PuppetryParade Puppetry
Video Puppetry
Shadows Dance With Words (Jeff's article on shadow puppets- advantages & suggestions for construction)
Envier & Envied Man Video (at Honolulu Forgiveness Festival '05)
SHADOW SHOW STORIES with PHOTOS
*The Envier & The Envied Man (6 photos)*Legend Of The Poinsettia (4 photos)
*Silver Nose (8 photos)
*Wind ‘N Rain (4 photos) *Arabian Nights: The Sorceress (laptop shadow show)
My story shows often include shadow puppetry.
For over 20 years in Oahu’s Summer Fun Programs, I've wiggled cut-outs on an overhead projector to illustrate tales. The set-up is fast, the images are billboard size, it fascinates the kids, I’m visible, it's high touch- low tech, and it varies the programs wonderfully. In Turkey for the Karagoz Shadow Puppet Festival (’04) I was a bit of a sensation because my techniques were VERY different. And I told some Arabian Night tales, and I was American, and friendly! So were they. In Thailand (’03) the visuals of the shadow shows helped the thai children struggling to learn English a LOT. Shadow puppets also appear with hand puppets in my early kid’s video (VHS), Silly ‘N Spooky. I even did a shadow puppets and storytelling workshop at the National Storytelling Conference (99). I wrote it up in a concise Storytelling Magazine Article called 'Shadows Dance with Words' (in Articles on this site) .
In formal theme shows, I’ve continued the tradition begun in Italy with 'Dream Theater' (experimental Mask, Mime & Puppetry) using shadow puppets on an overhead projector to illustrate sections of the narrative (used in sections of my Arabian Nights, ItalianTales, Yo Pharaoh & Wind & Rain, and in various ‘Art Off the Wall’ shows over its 3 years, where performance art interpreted visual art exhibits in Honolulu’s Contemporary Museum).
In the Arabian Nights Series, for Shaharazad’s First Tale (04) I created a shadow puppet stage which sits on my lap (a laptop shadow shows, right). The small screen is lit from behind by a candle, and my face is also lit and visible.... very endearing.
I’ve directed children to act behind a lit screen (so they are shadow puppets), which has resurfaced in treatments for the Arabian Night Tales in various ways. When I first toured Oahu’s schools (82-84) I did several shadow puppet shows (7 Star Sisters, Emily’s Friends). With Storybook Theater, I interpreted “Swimmy” using big & small puppets in popular preschool shows. Photos here show you.
STORYTELLING & PUPPETRY
TCM (The Contemporary Museum of Honolulu) Shadow Puppets show/ class & talk for Puppet Show (fall ’07), in several other intertpretive shows, and throughout Art Off The Wall Series (97-00)20 years of solo telling in museums, all school levels, public & private events, radio & TV. This includes 50+ shows for the Parks Department annually, which includes 8,000 Summer Fun kids (pre, el. teens) 3 shows daily 4 days a week for 5-7 weeks (since ’87!). Shadow shows are a part of my performances.
Karagoz Shadow Puppet Festival in Bursa, Turkey ’04, 2 weeks of shows & sharing, International gathering.
Shadow Shows at Kennesaw Univ (Georgia ‘08), college student workshop. Thailand (’03) helping to teach English to students. Arabian Nights Series (1/03-6/04) includes overhead projector & lap-top shadows in telling of epic tales with 2 musicians and a belly dancer in plush Chinatown restaurant, Honolulu (see The Sorceress above). Tales of Wind ‘N Rain (6-8/01) duet weaving comedy, tales, music, and puppets expanding horrific English Ballad of The Two Sisters (Arts @ Mark’s Garage)(see photos above). Yo Pharaoh! (8/00) interpreting Ancient Egyptian mythology (Honolulu Academy of Art commission) and school tour. First Night (90-98) annually, did storytelling, large puppets, arts 'n crafts, parade characters in 8 hour street theater/improvisations. It was a RIOT of fun and puppet improvisations- see parade Puppets in this section. Children's Theatre (83-90) 10 touring preschool & annual Artists-In-The-Schools shows. (Swimmy). Florence, Italy (80-82) Directed/ produced/ acted in 'Dream Theatre', experimental mask & mime (while caretaking a villa). Ongoing Tours & Festivals in Italy, 13 city German Tour (6/82). Also realized a mask theater show with 200 country elementary school kids.
