Robert ryan puppetry4/14/2023 Then came the announcement that the whole thing was a hoax. A chapter on performance-related tips features helpful hints on scheduling, setting up, handling hecklers, and making an exit that's both efficient and graceful.Ī splendid addition to any puppeteer or puppet-lover's library, this profusely illustrated guide will also serve as an effective reference book in schools, libraries, and civic organizations involved in theatrical productions.įirst came the news that a flying saucer had landed in Iowa. Readers will also find a wealth of expert advice on designing stages and puppet environments, writing and adapting plays, and directing productions. Drawing on years of experience, George Latshaw conducts readers through every stage of the puppeteer's art, from simple, preparatory hand exercises to advice on performing before an audience.įollowing a brief retrospective of the fascinating ancient art of puppetry, Latshaw offers clear, abundantly illustrated suggestions for preparing for a performance, explains how to construct several types of puppets, and presents a series of exercises that promote the development of distinctive voices for characters and the translation of human body language into puppet movement. In this informative volume, a master puppeteer shares his expertise in the variety of behind-the-scenes skills involved in bringing puppets to life. Though an optimist by nature, Henson was haunted by the notion that he would not have time to do all the things he wanted to do in life-a fear that his heartbreaking final hours would prove all too well-founded.Īn up-close look at the charmed life of a legend, Jim Henson gives the full measure to a man whose joyful genius transcended age, language, geography, and culture-and continues to beguile audiences worldwide. Here also is insight into Henson's intensely private personal life: his Christian Science upbringing his love of fast cars, high-stakes gambling, and expensive art and his weakness for women. Jones provides the imaginative context for Henson's non-Muppet projects, including the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth-as well as fascinating misfires like Henson's dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub or of staging an elaborate, all-puppet Broadway show.Īn uncommonly intimate portrait, Jim Henson captures all the facets of this American original: the master craftsman who revolutionized the presentation of puppets on television, the savvy businessman whose deal making prowess won him a reputation as "the new Walt Disney," and the creative team leader whose collaborative ethos earned him the undying loyalty of everyone who worked for him. Drawing on hundreds of hours of new interviews with Jim Henson's family, friends, and closest collaborators, as well as unprecedented access to private family and company archives-including never-before-seen interviews, business documents, and Henson's private letters-Brian Jay Jones explores the creation of the Muppets, Henson's contributions to Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live, and his nearly ten year campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television. This extraordinary biography-written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family-covers the full arc of Henson's all-too-brief life: from his childhood in Leland, Mississippi, through the years of burgeoning fame in Washington D.C., New York, and London, to the decade of international celebrity that preceded his untimely death at age fifty-three. The Muppets made Jim Henson a household name, but they were only part of his remarkable story. ![]() He was a gentle dreamer whose genial bearded visage was recognized around the world, but most people got to know him only through the iconic characters born of his fertile imagination: Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird. For the first time ever-a comprehensive biography of one of the twentieth-century's most innovative creative artists: the incomparable, irreplaceable Jim Henson.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |