Product Description

Self-expression and communication through puppets can bring enormous benefits to many groups of people. Through the stimulation of theatre, even the most withdrawn person canbe involved ina decision-making and activity. In this unusual and exciting book, the techniques used to encourage this interaction are fully explained. Using step-by-step instructions and illustrations "I am the Story" details how to make and use puppets, creating real-life situations and scenarios, and how they can be adapted for individual needs. From helping people with learning difficulties to early years literacy work, as well as projects for development in the Third World, the art of puppetry provides the inspiration and motivation needed to encourage people to act for themselves. First published in 1981, this book has been completely revised and updated incorporating new ideas and many new projects. Caroline Astell-Burt started her professional life in theatre, went on to become a teacher and residential social worker for Dr. Barnardps, before returning to the theatre as a puppeteer and designer. In her totally practical and imaginative work, full of stimulating ideas, the are of puppetry if brought to life for anyone interested in animated theatre. This inspirational book will provide an invaluable manual for students, puppeteers, care-worker, teachers, therapists and parents alike.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #172004 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 190 pages

From the Author
Being neither an educationalist nor a sociologist but as an artist, I wish my book was being sold in the art, puppetry or even theatre section of the book shop because the book is only about art. Just because I mention children, or school or disability it doesn't make puppetry less of an artform, does it?

Recently I took two London School of Puppetry students to a primary school for their session on learning how to work with an audience. They performed their marionette pieces -two puppet characters - one a drunk who falls into dog pooh, the other a character called Brenda who is hiding in the toilet too shy to join in her own birthday party.
There were some children in the audience who I knew were not too bright but their attention was totally held by the marionettes - not only did they laugh at the comedy - but they saw underneath it to the unutterable misery of the drunk fallen in the street 'With no-one to help him'...'I thought of his family'. They shared in Brenda's predicament-and the shared terror of being new in a strange place - 'going to a new club' 'having to stand up and do something to a lot of people' and 'Maybe her parents have split up and after a long time they are all together again' 'maybe it's all grown ups out there in the party'.
The art of the puppeteers brought out the hopes and fears of the children watching - expanded imaginations - gave every child a creative context for thought and language.

When I wrote the revised edition of 'I am the Story' I scrapped so much of the old - because long ago as a new puppeteer I was putting all the words into my audience's mouths - and as I became more experienced I started to watch and listen more - and I realised when one of my audience said 'I AM THE STORY' the puppet was freeing them not to imitate me but to express their lives through the subversive route of the doll.

About the Author
I enjoy working as part of a team with young people or the community as a whole to combine with other artists and artforms to create visual theatre. I am involved in all kinds of projects integrating arts, artists and education. Sometimes I work as a visiting artist sometimes I have overall design responsibilities. Often puppets are involved. Along with my colleagues we infuse the carefully planned curriculum with the excitement and challenge of professional theatre giving to education the techniques and creative skills of the working artist. For us and the children, and young people with whom we work, education becomes a unique adventure in music and the arts. My credits incude projects for London Philharmonic, London Mozart Players, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Oxford Playhouse, National Youth Music Theatre, Britten Sinfonia, Bournemouth Symphony, and London School of Puppetry. Also appearances for Yorkshire TV, Breakfast TV, Thames and Central TV. I trained as a performer with the National Youth Theatre and privately, and at the Actors Centre (London). I trained to stagemanage opera at the London Opera Centre, and learned life-drawing at the Central School of Art and Design; professional scenic art at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and puppetry at the Little Angel Marionette Theatre and at the Midlands Arts Centre before combining all these different elements in an MA in performance arts at Middlesex University. Teacher training took place in Yorkshire.

Customer Reviews

Detailed, informative, challenging
I used this book to form the basis of a project with special needs and learning disabled children abroad, with the idea of working visually rather then verbally.
There are detailed and clear illustrations showing how to make and use puppets, suggestions of exercises to do with them and ideas on building a story and both a sense and reality of performance, as well as sections on the use of puppetry in therapy.
This is a fantastic resource - inspiring creativity whilst providing grounded, honest and experienced advice and reflection.

My project went really well - better than I could have hoped - and its success was entirely down to the response of the kids to the puppets and the way they were presented, something we could so easily have got wrong. They, and I, have this book to thank!