Our storage room contains a few boxes labeled “Puppets” and “Puppet Props”, and there’s a large, fabric-covered wooden stage in our attic. I still have my original scripts for several fairy tales and the handmade puppets themselves.
On a shelf in my studio a Jester sits with his little Puppet Jester, looking down on events far less fantastic than he was used to years ago!
They say that puppets are controlled by the puppet master. For example, political leaders or social figures can be controlled by others, becoming their puppets in word and deed.
But I have to tell you that in the real world of puppet shows, a character can have a mind of its own. The Emperor in The Emperor’s New Clothes continually tried to climb out of the side windows in the stage. This was not planned.
Of the fairy tales I dramatized, and which the children helped me perform, Rumpelstiltskin is one of my favorites.
In Act I the King passes by the Miller’s home on his way to the Fair in his search for a wife. The Miller calls his daughter Sylvie to come meet the King.
MILLER: Your majesty, go no further. Here lives the most beautiful girl.
KING: Your daughter’s beautiful, but at the fair I’ll find a girl who can do something useful. A girl who can raise chickens, quilt and bake pies.
MILLER: Sir, Sylvie can do that.
SYLVIE: Father —
KING (to SYLVIE): You can?
SYLVIE: I can do a little of everything you say.
MILLER: You see, she can do everything you say.
KING: Can you grow vegetables and sing?
SYLVIE: I would like to, sir.
MILLER: You see, she likes to.
KING: Can you weave cloth?
SYLVIE: No, sir.
MILLER: She says she knows how, sir.
And then, of course, the Miller tells the King that Sylvie can spin gold out of straw, and the story’s underway.
As I read this script today, I’d love to get my hands on it and make Sylvie the person in charge. But that was then. And the children laughed!
As I made the puppets they came to life, surprising me each one with a different personality. But it was the children behind the stage and in the audience who made the show magical.
One thing I learned, just as Sylvie did, you really can take everyday things (mine were fabric scraps, yarn, paint and glue) and make them into an extraordinary experience.
Imagine, making something out of nothing! (We do it all the time.)
Loved it
Another example of Deda's amazing talents! Delightful!!