ENGINEERING MOVEMENT SOCIETY ENGINEERING The award-winning production is now on a West End run – MOVEMENT after a sell-out season at the National Theatre. ’s story and the ‘believability’ of the horse puppets have helped make it a stage hit. Adrian Kohler, one of the founders of Handspring Productions, created the horses and writes for Ingenia about the engineering behind War Horse.

The 2004 Handspring production towards machine guns where Tall Horse was still playing at Joey’s rider is shot out of his the Baxter Theatre in Cape saddle, after which the horse Town when we had a visit from is taken by the German Army. representatives of ’s Albert joins up under age and National Theatre. Associate searches for his horse for the Director Tom Morris and duration of the war. Miraculously, Executive Director Nick Starr at the armistice, when both have came to see our show, based been badly battered, they on the real-life journey of a find each other. giraffe from Africa to Paris in the My immediate response 19th century and using a five was positive: an epic love story metre tall puppet controlled by with a happy ending where one puppeteers on stilts. We began of the leading characters is a imagining that the ‘Beautiful puppet horse. We had made African’ would be invited to play a good giraffe; surely a horse a season in London. should be just as feasible? Three months of silence passed after Tom’s visit to us in Equine South Africa, then he phoned requirements me at our base in Kalk Bay, Cape The horses would need to be Town. He had found a novel larger than life-sized, able to that could possibly become contain two puppeteers and a vehicle for puppets and he carry a rider on their backs, and, outlined the story of War Horse most importantly of all, move by Michael Morpurgo. so realistically that the audience Albert, a boy on a farm, would immediately empathise brings up a foal, Joey, that with them and consider them his drunken father bought by to be just as engaging as the mistake. The First World War human beside them – breaks out and the father sells if not more so. the horse to the British Army. Theatre with puppets in The horrors of the war are told the UK has carried a stigma for from the horse’s vantage point, many years. At European theatre including a cavalry charge War Horse has been a hit both at the National Theatre and at the New London Theatre, Drury festivals we would hear English Lane. By the summer of 2009 the horses had taken to the stage 300 times © Simon Annand

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puppet companies complain the National Theatre’s prop Sitting high up on the balcony looking down The spine itself is similar to to each other by an axle. If this to move through at least 180 that audiences at home were department, was seconded to that of a real horse because it axle were not fixed but given the degrees, pointing forward they put off by the ‘P’ word. But Nick us and together we made quick on these ‘horses’ trotting around, one could had to carry cables to control freedom to move up and down show interest, pointing backwards Hytner, with his adaptation mock-ups of horse heads and the flicking of the tail, while in a slot, the ‘heart’ manipulator, they indicate fear or alarm, and to of Philip Pullman’s His Dark necks out of torn cardboard feel that the stage seemed built for them. possessing a slight flexibility who is attached to the spine the side they show attentiveness. Materials and, of course, the and shredded newspaper. On a In its bare state it was like a circus ring, an to arch realistically during the above by the backpack, would, The solution came to me early effervescent puppetry of the day when the Olivier stage was moments when the horse would with the front legs resting one morning: mount the ears on Lion King, were starting to make completely clear, we were able ancient Roman arena. rear up on its hind legs. Cables passively on the ground, be able short vertical axles, around which puppets acceptable to a range to take these and a complete were run through discs all the to make the rib cage go up and would be wound a cable, with a of audiences. life-sized cardboard horse body way down the back, made of down simply by bending and spring to pull the axle back into A first workshop was held onto the vast round stage. plywood to keep it lightweight. straightening their knees. The place and rewind the string. The with a try-out writer and a group Sat high up on the balcony The design of the tail up-and-down replaces the more manipulating finger may only of actors. Among them was looking down on these ‘horses’ movement also lay in accurate side-to-side, but it is pull through 90 degrees, but the Toby Sedgwick, who would trotting around, one could feel understanding the anatomy of a more effective because you can shorter circumference of the axle become the choreographer, that the stage seemed built for real horse. The spine of a horse see it. No extra hand controls are would give double that for the ear. and Mervyn Millar, who would them. In its bare state it was like extends almost half way down needed. Just the knees. This was my ‘Eureka’ moment. recruit the many excellent a circus ring, an ancient Roman its tail and that’s why the animal This ear movement, I’ve since puppeteers. Alan Edwards, from arena. can flick its tail so decisively. discovered, is a very old watch- This ‘spine tip’ is highly flexible Expressive making piece of technology. and controlled by several lateral movement The construction of the horse puppets was closely based on real horse The ear movement would be the physiology and movement © Adrian Kohler tendons. We mimicked these the front and back puppeteers, with bicycle brake cables, which, next major challenge. While it Starting gait raising and lowering the leg when pulled by a lever at the may seem a trivial aspect of the Back in Cape Town I built a and pulling them inward for a back, would flick the tail up and complex puppets these horses working cardboard scale model horse-like bend. down and side-to-side. would become, the control and of Joey. The anatomy of the Of course horses move movement of the ears would horse’s legs and those of the elegantly by placing their feet lead to a major breakthrough for humans inside it would not on the same spot towards the Catching me – one that had taken me 25 correspond with each other as middle of their bodies. A rubber the breath years to find. The result would they had done with the giraffe in joint connecting the legs to The breathing action of any be crucial to the theatre piece. Tall Horse (where the puppeteer’s the body allowed five degrees puppet helps to create the As theatre-goers have told me legs, standing on stilts, became of movement, which gave the illusion of life and while since, one of the moments they the giraffe legs). Now there puppeteers the freedom to observing real horses breathing buy into the believability of the would be eight legs under the place the legs in an elegant, hard after physical exertion, the horses is when the ears swivel horse and not four. But the hands equine motion. problem of representing this back when Joey panics. of the puppeteers would be in looked daunting. The rib cage For the horses’ ears to give close proximity to the puppet of the animal expanded and life to the puppets, they had legs and therefore available for Back to front contracted out sideways; even strong, hands-on manipulation, Over the next four months, if I could hinge the rib cage at so the legs had the potential to a horse with the potential of the spine on either side and be highly articulated. being ridden started to take develop a means of rhythmically The construction of the shape. For the spine, I enlisted manipulating it outwards and legs is very similar to an actual the help of Mark Laubser, a inwards, the payback would be horse’s. We had studied horse specialist aluminium welder who minimal. Looking at the animal physiology and movement to normally builds boats. The two head-on you would see the get the curl of the hooves and puppeteers inside would each movement but seen in profile legs as realistic as possible. The strap on a backpack and above it would be hardly noticeable. passive movement of the legs their heads the backpacks would And our horses would be seen relies on ‘tendons’ (made of be attached to this bridging mainly in profile. strong wire) on either side of spine, made strong enough to The solution proved to be The puppeteer ‘breathes’ for the horse by bending his legs. The front legs rest each leg which are pulled and take a human rider and high on the ground whilst the chest is operated by the backpack attached to the very simple. As in a motorcar, puppeteer’s shoulders and trunk. The front leg axle moves in a slot mounted relaxed by levers controlled by enough to protect their heads . the front legs would be joined on the horse’s body frame © Adrian Kohler

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The external puppeteer wields a control box with three levers: two for the ears and one to move the head up and down. The rod moves the neck in any direction and can be rotated to be used either side of the head © Simon Annand

Three horse The rocking bar attached to so I attached an external control lateral draw-strings, which could rod to the neck just behind the power curve the neck from side to head, and from then on a third The head and neck controls were side. However, by attempting manipulator worked the head next. I had been aiming for the to control the horse with only and neck from the outside. This horse to be manipulated by two two manipulators there was a rendered obsolete the rocking people as personnel numbers drawback: the head could only bar ‘steering wheel’ though it in any production need to be was used for the four ‘legless’ kept down. In a piece with many be operated when the front legs weren’t being manipulated. horses that fill out the cavalry horses, the cast of puppeteers charges. All of its controls would would increase by the number When the horse stopped walking, the puppeteer switched now be incorporated into a of manipulators in each horse. I control box on the new neck built a ‘steering wheel’, a rocking from the leg controls to those of the head. rod for Joey and Topthorn – the bar with levers in it (see below), second fully animated puppet It became clear from the and positioned it at the base of horse character. start that the horse would need the neck. It contained control The horses were now almost to be a three-puppeteer figure. levers that, connected with brake fully functional and could be The head had to remain alive cables, controlled the ears and shipped to the UK. They were, while the horse was in motion, could raise the head up. however, completely untested. A month later, back at the National Theatre Studio in couple of days, after trying London, my Handspring partner various combinations, I took a Basil Jones and I unpacked the chance, let the acrobats, with horse with the whole of the next one exception, go and kept War Horse workshop gathered in the trained puppeteers. Their front. A team of puppeteers had empathy for the figure was what been assembled to test them made them valuable. For the but we had also requested beefy, endurance required, they would strong acrobats because the simply have to work out. horse operators would also have to support a rider on their backs. The group was a mixture of these Horse play and puppeteers of a more The prototype horse soon normal physique. received the approval of the In order for the heads of workshop. Marianne Elliot had Taking away the narrative shape. As it turns, the impression systems on the wellbeing of the up. The story, in the form of the manipulators to be safely joined Tom Morris as co-director element meant that it was continues and the onlooker puppeteers. I was told that the a play, would require a large protected inside the chest and and they and Toby Sedgewick even more important that the subconsciously joins up the dots. elaborate triple lever controls cast of actors. Each main rump of the horse, the horse began working scenes with audience believed in the realism At night, when the studio that operated the front legs, horse would now require three was now slightly bigger than actors that would test it within of our animals. Our horses had gone quiet and the would, within weeks, cause severe manipulators and the battle “Clever puppetry and inspired engineering by the Handspring life-size. This had raised the the demands of the story. needed to carry the emotional prototype was hanging alone repetitive strain injuries, and would scenes would need to be Puppet Company has taken the rough and ready representation spine substantially higher than We had also decided fairly weight of the show and how we in the big rehearsal room, the have to be completely redesigned. augmented with video. The of horses in theatre to a new level. Joey, Topthorn and two other shoulder height and my fear was early on that all the horses would did this was by focusing on the Spanish cleaning ladies dubbed To avoid injury the position of the script was still in development. equine stars are no longer mere Dobbins played by blokes inside that this increase in size had also be mute. In the novel, Joey, like movement. We compromised it ‘Rosinante’, the skeletal horse of controlling hand would have to More development time was baggy sheets. Rather, they are handsome steeds exhibiting raised the centre of gravity to an Black Beauty, is the narrator of the on the looks and perfected the Don Quixote. be turned through 90 degrees. needed on the puppets of realistic emotions and behaviours. impossible height. story. In the theatre this narrative movement. The final creation is The backpacks would also need which a full cast list had yet to “To those of us who admire the beauty and movement of So it was with a feeling of device could veer dangerously deliberately stark, it looks like it is some more lumbar support. materialise. There was no way horses, the onstage performance of the models in War Horse is immense relief that we watched near to anthropomorphism. So made of cane, gauze and leather Health and safety Next would be the the production could be ready inspirational and nearly always accurate. Indeed, the cane, metal these beefy actors carrying in the play the horses sound like with an aluminium structure - With a functioning horse now a convincing of Nick Starr, head to occupy its designated slot in and fabric structures that house the puppeteers are probably an adult on the horse almost we hear everyday horses. The which it is. possibility, the physiotherapist of finance at the National the Olivier Theatre. inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches of horse movement.” immediately. The downside puppeteers literally become their It gives the impression of from the Lion King was Theatre, that this project should War Horse was given extra was that they weren’t all voices by whinnying, neighing being like the drawing of a horse summoned to give an opinion go ahead. Factors militating time. Coram Boy, another of Dr Roger Mugford, The Sunday Telegraph puppeteers. Over the next and snorting when needed. and the viewer’s eye follows the on the effects of my operating against it were by now building Tom’s projects, was fast tracked

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into our slot and as fortune numbers have given puppetry a we do, which is driven by A related article by Adrian Kohler would have it was so successful boost in its claim for legitimacy. a love of the medium. The and Basil Jones of the Handspring that it ran to two seasons, As for the principles behind technical advances made in the Puppet Company concerning the affording us the time for the the puppetry, our craft has construction of the horses will craft of puppet-making will be building of all that eventually been pushed forward yet be usable in many different ways published in the Journal of Modern came to be required. again by the demands placed by ourselves and anyone else Craft, issue 2.3 (November 2009). on us. We continue to learn who needs them. For more information see: In the stalls the engineering behind what www.journalofmoderncraft.com MAKING The first season of War Horse at the National Theatre was a major BIOGRAPHY – Adrian Kohler breakthrough for Handspring Adrian Kohler spent a year at The Space Theatre in Cape Town, South Africa and another teaching as a production company and puppetry in Birmingham, UK before accepting a post as director of the University of Botswana’s for the acceptance of puppet National Popular Theatre Programme, which he ran until 1981. He then returned to South Africa theatre. The first night was to start Handspring Puppet Company. The company took shows on tour to schools for five LIGHT WORK an absolute success – the years before embarking on a series of productions for adults, which continues today. Kohler’s audience seemed amazed by works have been exhibited at the Museum for African Art in New York and at the South Africa At the micrometer to nanometer scale, powerful light the spectacle we had put before National Gallery and are held in public and private collections. He is the recipient of many awards them and the thought of it still including the 2008 Olivier Award for Set Design, shared with Rae Smith for War Horse. sources have unique properties that are now being brings tears to my eyes. harnessed by researchers to give new insights into biological Record-breaking audience The author would like to thank Chris Atkinson for help in the drafting of this article. mechanisms, chemical reactions and all-optical circuits. At the heart of these breakthroughs is the harnessing of the mechanical attraction of light for tiny objects, seen most obviously in ‘optical tweezers’. Professors Will Stewart, James Wilkinson and Kishan Dholakia write about the progress being made with optical manipulation tools.

During rehearsals, the actors and puppeteers had studied horse and rider behaviour with The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery. In a return gesture, Chester from A nanoscale silicon bridge that moves and ‘switches’. It is driven by light forces from light passing through it the cavalry brought along his rider to meet Topthorn (left) from War Horse as the performance began its run at the National Theatre © Simon Annand From Li et al, Yale University, University of Washington, Nature Photonics 3

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