I happened to catch this one morning while surfing around and (dag nab it!) i didn't have the recorder going. But the statement by the puppeteer about the art of puppetry is one of the finest statements of the artist and their muses. My highest praises to the author, as well as the entire cast and crew.
I especially liked the connexion between the performer and their alter-ego and how they "breathe life" into the puppet. When we see a really good ventriloquist, we really *do* get the impression of a second person being there.
One might ask how the aesthetics of the puppeteer differ from theatre. After all, they both involve the basics of "story": The narrative, an actor, a writer whose words are the "cold text", a director who steps "off the stage" (ie, through the so-called "fourth wall" which we "read" as "the audience")...
The director seeks to view from the audience's point of view how the "mere" narrative will be transformed into *story*.
But, for the puppetter, ALL of these roles are combined being even more challenging than the standup comic or the "one man/woman act" - they have to be BOTH the "George and Gracie" of the act.
I especially liked the connexion between the performer and their alter-ego and how they "breathe life" into the puppet. When we see a really good ventriloquist, we really *do* get the impression of a second person being there.
One might ask how the aesthetics of the puppeteer differ from theatre. After all, they both involve the basics of "story": The narrative, an actor, a writer whose words are the "cold text", a director who steps "off the stage" (ie, through the so-called "fourth wall" which we "read" as "the audience")...
The director seeks to view from the audience's point of view how the "mere" narrative will be transformed into *story*.
But, for the puppetter, ALL of these roles are combined being even more challenging than the standup comic or the "one man/woman act" - they have to be BOTH the "George and Gracie" of the act.
- Frank Leeding, 2008.03.04