Our student blog continues!
In this post, Christina Bain, who described the creation of Stanislav and Skeletons, discusses what it was like to create a show with her puppet in our August 2023 workshop, where we performed at the Letni Letna Summer Festival, one of the most popular summer events in Prague.
Ok, I realise I promised not to wax lyrical about my time in Prague but...I lied. It would be utterly remiss of me not to tell you a little more about my month in this puppet wonderland.
Following the designing, carving, painting and costuming of Stanislav there was now a show to prepare! In our brief we had been asked to create characters from the Czech folk tale, Dlouhy, Siroky and Bystrozraky (Long, Broad and Sharpsighted). This is the daring tale of a Prince rescuing a Princess with the help of his magically talented companions; Dlouhy (Long) who can stretch his body across vast distances; Siroky (Broad) who can expand enough to drink entire lakes; Bystrozraky (Sharpsighted) whose eyes are so powerful that flames erupt in the intensity of the gaze. The princess has been captured by an evil wizard and the friends must journey far to save her from his grasp. Stanislav, the wizard's evil butler, was plotting behind the scenes as I was called upon to fill the heroic role of the Prince (of course, I hear you cry.)
This all-encompassing process is what drew me to this course in this first place. I don't think there is any other like it! Where else you can try your hand at every stage of a puppet production, including participating in a live performance at a huge festival? Each aspect of the creation is guided by Mirek but also by other specialist artists including a professional director. With his guidance we learn how to manipulate our brand new puppets and create our show.
Letni Letna is Prague's international circus and theatre festival. Set in the beautiful Letna park there really isn't a better place to try out your puppetry chops and see award winning performances from across the globe. Leah and Mirek set us up with tickets to as many shows as we can cram into our busy puppet making schedule. I think one of my favourite aspects of the Czech puppetry tradition is that after the show, you get to meet the puppets! I eagerly joined every queue of children post show to meet the stars. Every time I am struck by the ingenuity and diversity of this medium. The mechanisms, the artistry, the huge variety of styles and methods. There is so much to see and learn!
Our own performance is open-air on a large stretch of green beside the lake. We construct our little set - which we painted and built ourselves in the workshop (yes, I am bragging a little now, I'm not saying the rock I painted was the best one but I think it was particularly memorable). With the set up, the show ready, our rail of tiny wooden actor's backstage and ready for their entrance, it is time for the show!
Wait a second, audience. We need an audience. This is something all our Czech friends have been especially chill about. I am coming from the experience of putting on shows at the Edinburgh Fringe. If you have ever visited Edinburgh in August you will have had a taste of that chaos and the frantic, desperate show people shoving fliers at you from every angle while you're trying to walk to the bus. Aside from our beautifully painted poster boards (not my work but that of my fellow compatriots) there was very little advertising. How will we fill our little patch of field I ask?
"Bells"
"Bells?"
"Yep. Bells."
Turns out there is a Czech tradition of ringing three bells before a theatre show, when the bells are heard the people gather. Sceptically we stand on the hill and ring our little bells. It really is some sort of puppet theatre magic. From the very ether children and families seemed to appear. Every time I glanced around the set there seemed to be more and more of them until we were playing to an audience of over a hundred!
We are a hit! The children absolutely love it. Our show is mostly wordless (with the odd bit of slightly dodgy Czech pronunciation here and there) but the children have no problem following the familiar tale. The culture of puppetry and puppet theatre is so clear to see in the sheer delight they had in the show and then in meeting the puppets afterwards. They barely noticed the humans holding them at all, interacting fully with the little wooden characters.
I am going to use the word magic again because there is no other way to describe it. The whole experience, the puppet making, the puppet shows, the trips to puppet museums and workshops organised by Leah, our own show, the Letni Letna festival, it was nothing short of magical.
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