Enlarging the Moment - Unfolding Life through Puppetry

 Aduni & th​e Watertutu : Rehearsing under the mid-morning sun

Project : Workshop with Puppetry leading to a Performance

Location: Rishi Valley School, India

Year : January, 2013

Project Duration : 2 weeks

Age Group : 16 years 

Group Size : 20

A group of 20 young students were taken through a workshop with Puppet and Set construction, and Puppeteering, towards a Production at the end of a two week duration.The puppets were designed and pre-made to some extent, giving the students an insight into the basic structures of the puppets, the processes towards achieving the forms, and the making and rendering of faces. The students assisted the Workshop Team with final rendering of the puppets and painting of the backdrops for the various scenes.

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Simultaneously, through videos and exercises, the students were introduced to various existing forms of puppetry and to the power of puppetry. They were initiated into the process of animating the inanimate, passing life force through to an object and establishing a symbiosis. The maquette making exercises gave them a chance to make their own simple puppets and gave them the first experience of co-ordinating movement between puppeteers.



Their co-ordination and ability to synchronize their movements was further challenged while working with the completed Puppets for the production. Beginning with simple eye-coordination exercises with the puppets, and a few different 'walks' and basic movements from the script, the subsequent week was intense with mastering lines from the script and the maneuvering of the puppets. 



The music and sound was also edited and handled by a student from the group, as were the lights.

With such a limited time frame to work within, with no prior experience with puppetry and very simple lighting facility, the students rose to the task beautifully. Growing in their individual strengths, towards the last three days, the already close-knit group came together with quiet yet exuberant confidence. This amalgamation was essential to the puppeteering. A perfect example of the power of a group and its dynamics with Performance.



For images of the performance, view Aduni and the Watertutu

Project : Assistantship with Simon Banham

Production : In the Penal Colony by Philip Glass

Company : Music Theatre Wales

Year: September-November 2010

Location : Touring. Debut at the Linbury Theatre of the Royal Opera House, London

Directed by Michael McCarthy

Conducted by Michael Rafferty

Designed by Simon Banham