Puppetry
These are some of the amazing creations from the Skylark Theatre days when Marie-Martine and Shelley were in full swing. It was the most successful puppet company in the ACT and produced regular main stage productions and smaller shows for schools every year for ten years.
The Power of Puppets
by
Marie-Martine Ferrari
by
Marie-Martine Ferrari
Puppets have the power to transform peoples lives having universal appeal for young and old. Puppets awaken the child within, spark the imagination and make people laugh enhancing their well being. I have been puppeteer for the past 25 years performing around Australia and Fabian, my husband and fellow puppeteer, have a few stories to tell about some of the events we experienced on the road.
One show we performed called The Mysterious Egg was about adoption. The power of this little story was incredible especially when it turned out that the baby egg was a Kookaburra (the natural enemy of the frog) but ‘Fifi la frog’ wasn’t fazed by it. She loved that baby no matter what and knew that love could overcome anything.
The Adoptive Parent Association was delighted with this message of unconditional love. But it wasn’t always easy as I remember when a little child interrupted the show saying ‘No, no you cant have that baby, it is not your baby’ and kept screaming ‘no, no, no.’ The only way to shut him up was to send out Sunny the Rainbow Creature, so sweet and gentle but this time from the top of his lungs Sunny said ‘If Fifi does not take care of it right now this baby will die!’ And that was the end of it!
We devised our shows with different messages. Puppets always break through the barriers and open the doors to healing. I remember the faces of children and teachers, so excited and the long discussions at the end of the shows discussing issues they were faced with; the loss of a parent; the guilt they carry with them; divorce; abandonment; lack of love; alcoholism and pier pressure.
Let me tell you about the little blind girl. One day before we performed ‘Tiny Pod and Silver Wings’, a story about peer pressure, a teacher came back stage with a little blind girl to have a feel of some of the puppets so she could picture the story better.
At question time after the show the little blind girl had her hand up, really wanting to say something ... her very favourite part was when Tiny Pod revealed his inner beauty. She had felt that powerful moment and in her imagination she saw the most beautiful transformation.
Sometimes I wonder whether we have created monsters. I was sorting out old videos yesterday and I came across an interview of Templeton the Rat! Oh what a rat ... lean and mean ... so honest and blunt, witty and funny, full of wisdom and ego but still lovable. There he was on the 7.00 o’clock news in Canberra making the Minister for the Arts blush, pulling a few strings here and there and finishing him off with this question “Do you know that only Gods and puppeteers give life?” It was very funny to see a politician without words.
It is wonderful to see how puppets take on a life of their own. It is an incredible moment when the puppets say something right out of the blue that is not part of the script leaving your mouth open, speechless or cracking up laughing. I experienced that a lot with Fabian’s puppets. That is the pepper and salt into our performances. Even show after show there is no way that we could go on automatic.
As a creator I think that puppets, like us, are a creative expression of love. In the audience when people watch the show each person will respond differently to a puppet. Some will love it and applaud it, some will boo it because it triggers uncomfortable feelings. Maybe it is the same with us. We have to recognise that we are the perfect creation for our purpose and just BE what we are created for, no matter what, whether we are booed or applauded!
Children are the most honest audience, they never pretend. We know the impact and the power of stories, images and visual theatre. More and more we realise that spirit must be expressed through theatre and the arts.