been accepted in the substance of any degree, and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any other degree. Name: (Candidate) Name: (Supervisor) ii Acknowledgements Many people have helped and inspired me in writing this dissertation and I would like to acknowledge them. My thanks‟ to Tina Reeves, who suggested „puppetry‟ as a subject to research. Writing this dissertation has opened my eyes to an extraordinary medium and through researching the subject I have met some extraordinary people. I am grateful to everyone who has taken the time to fill out a survey or questionnaire, your feedback has been invaluable. My thanks‟ to Jill Salen, for her continual support, inspiration, reassurance and words of advice. My gratitude to friends and family for reading and re-reading my work, for keeping me company seeing numerous shows, for sharing their experiences of puppetry and for such interesting discussions on the subject. Also a big thank you to my dad and my brother, they are both technological experts! iii Abstract Puppets are extraordinary. While they acquire a life of their own, they remain inanimate and can seem less intimidating when addressing sensitive issues. They break boundaries between people, both physically and emotionally. They allow us to take on numerous identities and act as a shield for us to hide behind. They can give people the confidence to say and do things they wouldn‟t usually say or do if they were visible. Puppetry is an interactive medium that relies on an element of audience participation. Without believing in a puppet the puppet would cease to exist, but by believing in the puppet people are giving the puppet the time to listen to what they have to say. Visually, puppets are very striking and can be used efficiently to get our attention. They speak a universal language that can be understood across many cultures and can put a message across simply and effectively to a diverse audience. This dissertation has been an exploration of the uses of puppetry beyond entertainment and an observation of the influence puppets have had and continue to have in society. It looks primarily at political puppetry across Europe, Africa and America. It gives an overview of the subject with reference to political icon Mr Punch, political activist Gary Friedman and the political puppet movement Bread and Puppet Theatre. This dissertation shows examples of how eminent puppets have been in society and how influential they can be as a medium. iv Contents Declaration ....................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................... iii Abstract ........................................................................................................... iv Contents .......................................................................................................... v Picture index ................................................................................................... vi An Introduction to Puppetry ............................................................................. 1 An overview of Political Puppetry in Europe .................................................... 3 Mr Punch, a Political Icon .............................................................................. 12 Gary Friedman, Political Activist .................................................................... 19 Bread and Puppet Theatre ............................................................................. 29 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 38 Bibliography ................................................................................................... 41 Appendix 1 ..................................................................................................... 47 Appendix 2 ..................................................................................................... 52 Appendix 3 ..................................................................................................... 68 v Picture index Figure 1: Puppets from Sesame Street http://www.comcast.com/MediaLibrary/1/1/About/PressRoom/Images/Logo AndMediaLibrary/Photography/CableNetworks/SesameStreet-Group.jpg ... 1 Figure 2: A puppet from Fiddlesticks, by Garlic Theatre post card from one of their productions ........................................................ 1 Figure 3: Javanese shadow puppet http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2005/graphics/022405calendar6.jpg ........... 2 Figure 4: Thai puppets Chandavij, Natthapatra and Pramualratana, Promporn; (1998) Thai Puppets & Khon Masks. Great Britain, Thames & Hudson Ltd p93 ............................ 2 Figure 5: Image of motion men and their portable puppet booths Speaight, George (1955) The History of the English Puppet Theatre. Great Britain. Robert Hale Ltd. p30 ........................................................................ 4 Figure 6: Image of Kasperle whacking down enemy planes in 1942 Blumenthal, Eileen; (2005) Puppetry and Puppets an Illustrated World Survey. Great Britain, Thames & Hudson Ltd. p164 ..................................... 7 Figure 7: A puppetry workshop for Nazi soldiers 1940 Blumenthal, Eileen; (2005) Puppetry and Puppets an Illustrated World Survey. Great Britain, Thames & Hudson Ltd. p197 ..................................... 7 Figure 8: Winston Churchill clouting Hitler in, Punch and Judy go to War 1941 Blumenthal, Eileen; (2005) Puppetry and Puppets an Illustrated World Survey. Great Britain, Thames & Hudson Ltd. p166. .................................... 7 Figure 9: Spejbl and Hurvinek http://colabiker.de/osten/Hurvinek&Spejbl.jpg .............................................. 8 Figure 10: A marionette of Kasparek Bogatyrev, Pyotr (1923) „Czech Puppet Theatre and Russian folk Theatre‟ in John Bell (Ed) Puppets, Masks, and Performing Objects. England: MIT Press. p92 .................................................................................................... 8 Figure 13: A Punch man with his glove puppets in portable puppet booth Speaight, George (1955) The History of the English Puppet Theatre. Great Britain. Robert Hale Ltd. p187 .................................................................... 14 Figure 14: Punch as a glove puppet http://www.punchandjudy.com/roselia/ ....................................................... 14 Figure 15: Mr Punch and John Styles just after being awarded a MBE http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39984000/jpg/_39984567_punch_p a_203x300.jpg ............................................................................................ 17 Figure 16: Mr Punch clouting Jesse Holms for his opposition to government funding for the arts, in A Works in Regress, 1994 Blumenthal, Eileen; (2005) Puppetry and Puppets an Illustrated World Survey. Great Britain, Thames & Hudson Ltd. p170 ................................... 17 Figure 17: Pun en Dodie in protest against apartheid Still taken from a documentary on Puns en Dodie, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW4vfbOp044 ..................................... 19 vi Figure 18: Pun with President P. W. Botha Still taken from a documentary on Puns en Dodie, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW4vfbOp044 ..................................... 19 Figure 19: Joe and Mary as full body puppets, in Puppets Against Aids Still taken from a documentary on Puppets Against Aids http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6323070197410656441 ............ 22 Figure 20: Joe and Mary as glove puppets, in Puppets Against Aids Still taken from a documentary on Puppets Against Aids http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6323070197410656441 ............ 22 Figure 21: Clarance Keyter from Puppets for Democracy, shaking hands with Nelson Mandela Still taken from a documentary on, Puppets for Development http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWGR4FfAm3E ................................... 24 Figure 22: Puppet with a Ballot box, from Puppets for Democracy Still taken from a documentary on Puppets for Democracy, http://www.africanpuppet.com/educmenu4.html ......................................... 24 Figure 23: Stills taken from a documentary on Puppets in Prison, showing the prisoners with their puppets http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzOJEzJpTR4 ..................................... 27 Figure 24: Bread and Puppet Theatres „Cheap art Manifesto‟ http://www.aisling.net/am/cheapart.htm ...................................................... 30 Figure 25: Puppets of Mammon and the God of Hope, from Our Domestic Resurrection Circus, 1993 Bell, John (1999) „The End of Our Domestic Resurrection Circus. Bread and Puppet Theatre and Counterculture Performance in the 1990s‟ in John Bell (Ed) Puppets, Masks, and Performing Objects. England: MIT Press. p58 . 31 Figure 26: Puppet of Mother Earth, with paper cranes, watched by a giant head. The puppet is being operated by two hundred volunteers.