Hand Puppets and String Puppets

Waldo S. Lanchester

Description

Originally published in the 1940s, the author, a master of his craft, has clearly and concisely explained the making of both hand and string puppets, and also clearly shown how they may be used in appropriate settings. With the idea of giving asistance to the novice, and help to the more advanced student, the book is written in plain and concise language the diagrams and photographs should explain the intricacies of puppet-making, leaving the individual to fill in the details from his own imagination. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include: Glove Puppets, String Puppets, Puppets with Wire Frame Foundation, Carved Wooden Puppets, Dressing The Puppets, Controls, The Glove Puppet, Stage The Play.

Sujets

• Loisirs
• Artisanat
• Magic
• Games
• Activities

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 23 mars 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781446545218
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

HAND PUPPETS AND STRING PUPPETS
Photo: Dana Saintsbury]
The author with one of his String Puppets.
HAND PUPPETS AND STRING PUPPETS
By
WALDO S. LANCHESTER
( of the Marionette Theatre, Malvern )
He who would work for the stage . . . should leave nature in her proper place and take careful heed not to have recourse to anything but what may be performed by children with puppets upon boards and laths, together with sheets of cardboard and linen. -G OETHE .
Seventh Edition, 1949
Made and Printed in Great Britain
FOREWORD
P UPPETS and Marionettes! The mind flies back through the centuries to the days of ancient China, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, at the very mention of the names. As it returns to our own early experiences we recognise again the names of old and valued friends in puppetry: Punchinello and Punch and Judy, the latter giving their names to one of the favourite English puppet plays.
Those of us who believe that our children should become acquainted with the best that the past has handed down to us will see that the children with whom we come into contact shall make the puppets acquaintance. Unfortunately, the opportunity to introduce them is all too rare; rare because puppetry to-day is only carried on by a few believers in the art. The writer of this book is, in fact, the owner of the only professional marionette theatre in England; yet such great musicians as Mozart and Haydn and such great writers as Goethe, Le Sage, and Maeterlinck have written plays for the marionette theatre.
As Mr. Lanchester has addressed himself primarily to the teacher, I too will confine my remarks mainly to the puppets place in the scheme of education.
Briefly, then, it may be said that they offer unrivalled advantages for the study of art, music, and the drama. Whilst fully recognising the formative and cultural value of the study of both music and the drama, I will confine my remarks to that aspect with which I am best qualified to deal; that is, the art and craft aspect. It is also mainly with the designing and making of puppets that the author has dealt.
During recent years I have taken advantage of every opportunity that has presented itself to press the claims of the use of a wider range of material in craft teaching in our schools. I have drawn attention in my own writings, particularly in Crafts for Children , to the fact that materials may be divided into three main classes: (1) The Plastic; (2) The Pliable; (3) The Rigid. Each class has not only its separate constructive possibilities but its individual appeal. For this reason, it is my firm conviction that every child should be made acquainted with the materials which represent each of these three classes.
If my claims for the use of a wider range of materials are justified, then surely there is no better means of stimulating the child s interest than by enabling him to become acquainted with the possibilities of all three classes that are offered by the attractive practice of puppetry.
The making of puppets brings into use practically all the classes of materials to which I have referred. Puppets, associated as they are with make-believe and play activities, have an instinctive appeal to children.
Rightly used in schools, this art is not only a means of training the craftsman, musician, and actor, but it may also develop into a life s hobby.
The value of the latter cannot be too fully stressed in this mechanical age.
In this little book, the author, a master of his craft, has clearly and concisely explained the making of both hand and string puppets, and also briefly but clearly shown how they may be used in their appropriate settings. Although he has done this adequately, he has left the field clear for teachers and children with creative minds to develop the art according to their own particular tendencies.
Because of the great educational value of puppetry, and because of the joy its practice can bring into the lives of children when rightly used, I welcome the opportunity offered me by the writing of this foreword, to wish this book the wide circulation it so richly deserves.
R. R. T OMLINSON
CONTENTS
F OREWORD
I NTRODUCTION
G LOVE P UPPETS
S TRING P UPPETS
P UPPETS WITH W IRE-FRAME F OUNDATION
C ARVED W OODEN P UPPETS
D RESSING THE P UPPETS
C ONTROLS
T HE G LOVE P UPPET T HEATRE
T HE S TRING P UPPET S TAGE
T HE P LAY
LIST OF PLATES
Frontispiece: T HE A UTHOR WITH ONE OF HIS S TRING P UPPETS
P LATE I:
A P ROFESSIONAL P UNCH H EAD made by P. F. T ICKNER
P LATE II:
Left: T HE B OXERS . Right: T