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Puppets and Puppetry
Puppetry is among the oldest
forms of theatre in the world. Puppets performed for
audiences long before people-actors did. The first puppets
were made for religious or magical purposes. Animated
religious statues have been found in the ruins of Greece and
Rome. The word "puppet" comes from the Latin word pupa,
which means "small creature or doll."
Ancient Egyptians had
puppets because string-operated clay figurines have been
discovered by archeologists in more than one Egyptian
tomb.
Puppets
come from all over the world and in many different styles.
There are delicate Indonesian shadow and rod puppets and beautiful
Indian marionettes. Europeans enjoy the tradition of glove
puppets. There is the complex puppetry of the Bunraku
Theater of Japan and the spectacular fighting knights of the
Sicilian marionettes.
There are many books
available to help you create a variety of puppets. There are
books that give you essential tips on how to perfect your craft as
a puppeteer and things to remember as you perform.
Puppetry is exciting and a fun thing to do!
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