Pacific Puppet Pandemic Progress SCENEWEST
By Michael Nelson A
s with puppeteers all over the world, practi- tioners of puppetry in our region are strug- gling to adapt to new and continually chang- ing circumstances. While this may continue to be a work in progress for months or even years, here’s a bit of what is going on at the moment.
Individual performers and touring companies have seen all live performances and associated revenue streams evaporate. Some presenters and puppeteers are exploring online performances, either prerecorded or live streamed. For many puppeteers, this has meant learning new skills and technology. Puppet Art’s Art Grueneberger (Sacramento) scrambled to assemble a television studio in his home workshop. He wrote, “We now have the basic technology in place, and I know the very bare minimum...taking advantage of the new set of tools that video production gives me as a creative artist is where my effort is now.” He looks forward to a time of live performances again but sees the video element as becoming part of his new business model. “I hope people don’t drop their prices because they are afraid. This cheapens our work, and it hurts other per- formers. Keep the faith. Keep your prices reasonable. Expect some to try and take advantage of the situ- ation. Fire those clients! Keep the ones that value the work you do, and work hard to find more.” Bridget Rountree of Animal
Cracker Conspiracy (San Diego) wrote, “We ‘pivoted’ online, started experimenting with short films from work we were planning to do live. We invested in our website, added merchandise, a support page, and Puppet Mind classes. We have stayed very connected to the audi- ence we have locally and on social media. It has also been important to connect with the puppet organi- zations, such as the Puppet Slam Network, PofA, and IBEX. Wonder- Spark Puppets has offered great
so we can have the least amount of contact with each other. One puppeteering gig will be shot at puppeteers’ homes—I’m setting up a green screen, so I can shoot in my workshop. I recently participated in the 48hr Puppet Film Project and had to do almost everything myself, from writing, building puppets and sets, lighting, shooting, puppeteering. I’m used to collaborating with a group of people, so it was a huge challenge, but ultimate- ly it was good to create something despite the limitations.” SoCal puppet filmmaker Sam Koji Hale (Director of
Constructing the COVID-19 puppet: pillow foam coated with adhesive for flocking. Photo courtesy of Images in Motion
online live classes on how to get your show and slam online. We are very grateful for the amazing community of puppeteers locally, nationally, and globally.” While live performers have been looking to video as a solu- tion to their woes, the puppet film and video community has also been impacted. Freelance film puppeteer Christine Papalexis wrote about her creature effects gig: “The job was supposed to last through summer. I’ve heard we’ll go back to it when we are allowed to work again, though we will probably have a staggered schedule
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Yamasong: March of the Hollows) noted that all of his film festival workshops and speaking engagements dried up. He writes, “As film is a collaborative effort, and I love the energy of being in a shooting space with talent and crew, I hope we can get back to that 'norm' in the near future. That being said, I’m currently working on postproduction on a Netflix show and have no problem working from home.” His words of wisdom? “One suggestion I’d give is use this time to develop new ideas, new techniques, build that new puppet, work on your next script or play. Be disciplined about it, set goals and a schedule, and try to follow it. Give yourself a little creative framework to give you a focus on something you’ll love doing and creating.” Actress/puppeteer Donna Kimball writes about filming Fraggle Rock shorts at home: “The flexibility of schedule was great, plus I could do as many takes as I wanted (or at least until my daughter, who assisted me, was DONE)! Challenges: it seemed that every shoot day was a ‘gardening day’ for at least one of my neighbors. We’d stop when the sound of lawn mowers kicked up.” She has a green screen studio in her home and uses an iPhone, which she says is a fantastic cam- era. Regarding live puppetry, “I’ve thought about a ‘Puppet Show From My Car,’ literally pulling up in front of a family’s house and performing from my car while the kids are on the front steps.” Look-
ing to the future: “For us in the TV/film world, I’m sure we will have our temperatures taken everyday when we arrive on set. Assistant puppeteers may wear masks; speaking puppeteers may be the only ones without. Or we all will wear masks, and all dialogue will be ADR [automated dialogue replacement]. I’ve heard the possibility of quarantining entire casts and crew dur- ing a shoot, smaller crews, shorter hours, all of it’s possible.” Jean Enticknap’s Thistle Theatre (Seattle) thinks that be- cause all of Thistle’s current work has been cancelled, they may have to take an entire year off and pick up again in March 2021.
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