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  • 1.  PUPPET UNIT HELP

    Posted 02-20-2017 10:05
    I am doing a Puppetry unit with my Theatre 1's (9th grade).  I plan to look at Shadow Puppetry, Hand Puppets, Marionettes, & Body Puppets. Examples from Jim Henson everything, The Lion King, War Horse, maybe brief mention of Avenue Q.  

    What am I missing?

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    Jessica Shaw
    Speech and Drama Teacher
    Alexandria VA
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  • 2.  RE: PUPPET UNIT HELP

    Posted 02-20-2017 10:51
    The dragon in Shrek? 
    Any mention of Avenue Q to and under-college set makes me nervous, but my community is pretty straight laced.

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    Dianne Rowe
    Birmingham AL
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  • 3.  RE: PUPPET UNIT HELP

    Posted 02-20-2017 11:00
    There's a really cool production of 'Everyman' on Youtube by the Portland Community College. They used puppets for the virtues instead of just people. REALLY cool idea. I just showed it to my Theatre 1 for our Medieval Theatre unit.

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    Heather Cribbs
    Theatre Director
    New Smyrna Beach High School
    New Smyrna Beach, FL
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  • 4.  RE: PUPPET UNIT HELP

    Posted 02-21-2017 13:50
    Jessica - I have come across some really great full-body "walking" puppets on Pinterest.com recently. Some super cool ones can be found on cardboarders.com.  Also search "puppets in parades" on Pinterest for some other neat stuff - The giant puppets used in the May Day Parade in Minneapolis are awesome! So many ideas - I am dying to one day research and create some amazing puppets like these with advanced students.

    Finger puppets might also be a simple, inexpensive project to explore the creation of puppets to be used in a short script or children's story or something. Finger puppets can be easily made with felt, glue and some small fabric scraps and craft bits (ie: glitter, beads, googly eyes, yarn, buttons, etc) *Search West African finger puppets on Pinterest to see some cool examples.

    There is also a Puppeteers of America Conference. I don't know a thing about it, but maybe you can find some info there.

    And don't forget about Bunraku - the tradition of Japanese puppet theatre! Many times students get little information about historical global theatre traditions.
    Good luck and have fun!





  • 5.  RE: PUPPET UNIT HELP

    Posted 02-21-2017 20:39
    The Center for Puppetry Arts (specifically Aretta Baumgartner) in Atlanta is a great resource. I did a unit on Bunraku with my Grade 9 last semester that went over wonderfully. If you'd like to know about it, let me know.

    Yours in Art,

    Jason

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    Jason Robert LeClair, MA
    Artist/Arts Educator
    Director, Thespian Troupe 7444
    Beacon Charter High School for the Arts
    Woonsocket, RI
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  • 6.  RE: PUPPET UNIT HELP

    Posted 02-22-2017 10:08
    National Theatre has a great video playlist!
    I have my classes make a paper man puppet and then we create scenes from poetry.
    I've also done the Jabberwocky with different groups creating the different characters as puppets and then we put the whole thing together. 
    National Theatre: Puppetry - YouTube
    YouTube remove preview
    National Theatre: Puppetry - YouTube
    Actors aren't the only way to portray characters on stage. A great deal of variety can be achieved through the use of puppets, which can be made out of <g class="gr_ gr_31 gr-alert gr_spell gr_run_anim gr_inline_cards ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="31" data-gr-id="31">almos</g>...
    View this on YouTube >


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    Mallory Nonnemaker
    Drama Teacher
    Dawson County High School
    Georgia
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