Puppetry
Overview
Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance which involves the manipulation of puppets. It is very ancient, and is believed to have originated 30,000 years BC. Puppetry takes many forms but they all share the process of animating inanimate performing objects. Puppetry is used in almost all human societies both as an entertainment – in performance – and ceremonially in rituals and celebrations such as carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...

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Most puppetry involves storytelling
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...

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Quotations

And although I'm not exactly sure what [Jim Henson] did, whatever it was really moved me.

Kermit the Frog|Kermit the Frog, Before You Leap: A Frog's Eye View of Life's Greatest Lessons Meredith Books, 2006, ISBN 0-696-23232-4, p. 30.

I had never worked with puppets before so just the concept of talking to this green, grungy-lookin' rag comin' out of a trash can was totally alien to me.

Roscoe Orman|Roscoe Orman, Sesame Street Unpaved by David Borgenicht, Hyperion, 1998, ISBN 0-7868-6460-5, p. 122.

My excitement about making the [puppet] team was slightly tempered by the fact that everyone who auditioned had made the team.

Phil Vischer, Me, Myself, & Bob Nelson Books, 2006, ISBN 0-7852-2207-3, p. 36.

When I hear the art of puppetry discussed, I often feel frustrated in that it's one of those pure things that somehow becomes much less interesting when it is overdiscussed or analyzed.

Jim Henson|Jim Henson, p. 32

One of the nice things about puppets is that it's your own hand in there. You can make it do anything you want it to.

Jim Henson, p. 51

A good character is almost always derived from an aspect of the performer's personality.

Dave Goelz|Dave Goelz, Muppeteer, p. 96

Parents are concerned that if kids see that a person operates the Muppet, an illusion will be shattered. But I think kids see us as just the people who carry their friends around.

Kevin Clash|Kevin Clash, Muppeteer, p. 111

I feel that almost everyone maintains a childlike quality throughout their adulthood. One of the nice things about the puppet form is that it has the ability to communicate with this childlike side of the audience.

Jim Henson, p. 124

Working as I do with movement of puppet creatures, I'm always struck by the feebleness of our efforts to achieve naturalistic movement. Just looking at the incredible movement of a lizard or a bird, or even the smallest insect, can be a very humbling experience.

Jim Henson p. 146 by Christopher Finch, Random House, ISBN 0-679-41203-4

 
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