Puppetry: It’s Not Just Sesame Street!

This week we took a look at different theatre traditions from around the world. I had briefly learned about some of these traditions in my Theatre 100 class in my first year of university, but we had not spent too much time on it. We had discussed Sanskrit and Noh in that class, and in my EDRA class, we talked about Commedia dell’Arte and Puppetry. I have actually seen many of the videos we were to watch for this week in these classes. I thought about why we so rarely see other theatre traditions, as, before university, I had not heard about any of these traditions, with the exception of Puppetry. I believe that Western theatre has such a grip on our society, we feel that our theatre is the only worthwhile type. 

While watching Sanskrit and Noh, I was intrigued, but I felt like I could not be fully immersed in the video. I wondered if this would change if I understood the language or had been able to watch the performance from the start. I used to be a big reader when I was younger, but as I got older, I realized I am only really one to enjoy a fast-paced novel. I wonder if my need for fast-paced books, movies, and even theatre is a side effect of continual immediate access to information in the internet age. When looking at Noh tradition, such as the slow entrance to the main stage, I feel like I would quickly become frustrated. As a result of Western thinking, I think my enjoyment of different cultural traditions of theatre is squandered. I also feel like I would not have the patience for any theatre that goes beyond 2 hours, and some theatre traditions go on for days. 

The video I was most intrigued by this week was the one depicting Puppetry. I thought it was amazing how so much emotion could be displayed without the use of dialogue or changes in facial expressions. I also enjoyed how the puppeteer became a vital part of the story, as the puppet becomes aware that he is being controlled. Sometimes I find it hard to focus on the magic of the puppets because I can’t see past the puppeteers controlling the puppets. However, with the puppeteer being part of the story, it did not matter that I could not look past them because it was important that I saw them. I also enjoyed how this theatre utilized music to convey meaning instead of dialogue because I am a huge music fan. I always pick up on and frequently listen to movie soundtracks because I love how they add to the story. Up to this point, I feel like I had mostly seen puppets in the mainstream being used to show ventriloquism skills or teaching kids how to be humans on Seasame Street. This performance changed my perspective on Puppetry and on how versatile it can be. 

Attached below is the puppetry video that inspired me!