SHADOW PUPPETRY

In the ancient art of shadow puppetry, cut-out forms create beautiful visual effects as they are held against a cloth screen and lit from behind. In this residency, the students create representational puppets in geometric shapes from cardboard, tissue paper and colored gels.  As with the puppetry residency, the class will perform an original script written by the students. The curriculum covers the history of many cultures that use shadow puppetry – from Turkey, along the spice routes, and back to Asia. The teacher compares and contrasts the use of shadow puppetry in different cultures, such as the religious rituals of Indonesian compared to the rough-and-ready Kargouz of Turkey.

The class learns the various skills of puppetry art which include drawing, color composition, sculpture and drama painting.  Once the puppets are made, and a script has been written, the class begins the puppet show production – staging, scenery design, music and sound effects.  In the rehearsal process, the student is encouraged to build vocal projection and theater skills, as well as build vocabulary.  Self confidence and free expression is enhanced through this process.

While the basic construction and manipulation techniques stay much the same, the puppets and the scripts grow in complexity as we move from lower to higher grade levels.

Performances will be given for parents as well as peers in the classroom.