In September I was granted the very special opportunity to attend the Melbourne Festival of Puppetry. This was all thanks to UNIMA Australia, who provided financial assistance with the Melbourne Bursary.
I had the privilege of seeing seven amazing shows and participating in all four master classes, hosted by industry professionals at the top of their game.
Before I had even seen my first show I was met with puppets. Theresa O’Connor’s delightful devil fish roamed the streets and were making a stop at La Mama Courthouse. Which was perfect timing as I was in the courtyard catching up with Larissa Deak, UNIMA Australia’s current president, while we were waiting for a show. The design of these underwater jockeys riding giant fish was so whimsical. Overall all the roving entertainment really tied the whole festival together, connecting the venues and bringing a cohesive energy to the surrounding streets.
The UV spectacle of Dreamer in the Deep by Richard Hart was the opener of my MFoP experience. The story followed Dreamer, a reoccurring character of Richards, on an underwater adventure to rescue a leafy sea dragon from a lionfish. The vast majority of the show was done under UV lights, which created a wonderful technicolour performance. For most of the show I thought that there had to be at least two puppeteers due to all the movement on stage, so when the lone Richard Hart appeared at the end, I was shocked, it was a one man show and I didn’t even realise! I even got a peek behind the curtain to take a look at the aquatic chaos.
Snow on a Summer’s Day follows the story of Youngkyu Kwon. Alongside her daughter Kay Yasugi, the two tell the tale of her life, translated from Yong’s book of the same name. The style of the cardboard puppets made the show feel warm and homey, and I may have shed a couple tears while watching this wonderful show. I am so excited for the translated version of the book!
After some encouragement from my friends I rushed off to see Little Blue Dot by Lemony S. I did find the show quite interesting even if the concepts of space time were a bit advanced for me. The stand out of the show had to be the grandma puppet. She was utterly glorious and the manipulation of the scarf to make it float was marvellous.
My final show of the day was Please Remain by Ben Anderson at the Motley Wherehaus. The star puppet in this show had to be one of my favourites of the festival. I love the macabre and this show satisfied that craving. The lead corpse puppet was fantastic, the shrink-wrapped skin was an especially gnarly detail. I loved the utilisation of non-linear storytelling and the blurring of reality within the show. Despite the dark nature of the show’s themes they still had moments of comedy and heart.
I started my Friday by seeing the wonderful show Trinket, a modern adaptation of Pinocchio. I found this show utterly charming and adorable. The fourth wall break of referring to the audience as fellow inventors watching a presentation at a science expo was really clever, and certainly got a giggle out of me. The sound of the show, both the soundtrack and performer Jenny Ellis’ vocal performance were so charming, I especially loved Trinket’s voice.
Another amazing part of the festival was the puppet treasure hunt. I had a blast roving around the streets looking at the local businesses’ puppet displays. Not to mention the map itself was beautifully illustrated, making it quite the keepsake if I’m being honest. As a non-Melbourian the map got me out and about and exploring areas I normally wouldn’t have thought to go. It also provided a wonderful social opportunity as I was able to chat to multiple people about the festival when they saw me doing the hunt.
After I had completed my treasure hunt I attended the Unima social at La Mama HQ. It was so lovely to see so many wonderful artists, who I’m used to seeing behind a screen, in person. And it was equally as lovely to meet some UNIMA members who I hadn’t met before. There were also some festival related goodies for our enjoyment including a zine, tiny koala finger puppets and an opportunity to make your own patch of the UNIMA logo.
After the social at La Mama a group of us set off to Motley Wherehaus for the beer & puppets meet up. Because we got there a little early and we hadn’t really eaten, the next door restaurant was the logical port of call. Much to my delight, baked brie was on offer. After a long puppet filled day this was a slice of heaven. Once the cheese was devoured, it was time for us to enjoy the evening activities the Motley Wherehaus had in store.
Die! Die! Die! Old People Die! was one of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen. There were some scenes that were so unexpected that had me cracking up! Not to mention the dual use of projectors for alternating between the puppets and live hands. And it wasn’t just me enjoying the show, there were other audience members caking themselves with laughter. One particular man seemed to be having the best night of his life. The design of the puppets was a key aspect I really enjoyed. I think the inclusion of slightly exaggerated features added to the playfully crude nature of the show. There were so many clever and funny moments of this performance I wish I could see it again, and whatever Puppet Rats makes next we’re in for an absolute treat.
My Saturday and Sunday were enveloped by the four master classes. These classes covered everything from shadow puppetry to group puppet manipulation. The first class I had the pleasure to attend was none other than Phillip Millar, who was the President of UNIMA Oz when I first joined. It was so joyful and inspiring to craft alongside other puppet people in person. The difference between creating by yourself and creating surrounded by like-minded artists who share the same passion was ground breaking. The sit down nature of the class was also useful for chatting with other artists while we sculpted our heads. Not only was I able to strengthen pre-existing relationships but I was able to build new ones as well.
The rest of my afternoon was spent in the shadow master-class, run by the talented Youbi Lee and Taka Takiguchi from Moon Shadow. I hadn’t experimented with shadow puppetry since I was around 12, so to be able to put my now adult skill set into practice was a world of difference. It was also lovely to play around with the medium without the need of supplying one’s own equipment. The class wasn’t all fun and games for me though, as some questions at the beginning got me feeling quite vulnerable and emotional. This did lead me to a realisation about myself as an artist and the art I want to create!
Now I fully intended to head back to my accommodation after that long eventful day, but I was enjoying myself too much to let it end. So a couple of us headed on over to the Motley Wherehaus to take in the evening vibes (not before I had some more baked brie though). I’m so glad I did this as I was finally able to experience the tiny show Pilgrim by Astrid Mendez, that I’d been hearing rave reviews about all week. It was so delightful and quaint and I received a little sticker at the end! I also got extremely lucky and met the creator of Please Remain, Ben Anderson, who was so kind and let me look at his corpse puppet and pick his brain about the show.
Sunday, my last day in Melbourne. My time at the festival was coming to an end. Despite the impending realisation of “it’ll all be over soon” my spirits remained high, I still had two whole classes left!
After a morning hot chocolate and pastry it was time for Jacob Williams’ manipulation master-class. This class focused on the manipulation of rod and bunraku style puppets. I enjoyed experimenting with puppets I normally wouldn’t have access to. The group work was an interesting aspect, as the skill level varied amongst the class participants. I found this class a great source of inspiration because some of the puppets were unlike anything I’d seen or even considered before and I’d love to build some inspired by what I saw.
My final puppet activity for the festival was Joe Blanck’s Concept to Design master-class. After the massive morning of puppet manipulation it was nice to just sit down and absorb what Joe had to say. This class especially helped inspire me as I love a good brainstorming session, especially in relation to puppets. Joe also provided some take home resources as well which was much appreciated. I also was able to connect with even more puppet people during this session! The puppet concept I pitched to my group was a caterpillar inspired by the Melbourne trams and they liked it, so we ran with that idea. I’m rather tempted to build either a small scale puppet or plush version of the Tramerpiller sometime down the line. I also loved hearing the other group’s pitches at the end and seeing the amazing illustrations of their ideas.
After the class had concluded I said goodbye to my friends, new and old, and headed straight off to the airport. And that was that, The Melbourne Festival of Puppetry was done (for me at least). I am so grateful I was able to go to this wonderful festival. I learnt so much including how to make a shadow puppet, core aspects of puppet design, how to make a puppet jump and about some new software that can be used to make puppets, to name a few. It has left me feeling more inspired than ever and with my head swimming with ideas. My heart feels so unbelievably full and I’m so excited for the next one.
