Puppet Theatre Research Articles

Musical and Theatrical Creativity in the Logos of Music History

The purpose of the article is to analyse the productions of the 21st century musical and theatrical works of the 19th – 20th centuries in the aspect of postmodernism and baroque. The methodology of the work includes scientific methods (source studies, historical, generalising) and methods of comparative analysis to reveal the specifics of postmodern performances. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that sources in foreign languages have been introduced into scientific circulation, and an analysis of musical and theatrical works has been carried out. Conclusions. It is noted that at all times the opera remains a musical-dramatic performance with a synthesis of arts that affect human feelings and immerse in audiovisual art. Postmodern music and theatre creativity, as well as baroque art, are aimed at evoking affects (states of mind) through various influences. In postmodernism, this is already the systemic influence of singing, dancing, modern technologies with the immersion of the audience in the action and plot complications, which also contribute to the transmission of various affective states. In the Baroque era, the composer was not considered an original genius, and their creativity and works were not untouched. The performer was allowed to interpret the written text. Postmodern period plays are characterised by: changing the libretto (E. Humperdinck’s "Hansel and Gretel" ("Jeníček a Mařenka", 1890, 2015); A. Dvořák’s "The Devil and Káča" ("Čert a Káča", 1899, 2016); "A soldier and a dancer". According to the functional sphere and the city of performance, parts of the work could be omitted or replaced. Actually, what we observe today, in the art of postmodernism is a reinterpretation of the heroes and their functions (Hansel and Gretel are not just poor children, but circus students, where the father is a director). Features of domestic comedy, fairy tale – in baroque opera were complemented by masks and tragic events. In post-modern performances, masks are replaced by puppets, for example, in the operas of B. Martin "The Soldier and the Dancer", E. Humperdinck "Hansel and Gretel", A. Dvořák "The Devil and the Duck". A parallel with the French baroque opera-ballet in the works of postmodernism is the strengthening of the role of dance in opera performances ("The Devil and Kacha", ballet with singing by B. Martin "Spalicek"). Plots with real and fairy-tale-fantasy characters, which are similar to the "myth" ("Hansel and Gretel", "The Devil and the Duck"). The external spectacularity and scale in Baroque works resonate with the specific stage design: inn, hell, palace ("Devil and Kacha"); animation of the middle of the 20th century – Disney pictures ("Hansel and Gretel"); the image of the Soldier – the world of dreams – childhood with dolls – a machine with dolls ("The Soldier and the Dancer").
 Keywords: postmodernism, logos of music history, baroque, baroque opera, opera, ballet, opera-ballet, music and theatre art, elements of puppet theatre, stage design, libretto.

Folk Tale “Eglė, the Queen of Serpents” [Eglė Žalčių Karalienė] on the Soviet Stage as a Representation of Lithuanian Culture

A folk tale “Eglė, the Queen of Serpents” is one of the most exceptional Lithuanian mythical tales, which has received a lot of attention from researchers of Indo-European mythology. After a Lithuanian poetess Salomėja Nėris (1904–1945) wrote a poem following the plot of the fairy tale, it became extremely popular on the Lithuanian stage during the Soviet period. Performances based on this tale or poem not only received several productions on different puppet theater stages, but there was also a ballet written by the composer Eduardas Balsys (1919–1984) which went through several different adaptations on the opera stage. This article will analyze the characteristics of this tale based poem, discuss its stage productions and the reasons for their popularity, and their significance for Lithuanian culture in the Soviet period. The study refers to the works of of G. Kadžytė, A. Kapočiūtė, H. Šabaševičius, E. Tarasti, N. Vėlius, A. Žiūraitytė, W. Wolf, and others, and is based on comparative methodology.

The Crimean Puppet Theatre in the Time of Borys Azarov

The creative activity of the Crimean Puppet Theater at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century during the artistic leadership of Honoured Art Worker of Ukraine Borys Azarov is analyzed. The article represents the figure of the artistic director of the theater as well as the brightest members of the theater team. The role of outstanding composers (A. Karamanov, L. Etinger, L. Khytryak and E. Pshemetskyi), scenographers (L. Restenko, I. Uvarova, A. Chechyk, etc.), ballet masters (L. Kotlyarenko, V. Dontsov) in the productions of iconic plays of the theater is emphasized. The article contains creative portraits of leading actors and an analysis of their acting roles in the best performances of the Crimean Academic Puppet Theater. The article outlines iconic stagings of the creative team, their innovative significance in the context of theater art on the border of the late Soviet period and the period of independence of Ukraine, the unique repertoire policy of the theater, the involvement of outstanding Ukrainian and foreign directors in cooperation with the theater (S. Yefremov, S. Bryzhan, Yu. Sikalo , T. Zhukov, etc.) the emergence of new forms, the creation of the first performances in the Ukrainian language in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as well as performances based on Crimean-Tatar national folklore. Emphasis is placed on the creative achievements of the theater team as such which require in-depth further research.

Ukrainian Theater After the Full-Scale Russian Invasion: A New Reading of Canonical Plays

The article analyzes the new senses that appeared in the 2021–2022 Ukrainian theater performances of canonical works. Two of the productions in question are based on Ukrainian classical texts, namely Taras Shevchenko’s “mystery poem” “Velykyi Lyokh” (The Great Dungeon) and Lesya Ukrainka’s dramatic poem Cassandra. The other two productions, based on Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus Rex and Albert Camus’ play Caligula, consciously seek answers to the challenges of the new Ukrainian reality in the canon of world drama. The full-scale Russian invasion has made the well-known meanings in these works more clearly visible and added new ones. Against the backdrop of media discussions about the mental health of the Russian president, Caligula by the Ivan Franko Theater (Kyiv) reflects on the psychology of an authoritarian ruler. Oedipus Rex by the Theater on Podil (Kyiv) shows why the demand for justice is growing in wartime society and the moral side of actions is becoming increasingly important. The Great Dungeon by the Poltava Puppet Theater tells the dramatic story of the Russo-Ukrainian War through the prism of Shevchenko’s historical analogies. Cassandra by the Ivan Franko Theater creates the atmosphere of an vulnerable, open-air space where every inhabitant, except for the protagonist, prefers to protect themselves with fanciful constructions of ephemeral illusions. While the tragic reality of the Russо-Ukrainian War has led to the emergence of a large body of contemporary drama that interprets the new experience of Ukrainian society, the war reality has become a prerequisite for a significant rethinking of theatrical texts from the Ukrainian and Western European canon. Thus, Ukrainian theater is actively engaging with the new reality, intervening in various ways in current public discussions that aim to comprehend the drama of the war, and creating a safe space for a common emotional response to the latest tragic experience.

Towards Re-enchantment of the Wayang Puppet Theatre: Puppeteers as Agents of Morality in the Contemporary Indonesian Society

Towards Re-enchantment of the Wayang Puppet Theatre: Puppeteers as Agents of Morality in the Contemporary Indonesian Society

Predicting the Role of Motivation, Sensation-Seeking, and Constraints in Shaping Visitors’ Intention and Stage of reading to Visit a Folk Theatre

Purpose: The study investigates the impact of motivation, sensation-seeking, constraint, and attitude on visit intention and stage of readiness associated with a folk theatre, specifically the Bharata People Theatre. Design/Methodology/Approach: The collected data includes 260 participants in Jakarta using a convenient sampling method. We analysed the collected data through exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modelling. The study tested various hypotheses related to the influence of motivation, sensation-seeking, constraint, and attitude on visit intention and stage of readiness. Findings: The results showed significant relationships between motivation and attitude, motivation and visit intention, sensation-seeking and visit intention and attitude and visit intention. However, the study did not find a significant relationship between constraint and visit intention, motivation and readiness, sensation-seeking and readiness or attitude and readiness. Research, Practical & Social implications: This study contributes to the current knowledge of marketing folk theatres, specifically the Bharata People Puppet Theatre. The study emphasises the significance of motivation, sensation-seeking, and attitude in influencing visitors’ intentions to attend cultural performances. However, the non-significant relationships between constraint and readiness and between attitude and readiness suggest the need for a better understanding of the factors affecting visitors’ readiness to engage in cultural performances. Originality/Value: The study provides valuable insights for theatre managers and marketers to design effective strategies to attract and engage audiences.

Efforts to increase English vocabulary skills using puppet theater and flashcards at TK Islam Amaryllis, Cibubur

This community service activity aims to increase English vocabulary in daily life for the kindergarten level at TK Islam Amaryllis, Cibubur. At the kindergarten stage, aspects of physical and psychosocial development are needed, which include intellectual, language, motoric, and social-emotional development. Besides that, especially the introduction of English vocabularies. Socialization, demonstration, and practice (with puppet theater and flashcards as media), and evaluation are the stages carried out in this program. The result is that students at TK Islam Amaryllis, Cibubur, have increased their knowledge of English vocabulary, which can be used for further levels of education by using or demonstrating learning media, namely puppet theater and flashcards.

Study on the Development Path of Lingbi Shadow Theater in the Age of Self-media

As an intangible cultural heritage of Anhui Province, how to better inheritance and development is an important issue that Lingbi shadow theatre is facing now. This project mainly explores how Lingbi shadow theatre can make use of the fast and convenient self-media platform to reach the public in the age of self-media. Through the field investigation method, literature reading method and other research methods, we study the artistic characteristics and cultural connotation of Lingbi Shadow Opera, and analyse the dilemmas and reasons it is facing nowadays. According to the communication methods and advantages of self media, combining with the current development situation of Lingbi shadow theatre and the humanities of Lingbi County, we discuss how to combine Lingbi shadow theatre with self media to give full play to its cultural value, economic value, social value and so on. It is proposed to combine traditional media, new media and self-media, everyone can be a non-heritage communicator, and develop cultural and creative products, in order to expand the audience of Lingbi shadow theatre and achieve the common development of self-media and Lingbi shadow theatre. This study is based on the national policy of protecting intangible cultural heritage, the inheritance and development of Lingbi shadow puppet theatre, not to cater to the public to destroy its own cultural characteristics, and to strengthen the supervision of its output culture while using self media. In conclusion, through the results of this study, new vitality is injected into Lingbi shadow theatre, and it is hoped to provide some references and lessons for the inheritance and development of other intangible cultural heritages in China.

The integration of traditional culture and educational drama for young children based on the AdaBoost model

Abstract However, the integration of traditional culture and modern children’s theater education is not smooth in digitalizing big data information. Take shadow puppet theater. Its traditional culture is no longer as brilliant as yesterday due to the problems of not easy preservation and disconnected content. This paper focuses on integrating traditional culture and educational drama for young children based on the AdaBoost model. Firstly, we understand the principle, concept, and algorithm of the AdaBoost model by finding literature, constructing the AdaBoost-BPN prediction model and AdaBoost-WBLS model, and adopting ordinary BPN weak predictor, AdaBoost-BPN The AdaBoost-BPN prediction model and the AdaBoost-BPN prediction model with “weekend factor” were used to predict the traditional culture and educational drama of young children, and the prediction error evaluated the prediction results. Has higher integration training efficiency. In the integration weight update, different regularization update methods are used for different data categories to retain the features of the data and increase the inter-class distinction. WBLS is used as the base classifier and the optimization method of embedding WBLS in the AdaBoost framework to improve the performance of the integration of early childhood traditional text and educational drama. The results show that the AdaBoost-WBLS model has significantly improved G-mean on dichotomous and multiclassified datasets compared with similar models, with higher accuracy and better ability to handle unbalanced data. This study is conducive to planning the design of the teaching process according to the characteristics of the integration and change of traditional culture and educational drama for young children, and the combination of traditional culture represented by shadow puppet theater and children’s drama education is of great significance and value in guiding young children to establish the correct three views, stimulating their imagination and creativity, and promoting the development of their aesthetic education.

Analysis/Reflection on the Influence of Combining Chinese Shadow Play with Digital Art for Foreign and Domestic Audiences

This project focuses on the preservation and dissemination of Chinese Shadow Play, an intangible cultural heritage. In terms of methodology, digitizing traditional Shadow Play is an innovative attempt to break through geographical and content limitations to increase the audience and content diversity of shadow plays. The combination of traditional shadow puppet theater and 3D digital art can enrich the experience, increase interactivity, and lower the cost of viewing conditions, thus bringing the audience closer to shadow puppet theater. In terms of plot, traditional shadow plays’ content is limited to Chinese myths and fables, which is far removed from the modern tide of entertainment; instead, recent events and mixed-cultural elements can effectively innovate the scripts, integrate timely social topics, and explore new possibilities of shadow puppet content, so that shadow plays can become a cultural channel to reflect social issues. In addition, the project hopes to promote concern for the employment environment of older artists and disadvantaged groups in the process of traditional cultural creation, protect the traditional cultural creation environment, and provide a stable employment environment and community for shadow puppet craftsmen. Finally, unexplored financial value of shadow theater can be discovered via combining shadow puppet theater culture with the wider cultural and creative industry. We can develop new cultural and creative products while maintaining the traditional culture of shadow puppetry, such as integrating puppetry elements into everyday items and its proceeds of sell would give shadow play new commercial values.

Going “Viral”

Wayang kulit (traditional shadow puppet theatre) is one of the most important performing arts in present-day Java. Even during the pandemic, performers did not abandon their vocation and employed various online platforms to share their art. Although the use of social media for advertising and, occasionally, livestreaming traditional performances was not entirely unprecedented, the circumstances of 2020 have clearly contributed to the significant acceleration of these trends. Issues of global mediatization and virtual participation have become crucial elements within the shadow puppet theatre of the so-called jaman now (“the time of now”). Some of the most famous puppeteers of Central Java, Ki Cahyo Kuntadi and Ki Seno Nugroho, invented new formats, such as wayang elektrik and wayang climen, and adopted new marketing strategies to meet a new audience demand in a time of social distance. These new forms contributed to confirm and speed-up transformation processes already embryonal to the wayang art and drastically changed the function and fruition of one of the most important Javanese performing arts. Uniting practice-led research and digital ethnography, this article intends to offer an example of how oral traditions are affected by the social and technological reverberations of the pandemic era.

Actors as Co-Creators in Contemporary Latvian Theatre

In Latvian theatre, the last decade has been a time of significant changes regarding the working methods of independent theatre movements. Two of the oldest independent theatres in Riga – Dirty Deal Teatro and Ģertrūde Street Theatre – have become a centre for various theatre productions, therefore moving towards the model of state repertoire theatres. Meanwhile, in recent years, several new theatre companies and creative groups have appeared in the field. Theatre troupe KVADRIFRONS, formed by four young actors having just graduated from the Latvian Academy of Culture, as well as the theatre company esARTe, led by director and teacher Elmārs Seņkovs and the ‘scandalous’ young actors trained in the so-called puppet theatre course at the Latvian Academy of Culture, – these are just a few examples of the new creative formations in Latvian theatre. While in repertoire theatre the creative process mostly lies on the shoulders of the stage director, the aforementioned theatre companies highlight the importance of the actor as co-creator – both in the artistic (devised theatre methods), and the administrative process (actors as managers, etc.). Has the profession of actor changed from performer to administrator? How does the administrative status of the newly founded theatre companies influence the work of freelance actors? How has the status of the actor changed in today’s society? The research tackles the topic of actor as co-creators focusing on the examples and experiences of new independent Latvian theatre companies and including significant social, as well as aesthetical aspects.

Ophelia by Bread and Puppet Theater at Theater for the New City (review)

Ophelia by Bread and Puppet Theater at Theater for the New City (review)

Становление жанров драматургии в контексте развития жанрово-родового сознания первых чувашских писателей

The paper deals with the little-studied problem of the folklore origins of drama genres in Chuvash literature. The aim of the study is to identify the folklore origins of individual genres of national drama as the genre-mode consciousness of the first Chuvash writers. Children’s and youth role-playing games, the wedding ceremony, the folklore genre “peyĕt”, which include the characteristic features and elements of drama and theatre serve as the primary sources of Chuvash drama. It is these sources that influenced the formation of the comedic and tragic consciousness of the first Chuvash writers G. Komissarov, K. Ivanov, F. Pavlov and others. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that it considers the origins of drama forms through the lens of genre-mode consciousness formation among the first Chuvash writers. Ethnographic descriptions and terms involved as the research material are considered as one of the foundations of the national dramatic art. The results of the study showed that “văiă” (game, puppet theater), “kamit” (comic performance), “peyĕt” (plot songs) act as the fundamental ethnic constants in the development of comedic and tragic consciousness in Chuvash fiction. These influenced the emergence of various genre-style directions in national drama, namely the formation of the genres of comedy and tragedy.

A Look at Uzbek Puppet Theater

A child’s mind looking at the world with joy is an example of white paper, and his heart is equally innocent. In this sense, the issue of upbringing is a process that requires careful thought, diligence and a deep mental approach. It is not appropriate to write or choose a work without taking into account the age of children, and clearly distinguishing the age group of the audience is the most important component. Puppet theater and theater art in general have special educational, ideological and aesthetic functions in the education of our young generation. The article talks about puppet theater and the attention paid to this field in Uzbekistan.

"Time of Theatre or How We Made a Fairy Tale with Auntie Ilonka, the Wild Woman"

"There is human time and there is wild time. But there is also the time of love and peace and care. And there is the time when stories are born. The text describes the puppet performance for adults called Ilonka. Ileana Lăcătuș, Ilona Lakatos was a Gypsy woman who lived with her daughters and their families in a small basement flat in a small street near the Slaughterhouse in Cluj Napoca. We had known each other for more than twenty years. For me she was the archetype of the Wild Woman, the timeless, who stands on the borderline between myth and reality like La Loba. This realization led me when I decided to bring her life stories to life in a puppet show, because who could convey this story, in which life can turn into death and death into life at any moment, more aptly and authentically than a puppet? Where can you step out of time (and space too) better than in a puppet theater? Aunt Ilonka’s life stories are minority stories and universal, because they are based on the same general female roles and situations, regardless of time and geographical coordinates, culture, social background, and skin color. These are built on four major Motifs: 1. “I was afraid” 2. “I say, it’s good” 3. Moving on, progress 4. Fairy godmothers The puppet show for adults entitled Ilonka 96 was co-created by Kata Palocsay, who selected the text from Csilla Könczei and Ilonka Lăcătuș’s book entitled Aunt Ilonka and directed the performance. András Hatházi, who dramatized the selection. Emese Erdei, who performed in the play. The scenery was designed and created by Kata Palocsay, Emese Erdei and Rebeka Hatházi. The stage movement was set by Enikő Györgyjakab. Dorottya Balog assisted in moving the marionette. The technical assistant of the performance was Júlia Sipos. The video projections include animated images of Gypsy artists’ works and an excerpt from the film by Csilla Könczei and Tibor Schneider, starring Ilonka Lăcătuș. Because time passes in vain. We in the theater are always in the present tense."

Place on Parade: Consumerism and Disidentification in the Parade Genre

Abstract The American parade has been investigated in terms of how it transforms urban streets into a place where collective memory and identity are consolidated along lines of class, race, ethnicity, and gender (Ryan; Roach). However, the role of the rural parade has heretofore seen little critical analysis. Since any conception of the urban relies on the rural as a foil, we wonder how the American parade, existing in both urban and rural landscapes, promotes and challenges the unchecked expansion of cosmopolitan culture and dominant ideology. This article examines how the parade genre functions as a civic ritual that seeks to unite individuals through nationalism and consumerism, yet may paradoxically become a stage for political dissent. By juxtaposing performances from the Bread and Puppet Theater at the Fourth of July Celebration in the rural town of Cabot, Vermont, and Tony Sarg’s “upside-down marionettes” in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, I theorize how conventions of the parade work to inculcate spectators with a sense of group identity. I argue that these same conventions lay the foundation for political dissent, via a process that José Muñoz calls disidentification, to propose (and at times enact) alternatives to dominant ideology.

Corps en souffrance / Corps en vacances. L’écrivain M. Blecher et la peintre Lucia Dem. Bălăcescu dans le sanatorium de Tekirghiol

"Suffering bodies/ bodies on vacation. Writer M. Blecher and painter Lucia Dem. Bălăcescu in the Tekirghiol sanatorium. What we propose is an analysis of the creative sharing that two artists, M. Blecher and Lucia Dem. Bălăcescu, both suffering from a bone disease, developed it during their joint hospitalization in the C.T.C sanatorium in Tekirghiol for a year, in 1933-1934. The characteristic of this space is the presence of over 300 children, the sanatorium only exceptionally housing adults. From these children, who have their own way of using play and toys to hide their illness, the two artists learn a childlike way of living their own suffering and feel suggested to cultivate (and) forms of a miniature art. Lucia Dem. Bălăcescu makes a series of 50 mini-gouaches, which he calls Surrealist Fantasies. Blecher, like Robert Walser did in the same years, fantasizes about a miniature writing, designing drawings whose lines are made up of small words to the limit of illegibility. Keywords: sanatorium, heterotopia, collaborative creation, dilettantism, miniature, miniature writing, puppet theater, toys. "

On the Marionette Theater by Heinrich von Kleist. In Other Words: The Impossibility of Man’s Salvation through Technology

Abstract The aim of this paper is to present some thought on Heinrich von Kleist’s Marionettentheatre-Essay, a very strange dialogue in which the German author reflects on grace and the destiny of mankind. After a brief introduction, I will discuss Kleist’s philosophical background by mentioning influences by Rousseau and Kant in order to show why he lost hope and faith and why, at a certain point, he changed his mind in favor of nihilism. The dilemmatic situation presented in his Marionettentheatre-Essay is the result of this evolution of thought, in which man is depicted with his desire to search for Heaven but damned to live his life by knowing that it is impossible to gain grace again. We exist in a place between the earth and the sky, where a purely material world or God, or even technology cannot save us.

Nelson Paine, Experimental Theatre, and Puppetry in Ireland, 1942–1952

In 1942, a young Dublin architect, Nelson Paine, formed the Dublin Marionette Group on foot of an international re-appraisal of the potential of the puppet theatre as a form of expression. This Group became the nucleus of experimental theatre in the Irish capital and influenced several well-known Irish creative artists over the decade of its existence and beyond. It attracted the involvement of actors, artists and dramatists of the period and performed in professional settings, including eight seasons at the Peacock Theatre and for each of the first four years of the Wexford Opera Festival. This article examines the context of the Group’s formation, its long-forgotten experimental approach, and its considerable contribution to the development of the arts in Ireland.