Class of 2024
B.A in Theater Studies, Minors in Japanese and Biology
I took part in Puppet in Prague’s Marionette Carving + Performance workshop, an intense 22-day program that ran from August 8 to August 30 in the Czech Republic. This experience offered an incredible chance to master the craft of carving a traditional Czech wire marionette and perform at the well-known Prague Summer Festival. In the first section of the workshop, we went through the entire marionette creation process, including design, technical drawing, woodcarving, painting, assembling, costuming, creating the controller, and stringing. For the second part, I collaborated with fellow participants and a professional puppeteer to prepare an original performance, which we presented over two days at the Letni Letna New Circus and Theatre Festival. This immersive program not only taught me a valuable traditional skill but also allowed me to display my work in a professional context.
During the workshop, I collaborated with participants from various countries and backgrounds. The group wasn’t limited to theater artists, which led to diversity not only in culture but also in skill sets. We supported each other in different aspects of the marionette-making process, sharing knowledge and aesthetics that helped elevate our creations beyond what we originally envisioned. For example, I learned from others how to use wires to craft intricate braided hairstyles. By the end of the workshop, I had fully realized my character design from the Czech children’s tale we performed and gained several new techniques in marionette design, construction, mechanics, and manipulation.
Our final product was a performance at the Letni Letna New Circus and Theatre Festival, which focuses on puppet and circus shows. We performed on an outdoor stage, with children under 10 as our primary audience. The show was directed by a professional Czech director. Throughout the performance, the puppeteers alternated between operating the puppets and acting as an extension of them. For instance, rather than having the puppets reach for objects, the director had the puppeteers use their own arms to create larger, more dynamic movements. The blend of physical performance with marionette manipulation was deeply inspiring to me as a puppeteer.