In recent years, puppetry has enjoyed a huge revival on the stages of our theatres, dance venues and opera houses. Large-scale productions such as War Horse and The Lion King have revitalized age-old techniques to attract new audiences and develop the power of storytelling. Puppetry is now seen not only as a specialist art form that exists on its own, but also as a vital tool in the armoury of theatrical storytellers. A Practical Guide to Puppetry offers a comprehensive overview to this versatile art form, exploring established techniques and offering expert instruction on styles from shadow puppetry to group puppetry. Each method is illustrated with practical and accessible exercises, achievable either individually or in a group workshop or rehearsal. With over eighty exercises for improvising, training, designing and directing puppetry, accompanied by 400 illustrations, this new book gives a complete approach to puppeteering with objects, simple puppets and puppets with mechanisms.

About the Author
Mark Down is the Artistic Director of Blind Summit Theatre, a company dedicated to pushing the boundaries of puppetry in the UK and internationally. Over the last twenty years, Mark and his team have worked with landmark opera and theatre productions worldwide, including Complicite, the New York Metropolitan Opera, the Royal National Theatre and the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony.

Reviews
This fresh approach provides a thorough up-to-date analysis, in straightforward language, of exactly what puppetry is all about for the new generation of puppeteers. -- Ray Da Silva, British Puppet & Model Theatre Guild Newsletter * British Puppet & Model Theatre Guild Newsletter *



Book Information
ISBN 9780719841019
Author Mark Down
Format Paperback
Page Count 176
Imprint The Crowood Press Ltd
Publisher The Crowood Press Ltd
Weight(grams) 492g
Dimensions(mm) 246mm * 189mm * 13mm