Puppetry: A Reader in Theatre Practice

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In this sophisticated and compelling introduction to puppet theatre, Penny Francis offers engaging contemporary perspectives on this universal art-form. She provides an account of puppetry's different facets, from its demands and techniques, through its uses and abuses, to its history and philosophy. Now recognized as a valuable and powerful medium used in the making of most forms of theatre and filmed work, those referring to Puppetry will discover something of the roots, dramaturgy, literature and techniques of this visual art form. The book gathers together material from an international selection of sources, bringing puppet theatre to life for the student, practitioner and amateur alike.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Acknowledgements (p. ix)
• Series Editor's Preface (p. xiii)
• List of Illustrations (p. xiv)
• Introduction (p. 1)
• 1 Approach (p. 4)
• Puppetry, the art and the act (p. 5)
• 'Puppet theatre' and a 'theatre with puppets' (p. 10)
• The puppet: animated figure and object (p. 13)
• The animated object (p. 18)
• The puppeteer (p. 24)
• 2 Related Arts (p. 35)
• Masks (p. 35)
• Automata (p. 39)
• Ventriloquism (p. 46)
• 3 Techniques (p. 49)
• Rod and string marionettes (p. 50)
• Nether-rods (p. 54)
• Glove or hand puppets (p. 58)
• Shadows and silhouettes (p. 62)
• Humanettes (p. 67)
• Toy or paper theatre (p. 68)
• Model Theatre (p. 69)
• 'Black Light' and 'Black Theatre' (p. 69)
• 'Tabletop', 'Bunraku-style' or 'rear-rod' (p. 70)
• 4 In Performance (p. 75)
• Writing (p. 77)
• Directing puppets (p. 82)
• Design and making (p. 85)
• Street theatre (p. 87)
• Stages and other playing spaces (p. 89)
• Lighting design (p. 89)
• Sound design (p. 91)
• Puppeteer and actor (p. 91)
• 5 Dramaturgy (p. 97)
• Puppet production scripts (p. 97)
• Playscripts for children (p. 109)
• Devised and mixed media productions (p. 114)
• 6 Aesthetics (p. 121)
• On the marionette theatre (p. 121)
• Puppetry aesthetics at the start of the twenty-first century (p. 126)
• On Bunraku (p. 133)
• Notes on puppet primitives and the future of an illusion (p. 136)
• The use of puppetry and the theatre of objects in the performing arts of today (p. 141)
• 7 History (p. 145)
• Pre-theatre (p. 146)
• The early puppet 'show' (p. 149)
• The Middle Ages (p. 150)
• Puppets in Commedia dell' Arte (p. 153)
• The beginning of recognition (p. 156)
• Puppets and opera (p. 157)
• A growth industry (p. 160)
• Modernism and a new language (p. 166)
• Soviet riches (p. 169)
• A distinct theatre art (p. 173)
• The contemporary revival (p. 175)
• Conclusion (p. 178)
• Bibliography (p. 179)
• Index (p. 187)