GlennThoughts: All These Puppets!

In the history of theatre there have been many different styles of performance that have evolved. From early Indian theatre all the way to modern day western culture, puppets have been a staple of story telling and entertainment for centuries. The amazing thing is puppets have been used almost universally around the world. Puppetry and puppets themselves have also evolved almost as diversely as the cultures that have used them. It can be argued that the people of India were the first to use puppets or even the ancient Greeks; the truth is no one really knows. However, in ancient Sanskrit (dated 4,000 years ago) the narrator is called Sutradhar which is translated to “holder of the strings” which would be likened to a puppeteer.

Puppetry is the art of animating an inanimate object or manipulating puppets. In any puppet performance it is generally understood that a story will be told and characters will be involved, the characters being the puppets. Now if the puppet requires speech (which is not required) either the puppeteer(s) or a narrator will perform the parts usually. Last but not certainly least a puppet must be created.

Even though the definition is general most puppets resemble people and animals. A puppet can be made from any material from toilet tissue, leather, various metals, to even rocks. These creations can be of any size and shape;in fact the world’s largest puppet is 49ft 11inches and is a marionette. There are no set rules to making puppets or the manner in which the puppeteer operates it.

When attending a puppet performance, there are no set rules because it is all up to what the performance is about and where the performance is held. For instance, if you were to see a reenactment of “Death of a Salesman” performed by marionettes at the New Amsterdam Theater, you would behave just as you would at any serious Broadway play, clapping where it’s appropriate and quiet while the performance is going on. But if you went to see “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream” at a Shakespeare festival outdoors with hand puppets, you are more likely to be relaxed and find it okay to jeer and react with the performance. Your behavior and the setting is all up to the party putting the play on. However not all puppet performances are put on for entertainment, in India and most Asian countries a puppet show is a useful tool to teach spiritual and life lessons to both old and young.