my passing interests and activities
Posted in UNIMA, make, puppetry, puppets, sculpture, theatre on Apr 29th, 2008
On the last day of Unima 2008 Gary introduced me to his friends Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones, who co-founded and continue to run Handspring Puppet Company, and I was lucky enough to go backstage to see the puppets from Woyzeck on the Highveld. Thank you all!
The play itself had been […]
Posted in UNIMA, art, puppetry, puppets, theatre on Apr 21st, 2008
(Joan Baixas’ keynote at Unima 2008)
Gary Friedman has a small clip and description of a secret performance of Terra Prenyada (The Pregnant Earth) by the master puppeteer and Spanish artist, Joan Baixas, at Unima 2008. You can see it full screen if you watch it at YouTube. I wish I had seen the show; it […]
Posted in UNIMA, creatures, performance art, puppetry, puppets, street art, street theatre, theatre on Apr 4th, 2008
I’m spending the first few days here at the in Perth at the 20th UNIMA World Puppetry Festival doing the master class Making Ningyo-Joruri, given by Nori Sawa. I’m really enjoying it. Nori says his workshop usually takes a week, so we are working hard to fit it in in 3 1/2 long days. […]
Posted in creatures, make, portfolio, props, puppetry, puppets, sculpture, theatre on Jan 24th, 2008
I’m starting to get fond of the little elephant that I have been making over the last few days. That’s always a good sign.
He can do tricks! And now has cool trunk to look down modestly while trying to pretend he isn’t a Brave and Clever Elephant.
I have to set him aside to finish in […]
Posted in creatures, make, puppetry, puppets, review, theatre on Jan 21st, 2008
Warhorse, showing at the National Theatre in London, has some absolutely stunning life-size horse puppets, designed and made by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler from the South African Handspring Puppet Company.
Made of cane and gauze, plywood and bicycle brake-cable, nylon cord and leather, they are moved from the inside by actors, who can clearly be […]
Posted in craft, make, materials, portfolio, props, sculpture, theatre, tutorial on May 31st, 2007
I loved making these two little horses recently for an up-coming theatre production, Emma’s Dynasty, by Jigsaw Theatre Company. They are based on an earthenware Chinese Han Dynasty horse that is here in the Australian National Gallery collection, but they are tiny in comparison, only 17 cm high at the head. I really like […]
You might think I’m on a real anti-Howard bender today, especially since I’ve also just decided its time to stop posting to my Vigil blog, but I swear this video was found quite accidentally while I was trying out the new Alpha search engine (very cool). It’s such a good caricature, both in looks and […]
Posted in creatures, make, puppetry, puppets, review, theatre on Mar 22nd, 2007
I finally caught up with Walking with Dinosaurs: the Live Experience during its season in Adelaide. The dinosaurs are absolutely fabulous; huge realistic reptiles with fluid movement, thunderous roars, grunts and lowing, and where appropriate, menace. To achieve this live on such a grand scale is impressive, and represents a great pooling of skills in […]
Posted in puppetry, puppets, review, theatre on Mar 6th, 2007
(Honeydog awaiting his pink cranberry! waistcoat. Photo credit: Attit Patel, Toronto Life)
I caught Ronnie Burkett’s 10 Days on Earth up in Sydney last week, and it is a real treat. If you get a chance to see it, go!
The story is about Darrel, who is middle-aged and simple. His life revolves around his elderly mother, […]
Ronnie Burkett’s new show 10 Days on Earth is coming to Sydney in from 15 February - 3 March, and there is an early bird special of $38 for tickets bought for any performance from 15th to 20th February (a saving of $10 on a normal adult price). The offer expires at 5pm on Friday […]
