Penny Plain, Twopence Coloured

Top Hat Toy Theater Presents...

2012-02-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

David Worobec, a Boston Conservatory student and creator/owner of Top Hat Toy Theater, is the man behind a recent series of adaptions of musicals for the small stage. In the videos shared here, David performs Rogers & Hammerstein's South Pacific. David does all the voices and sings all the parts in his production, quite a feat! As one person recently put it, "David has a terrific operatic voice, and his one man show is definitely unique."

He has had a long love affair with toy theatre; David was a featured performer in Great Small Works' toy theatre festival back in 2003 when he was only 14 years old!

The Devil and Mr. Punch

2012-02-05T12:21:00.000-08:00

This is NOT your Grandfather's Punch!

A collaboration between UK and US individuals and groups, performances are happening now at the Barbican; US productions were performed in two locations last year - Minneapolis in May, and Philadelphia in September; the production evolved as it went along.

Read more about the wonderful people behind the show, including a lovely interview with the director where he talks about the history of Punch. Also, the Barbican's 'behind the scene' article, "That's the Way to Do it!"

While Punch is normally not performed as a toy theatre production, I have a weakness for the old scroundrel! I did find at least one play for the small stage for him, by Langdale, however...

Dramatis Personae Catalogue 109

2012-02-01T18:06:00.000-08:00

The latest Dramatis Personae catalogue is out!

As always, this amazing quarterly ephemera sale include several vintage juvenile drama-related items of the highest quality.

Several juvenile portraits are being offered, including one by Skelt (1836), two by Fairburn (1835 and 1838), and one by Jameson (1818).

Also in this sale, are some scene sheets, and a German book from 1915 about putting on toy theatre productions.

Please note that Dramatis Personae have a large inventory of items not necessarily in the sale itself. Take a look at them; I found on a casual look through a few pages, for example, a penny plain portrait by Hodgson, c. 1827...

Poe-Dunk Matchbox Theatre

2012-01-25T15:54:00.000-08:00

The mind boggles at the small scale!

Playlab NYC will present Poe-Dunk – A Matchbox Entertainment as a part of the 2012 FRIGID New York Festival.

Kevin performs a matchbox production

Kevin P. Hale, one of the founding members of Playlab NYC, is the creative mind behind these exceedingly small toy theatres. Kevin has a blog where he explored openly shares his concepts and explorations - it makes pretty interesting reading!

Some characters are performed via matchsticks!

Kevin will be presenting a series of tiny-scaled plays based on the tales of Poe, including one called "The Oval Portrait":

The story was originally published as “Life in Death” and is the shortest of Poe’s stories. It was also the inspiration for Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. The actual story of the portrait only takes a single paragraph to tell, and everything else leading up it that story seems like filler. It was precisely because it was Poe's shortest work that I thought it would lend itself well to matchbox treatment.

Despite the tiny scale, color and design abound!

Doctor Parnassus Toy Theatre

2012-01-11T08:45:00.000-08:00

I recently began watching the incredible film, THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS. I did some research on the film, and lo and behold, someone has made a wee toy theatre kit based on the traveling theatred featured in the film!

Puppet Film Project

2012-01-05T16:35:00.000-08:00

I encourage you to view the trailer, then support Andrew's film project, PuppetVision: The Movie.

Christmas Creativity

2011-12-13T10:18:00.000-08:00

A scene from a recent toy theatre adaption of Dicken's "A Christmas Carol"...

This year, Macy's famous storefront displays are using a Steampunk theme for Christmas, with puppets!

Alice: 3D becomes 2D

2011-12-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

I wrote about the Alice Theatre previously, when it was being offered in a 3-D format.

Now, the creator has made it available in good old fashioned 2-D. You can print and use as a traditional theatre (which is amazing enough), but they also demonstrate how it can be inventively used with other images for photography prints!

Story Behind the Story

2011-11-29T10:26:00.000-08:00

I wrote about this before...

The above clip is from a new documentary explaining who the artists were that created the huge, wall mural depicting a very LARGE toy theatre several stories high! It's the story behind the story...

A Small Christmas

2011-11-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

The Thorne Collection is getting dressed up for Christmas!

Here are a few slides showing this miniature collection being decorated for the holidays...

Dollmaker Extraordinaire

2011-10-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

The two Alices on their Wonderland toy theatre stage...

Rebeca Cano makes amazing dolls, yes, but she makes much more than dolls. She makes an entire world for her dolls down to the smallest, most exquisite detail. It is truly a joy to behold.

"...she came upon a low curtain she
has not noticed before..."

Before she began making dolls, Rebeca had never sewn. Hard to believe when you see the incredible miniature clothing and other textiles she creates. She is mostly self-taught, which I greatly admire. Inspiration can be a powerful motivator.

Right now, she has a sale on, of a toy theatre tableaux featuring her favorite story character, Alice in Wonderland. It is an ongoing project of hers...

The project is designed to be exhibited in a museum of contemporary art, as yet undefined. All my dolls have their origins in a tale that I believe; I like to give soul to my dolls, and that is why I started in this world.

You can read more about Rebeca here and see more of your dolls here...

Another Toy Theatre Mural!

2011-10-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

The Toy Theatre is a mural created by artist Peter Waddell on a wall at 1914 Sunderland Place NW at New Hampshire, a block south of Dupont Circle, in Washington, DC...

Occupy Puppets!

2011-10-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

I love how the Occupy movement is inspiring people of all sorts to communicate about building a better society. It's what most people want...

Toy Shop Virtual Tour

2011-10-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

Anthropomorphic Taxidermy

2011-10-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I think anthropomorphic taxidermy has a great power to convey stories and ideas. I adore them...

Theatre Centenary

2011-09-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

Nigel Peevers shared this recently:

The Lyceum Theatre in Crewe was 100 years old this year and for their centenary they had a specially commissioned light show projected on the front of the building...in one of life's weird little coincidences I'd already been telephoned and asked if they could use some images from my toy theatre book in the show.

Toy Theatre Large-Scale Mural

2011-09-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

"The Toy Theatre is a mural being created by artist
Peter Waddell with the assistance of fellow artists..."

An amazing public space arts project is unfolding right now in the Washington, DC area. An artist is painting a large-scale mural on a side of a historical building, in a historical neighborhood.

Slowly appearing on the wall is a huge painting of a giant toy theatre. Beneath the monumental proscenium arch, 40' high, the stage is set with scenery representing the first two great mansions of Dupont Circle. The British Legation on Connecticut Avenue and “Stewarts Castle” on the Circle arose from the area's rough farmland in the 1870s.

To see the progress as it unfolds, visit the gallery page of the artist's website.

A Way of Life

2011-09-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

My friend Ann (who I hope to meet in person some day), her talented husband, George...and friends!
[Photo Credit: Lori M. Nichols - Gloucester County Times]

A lovely article about George and Ann Neff, who kindly built me a toy theatre a few years ago. They are a very talented couple who love the world of puppets!

A Paradox: Giant "Toy Theatre"

2011-08-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

I came across an article describing an upcoming public art event featuring a giant "Toy Theatre".Created by a UK designer, it is described as being "...based on a Victorian children’s toy theatre built to life-size proportions...The huge cube-shaped stage has incorporated a vibrant Victorian design, mixed with images of popular cult figures, such as The Stig from BBC’s Top Gear, Kermit the frog and Kylie Minogue."

Little Story Houses

2011-08-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

I happened upon these fun little theatres thanks to Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop today. The maker is a very talented young woman who also makes dolls...

2011-07-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Tinselled juvenile drama portrait, “Mr. Wood as Sultan in
Sublime and Beautiful.” London: M. & M. Skelt, [c. 1837].

It's Dramatis Personae Catalogue time!

Catalogue #107, to be exact.

DP presents for sale, a handful of times per year, some of the best Ephemera available, including several offerings related to juvenile drama, aka toy theatre.

Traveling Family Puppeteers

2011-07-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

Post Fishmarket 2011

2011-07-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

The Third International Toy Theatre Festival at Vischmarkt this past month was a great success. Wonderful new memories were made by festival performers and audience members alike.

You can see from the photos how diverse and unique each performer's vision was, from the theatre designs to the lighting to the presentations.

Fellow performers and audience members alike were fascinated and curious about each production and often would tour 'backstage', ask questions, etc.

Once can sense great camaraderie among the festival attendees. It reminds me greatly of my experience of attending and participating in science fiction conventions. Fellowship with others that are like-minded is very therapeutic...

Toy Theatre Contest Starts!

2011-06-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

Opening Event for Pollock's toy theatre iPad application competition...

Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop has announced an exciting competition involving toy theatre, using their amazing new iPad application...

The beautiful toy theatres of the Victorian era have been brought to life again through Pollock's gorgeous and innovative application for the iPad. Just like the original toy theatres where you immerse yourself in building your own theatre sets, etc.

Description
Competition Closing Date: 31st August (midnight GMT)
Join in the celebrations and be in the chance to win a fabulous new iPad and exclusive Pollock's Store Lock-In. Follow these simple steps and get creative:

1. Download the Pollock's Toy Theatre app from iTunes to your iPad
2. Record your play on your iPad. Don't forget to save it!
3. Decorate your iPad
4. Video yourself, your decorated iPad and your play.
5. Upload the video to youTube and send us a link via the competition facebook page

Terms & Conditions:
Submissions after 31st August will not be counted. The prize is a pair of tickets for the winner and 10 friends to a private hire of the Pollock’s store in Covent Garden, London with refreshments and storytelling entertainment, on a date to be agreed between the winner and the prize provider before 1st October 2011, within a 6pm- 8.30pm Time Slot. These dates/ times are subject to change. The winner acknowledges that in the event that Pollock’s have to change the dates/ times, the promoter does not accept responsibility in these circumstances and no alternative prize will be provided. Prize winners under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult at all times at their Pollock’s event.

My apologies for not posting immediately, since this actually started a few days ago, but I only became aware of it today. Get your thinking caps on and your iPads out! August 31st is the deadline. Good luck, and I hope some of you reading this will share what you come up with...

Cantastoria Festival Starts June 19th

2011-06-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

I am passing on an announcement I received today, in hopes that it will let others know about a wonderful event beginning this weekend. I doubt you'll find many productions like this anywhere else!

Pre-cinematic technology takes over HERE for a week of contemporary cantastoria cooked up by puppeteers, artists, and craftspeople from across the country. A millenium-old art form is rejuvenated and re-imagined, as performers animate paintings and banners alongside texts, puppets, jokes, songs and stories.

Each unique program features several original shorts on a given theme such as: Boom or Bust, Phobia & Fetish, or Sink or Swim. On June 22nd and 23rd, Great Small Works will perform a brand-new cantastoria, Three Graces, in which three mythical graces — Harmony, Strategy and Splendor — float down to earth for an Op-Art romp inspired by Grace Kelly, Grace Paley, Grace Jones and Grace Lee Boggs.

The Greatest Smallest Band will kick off the afternoon with a parade, followed by simultaneous shows throughout the park. Bring a picnic and the whole family and celebrate Father’s Day and the third longest day of the year with Great Small Works, Bread and Puppet Theater, The Dolly Wagglers, Jonny Clockworks & the Cosmic Bicycle Theatre, Clare Dolan, Sara Peattie, Sam Wilson, Daniel Lang-Levitsky, Theater Oobleck, Redwing Blackbird Theater and the Lubberland National Dance Company, all in full view of the New York Harbor and Lower Manhattan. Free of charge!

AND Great Small Works will present the opening event for Banners and Cranks on Sunday, June 19th, from 4 to 7:30 PM at Pier One in Brooklyn Bridge Park (rain location: the Tobacco Warehouse) in DUMBO on the Brooklyn waterfront.

Illustrations Inspire Toy Theatre

2011-05-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

Kate Greenaway book illustrations inspired this delightful toy theatre...

I ran across a mixed-media artist's blog today that featured a lovely toy theatre she threw together, her inspiration coming from the illustrations of Kate Greenaway. There's something about that artist that I find very appealing. It is more a composite of the story the characters were taken from rather than a re-telling of that tale, but I like what she came up with.

Precious Object: Toy Theatre

2011-05-23T19:50:00.000-07:00

The toy theatre sat in the front room of her house for years when she was married and was played with a lot by every child that came round for tea. Once a letter was posted through the letterbox addressed to “Wooden O’Theatre”. - From Treasure: The World's Most Precious Objects

Twenty-three years ago, a woman began making a toy theatre for her son.

It was during a happy phase
when he loved to sit next to her...

It never quite got finished, but it also was never forgotten...

Cantastoria Festival!

2011-05-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

Although definitely not toy theatre, an upcoming cantastoria festival is too good to pass up passing on!

From the organization's site behind it, here's the skinny:

Pre-cinematic technology takes over for a week of contemporary cantastoria, cooked up by puppeteers, artists and craftspeople from across the country. A millennium-old art form is rejuvenated and re-imagined, as performers animate paintings and banners alongside texts, puppets, jokes, songs and stories.

Each unique program features several original shorts on a given theme, and the festival kicks off with a FREE opening celebration, presented by Great Small Works at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Vischmarkt Spotlight: Rough Magic Theatre, UK

2011-04-30T00:11:00.000-07:00

Who is that 'nice woman'...?

Collette Knowles is a puppeteer. Soon, she will be performing a production of her original adaption of "Hansel and Gretel" at the upcoming toy theatre festival in the Netherlands.

A Man & His Dolls

2011-04-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

My friend Vanesa shared this trailer with me recently. As she says, "This looks like an extraordinary film about dolls and a man's relationship with them..."

A Nazi scrutinizes Captain Hogancamp...

After viewing the trailer, viewing still shots taken by Mark (the man behind all this), and reading about the story behind the film, I couldn't agree more. An amazing use of the imagination and creativity for self-healing.

Puppetry International Issue #29: TOY THEATRE!

2011-04-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, I was asked if I would be interested in submitting an article for the next issue of Puppetry International, which was going to focus an entire issue on toy theatre. I happily agreed, and submitted a book review about Mo Heard's new book, Leo's Heroes.

Well, the issue has just been published, and I got a copy in the mail today. I am tickled pink with the result.

The entire issue highlights the wonderful world of toy theatre, including of course some of its history, but just as importantly, the current renaissance of the form in many wonderful ways.

Nashville in Miniature

2011-04-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

See more miniatures here...

I recently was on holiday to visit my daughter and her family, as well as my son. all of whom live in the Nashville, Tennessee area.

While there, I was able to take in an amazing exhibition at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens entitled Trains in G.

The exhibit is a miniature town consisting of various landscapes, plants, infrastructure (bridges, roadways, railroads, etc.), and buildings. All the buildings and infrastructure are made from natural material - plants, trees, rock, etc. The buildings are all re-creations of actual homes and businesses, either historical or modern, that either existed or did exist once, in the Nashville area.

As a novice toy theatre enthusiast, it was a marvelous outing on a beautiful day. I must say, I greatly admire the artist behind it; the exhibit was designed and constructed by Paul Busse, of Applied Imagination, using something he calls Botanical Architecture...

The Nashville Parthenon - a re-creation itself - is recreated here in miniature...

Toy Theatre Festival 'Trailer'

2011-04-19T04:31:00.000-07:00

The biannual toy theatre festival in the Netherlands is coming up soon. Check out this trailer showing highlights and performers from other recent festivals there to give you an idea of what you can see if you attend (which is highly recommended by the way...!)

Muppet Toy Theatre

2011-04-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

Maple floor boards, fully functional footlights, & hand-crafted baroque panels

Lance Cardinal is a genius in my book.

Take a look at his Muppet Theatre project. Take a good look. It's utterly amazing, the detail and quality of his work. I am blown away...

Behind the scenes...

In a different post, you can see the design process itself...Fascinating!

Lance, you have a rare and special gift. Thank you for sharing this project with us!

Third Int'l Toy Theatre Festival at Vischmarket

2011-04-03T02:00:00.000-07:00

A festival performance, in-process...

This June, the bi-annual toy theatre festival in the Netherlands will be happening.

The Third International Toy Theatre Festival at Vischmarkt (Fishmarket) in Harderwijk, Netherlands will be June 1-3, 2011. You can check out the festival's website for more information (continually 'under construction' with updates...)

A wonderful pictorial overview of the last festival can be found at this site.

Posts about past festivals on this blog can be found here.

A performance over, the 'man behind the curtain' reveals himself...

Dramatis Personae Catalogue #106

2011-03-31T06:29:00.000-07:00

Grand Combat in the Secret Mine No.2
(Hodgson & Co., 1822)

As always, it is a joy to announce that the latest catalogue has come out from Dramatis Personae!

You will find all sorts of fascinating ephemera for sale, including some delightful toy theatre-related items.

I highly encourage anyone interested in vintage toy theatre to check them out...

Spotlight: Paper Cinema

2011-03-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

They combine many elements, including toy theatre. As Mike M. (my tipster) told me, "I love seeing the cut-outs freed from the stage..."

Troy in Troytown

From their website 'About' tab:

The Paper Cinema is an illustrated song, a shadow, a smoke, a mirror, a puppet show, a cinema show, side show, magic show, a show and tale, a show off. It exists in the meeting of live music and moving drawings.

What happens at the accidental meeting of inkblots, photocopies, cardboard, angle-poise lamps, the occasional table, video technology, a laptop and a banana box?

Best to see The Paper Cinema with your own eyes…

From a review:

"...Huddled in the dimly lit room we watched a screen in front of us while to one side the company themselves sat, arrayed around a tiny black box and a video camera. As they delicately moved dozens and dozens of paper cutouts back and forth in front of the camera on the screen in front of us a world was conjured; a world of pirates and plague, of mysterious figures and rowdy bars, of magical journeys and impossible twists of fate. To the gentle and perfectly pitched sound of a single live guitar these sinisterly beautiful illustrations danced across the screen. The whole experience was just completely lovely."

Toy Theatre Influence: 2D Animation II

2011-03-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

Another animation film project that incorporates elements of toy theatre, is in production.

Molly is an incredible artist. I've been following her for years, and own some of her art. This is exciting to see her art come to life!

Toy Theatre as Therapy

2011-03-22T06:26:00.000-07:00

The 2nd World Congress of Art Therapy will be held in Hungary this coming August. I recently learned that toy theatre is one of the forms that will be discussed in the context of therapeutic application. While using puppetry as therapy is not a new concept, I was fascinated to read how toy theatre in particular is being explored to use in just that way...

NOTE: I initially took offense at the writer saying that "Nearly everyone who has dabbled in the Juvenile Drama agrees that the performances of the plays were usually a failure. It was the preparation that provided so many hours of delight." But then I thought about it, especially after I read his later observations. I think he has a strong point - while I don't think performances per se are 'failures', the process of creating is as important, if not moreso, than the finished product (at least for me...) Whatever your opinion, I encourage you to give this unusual paper a read and see what the writer has to say...

Toy Theatre: Application of and Experiences in Psychotherapy with Adult Psychiatric Patients

By Orsolya Drávucz

The toy theatre or paper-theatre –I will use both terms- is very well-known and popular in Western Europe. For me it was a real surprise when I first heard about it. It wasn’t so long ago.

When I looked it up, I realised how big and interesting history this kind of theatre has in Western Europe. But I have not found any data in the Hungarian puppet-theatre books.

The history of toy-theatre

Toy-theatre is a unique form of puppetry, one which encompasses most of the known art forms in miniature. But it is not just a dramatic performance in little.

The toy-theatre originated in Europe at the beginning of the 19th century and played an important part in documenting the productions and theatres of the 1800’s because it copied the actual theatres, productions, characters, and performances of the time, and printed them on sheets of paper for reproduction in miniature in the home. The sheets were painted, pasted and cut out. The theatre itself was constructed of wood, or mounted on heavy cardboard. The play was rehearsed and finally performed for a living-room audience of family and friends.

Many prominent individuals, such as Charles Dickens, Hans Christian Andersen, Winston Churchill included a Toy Theatre in their childhood memories. The Sound of Music production featured such a theatre in the playroom shared by the Trapp family children.

The Toy Theatre was undoubtedly a direct descendant of the late eighteen century theatrical portrait sheets, which were in their first concepts designed to cater for the adult theatre-going public. However it was not long before they were spreading to younger members of the community, and by about 1807, the English Toy Theatre had begun to emerge. These were not however new to the continent of Europe, Vienna in particular produced model theatres long before the close of the eighteenth century, likewise the German publications of this toy also date from this period. But in England it’s growth was not to take place until the first part of the nineteenth century and within a few years they were collected by child and adult alike.

Although it was mostly the children’s hobby (the title Juvenile Drama refers to it) there were adults, too, with the same interest. Gordon Craig, Charlie Chaplin are a few of many who have built up their gaudy toy theatres, inserted the shaky sheets of incredible scenery, and manoeuvred the stiff cardboard characters across the stage.

The Juvenile Drama came into being soon after 1800, and rocketed at once to the heights of fashion. In the theatre proper, it was the heyday then of melodrama, pantomime and the equestrian drama and no sooner did a new play make a hit at Covent Garden, the Olympic or Astley’s, than sheets of the play would be rushed out for the miniature stage.

Early nineteenth century England was seized with a passion for the theatre. As the number of theatres and their patrons increased, so did the tide of souvenirs and mementos, floating on the top of this tide of popularity was the juvenile drama. By mid 1830’s these paper wonders had created a new interest that hit the playrooms of England like a tidal wave. The play itself would be potted down into a brief but emotional booklet. The characters and scenery would be drawn in miniature, engraved on to sheets, and sold in sets, the price being twopence for the hand-coloured sheets, and a penny for the plain ones which you coloured yourself.

In the early days the quality of the plates was magnificent. The characters would be exact portraits of the great actors of the day. There seems no doubt that at this date the toy theatre was a pastime for grown-ups. The Juvenile Drama was, in fact, your „Picture Post”. Instead of buying with lush pothographs of your stage passion of the moment, you bought a set of prints, and enacted your favourite play at home. But it soon became a popular game for children. In the great days of the Juvenile Drama, there were in London no less than thirty publishers producing miniature dramas and the men that produced them was as well known as Walt Disney is to this generation.

Nearly everyone who has dabbled in the Juvenile Drama agrees that the performances of the plays were usually a failure. It was the preparation that provided so many hours of delight.

It was fun to choose sheets from the vast selection at the toyshop; coloured them in gaudy colours; cut out the characters and scenes; past them on cardboard; past the proscenium and the orchestra on to the theatre, fix the footlights.

It was incredibly difficult to push the characters on in the right order, to get life into the action, to make the dialogue comprehensible, where one or two children had, by squeaking and growling by turns, to represent a dozen different characters or more. A. E. Wilson, whose book Penny Plain, Twopence Coloured, gives a full and charming account of the history of the toy theatre, say the whole pleasure was in anticipation.

The ebb of popularity was to grow ever larger as the century came to its close. Many factors assisted in the decline of the toy theatre. There were newer and far more visual entertainments on the horizon which filled the late Victorian world with wonder. Almost every new scientific discovery seemed to result ultimately in the development of some new playing. Manufacturers adapted all the newly found principles to the commercial exploitation of the nursery and in doing cast and even larger shadow over the Juvenile Theatre. The live theatre also was to change, the age of melodrama was giving way to that of realism. The former stylized poses of the actor which had lent itself to the static positions of the paper counterparts ceased to be the fashion, adding yet another death knell to the paper theatre world. But in spite of all these factors the toy theatre did survive no longer as the pinnacle of the toy industry but merely as a shadow of its former self. Nevertheless it still remained within the echelons of the toy world well into the 1930’s and ironically outlived most of its Victorian rivals. Indeed many of its opponents have ceased to even be recorded or remembered.

The fact that the Juvenile Drama is still with us today must in no small part be attributed to Benjamin Pollock. For it was he more than any other who carried on this paper phenomenon well into this century, and on his death at the age of eighty in1937 had spent sixty of those years publishing and selling his toy theatres and plays. After Pollock’s death his two daughters carried on the trade until their shop in London was bombed during the World War II bringing the business to an abrupt close.

Many collectors believe that one of the reasons for the decline of the Toy Theatre was the elimination of personal involvement. First they became pre-coloured then die stamped and pre-creased, some slotted together eliminating gluing and so on. With each attempt to reduce to a bare minimum the efforts on the part of the constructor so the creative instinct declined. The quality of the prints was going down, many being reproduced not from copper-plates, but as lithographs. And the audience was fast diminishing.

The birth of children’s magazines, the introduction of compulsory education (which meant homework), above all, the arrival of the play of ideas in the theatre proper, lowered the prestige and popularity of the Juvenile Drama. Some expert s in the theatre think that the Juvenile Drama must reflect the theatre of the time, and that cannot truly flourish in an age which laughs at melodrama.

Interest in Toy Theatre prints waned during the early 1900s but in recent years has experienced a remarkable revival in Europe. MDE Publications produced its first toy theatre for the Edinburgh Festival in 1968, since that time it has produced numerous theatres and plays. In 1989, all theatrical sheets were standardised and set to an A4 format. So the tradition of the late eighteen century are still being carried forward. Last year more than 17 countries participated in the International Paper Theatre Festival. (5)(6)

Puppets as a medium for therapy

The puppet always signs and symbolizes something. Its strength is enormous since the lifeless comes to life. The player lives through the role of the mover and the one that is moved at the same time. In the living theatre the actor transforms himself into his role. His real self is hidden behind the role, and can unite with the inner-system of another human being. This is not typical of the puppet-theatre. These are the main differences between human- and puppet-theatre.

Human theatre	Puppet theatre
It is the figure who brings the drama itself, it’s character is developing	The drama is in the action
Rational, cause and effect principle	Ratio is not important, tales
One of the artistic component is dominant (music in the opera, dance in ballet etc.)	The artistic components are equal
The actor identifies himself with the character, his personality is hidden	The actor can project his personality into the puppet, and can be outsider

The viewer sees only the character, and not the character and the actor together. The puppet theatre actor is in the role, but is an outsider, too, at the same time, so there is a distance to be more critical with the character. In the human theatre a universal message is showed as a personal story, but in the puppet theatre there is only universal message.

Puppet theatre is a very good instrument to express religious contents, mysteries, moral teachings, and the view of life of a given time. With the help of the puppets we can express things to which the human body is unable. It can symbolise the superhuman attributes of the soul, the wonders and the secret and holy feelings. It can produce the illusion even if the actor were laughable. It makes complex effects. It doesn’t know the big pain, but it is serious even in the funniest moments. It influences our feelings, not our mind. The subject of the puppet theatre is not to copy the human behaviour, its aim is to symbolise thoughts and feelings.

The puppet theatre is visual, which correspond to the children’s disposition and has a strong influence on the adults, too. It is dramatic, artistic, symbolic and based on the action. The puppet theater is a creative and joyful process. It is easy to activate the patients. It makes possible:

-to facilitate expression

-to express themselves, their problems and the hidden, ashamed and bottled features of their personality, too.

-to get a 3D vision of what is inside of them, inoffensive style, give shapes to complex feelings, values, voices, situations. I lived through but I am not through with it.

-to put these onto the stage, have a good view of them a personal distance, perspective

-the confrontation, the elaboration.

-Not only the revelation of the symptoms is possible, but the revenge without guilty conscience, and to live out the destructive tendencies in a playful, verbal and affective way.

-to find one’s own solutions by playing different roles, gaining in clarity and well-being

-the socialization, practice adaptive behavior-forms.

-to form a group.

The game with the puppets is popular and often used as a method in children-psychotherapy. Despite the advantages of the method, it is rarely applied in the adult-psychotherapy.

The method that has been used so far at the mainly psychotic cases has a wider indication than it has been expected and it carries further possibilities, as well.

Simple tools are needed to the realization of the performance (cardboard, coloured pencils, paint and thin sticks) so even the less skillful patients can be successful in it. The characters, the scenery and the wings made of paper and coloured by the players. The few materials that are used won't make the patients uncertain or less confident and it makes the interpretation easier for the therapist.

The toy-theater therapy group at the Jahn Ferenc Hospital works with 6-7 members. The group is heterogen in the respect of the illnesses. The group is open for any newcomers. The gathering has four parts:

1. Theme: The group chooses an important topic and come to an agreement which story they want to see on the stage. (The therapist uses psychodramatic methods during this part)

2. Art: The members design, colour and cut out the characters and the scenery.

3. The Performance: the "original" story and the changes

4. Discussion

Experiences

In our department the patients are drug-abusers or have attempted suicide, but behind these symptoms there are many psychiatric illnesses such as depression, social phobia, anxious disorders, compliance disorders, and in a few cases psychotic symptoms.

It is a big problem for the patients to talk about themselves without any fear.

The beginning is always a little bit difficult. They are embarrassed as they see the pencils, the scissors and the paper theatre, and when they realize that they have to play. But soon they become relaxed, the process of the creation makes them forget their fears.

It was a great experience to realize that the adult patients can enjoy playing with puppets. Even the patients suffering from depression who lost the ability to find pleasure in creating something, could revive their manual creative instinct. It was easy to arouse their interest and make a good atmosphere in the settings.

Only the expression of their emotions can be curative. And this method helps to express themselves, to crystallize their ego. Topics can be very helpful, like Do your self-portrait, What am I afraid of? My illness, What do I want most?, My favourite tales.

Those patients who have problem to establish and keep contacts, have the chance to get in touch with others through the puppet. The little paper theatre makes the illusion of the invisibility, so they can talk free and easy.

In the Far East the puppet theatre has great tradition. There is a strong belief in fate, so they easily identify themselves with the puppet who is moving by an outsider’s will.

It is liberating that they can make a very-very small being which is smaller than themselves and who talk and move the way they want. They endow puppet with emotions, motivations, voice and spirit. It gives a huge power to be the creator or to be the magician who can alter the lifeless into alive.

Problems can be projected into the puppets and can be worked through, allowing the dramatic release of feelings and the resolution of emotional conflicts.

Puppetry stimulates storytelling, providing useful diagnostic information, and offers the opportunity for patients to express and process aggression and relationship conflicts with limited anxiety, fear and guilt.

The negative characters are conforming since there are not only the good that can absolve them from guilty feelings.

It is also liberating that anything is possible. Everything that a human body can not do. And there are no limitation in the casting relating the body or the physical appearance. So anybody can be beautiful princess, strong man or old wise man…

The puppetry is said to be very childish. It is said that the adults outgrow the puppetry. Some things are important for the children and others for the adults.

Nursery-school age children are using mostly animal characters. The stories are simple and easy to follow. Moving the puppets give the opportunity to live out motions and emotions.

For the primary school age children fantasy will be important. The stories are getting more complex. In the puberty the focus of the interest is inside the ego. They have the need to analyse themselves, to understand the world. They are critical and unstable. For them the puppetry is too slow, boring and childish.

After the age of emotional-chaos, when they are not afraid of the charge of infantilism, the playfulness of the puppetry can attract the adult. It is more abstract, symbolic for the adults which stimulate not just the emotions, but the mind, as well.

As you might see, the puppet-theatre can help in the psychotherapy process to explore and work up the problems in a protected and gentle way. It has a wider indication than it has been expected and it carries further possibilities.

Bibliography

1. Ambrus Ferencné (szerk.): Játék és egészség, Az Egészségügyi Minisztérium egészségügyi felvilágosítási központjának kiadványa, 1972.

2. Dr Hermann Alice: A báb hatása a gyermek személyiségének alakulására in: Bábozzunk az óvódában, Népművelési Propaganda Iroda, 1969.

3. Polcz Alaine: A bábjáték lélektana, in: Hollós Róbertné (szerk.): A bábjáték lélektana, Népművelési Intézet. Tanulmánykötet 18. 1962.

4. Tarbay Ede (szerk.): Bábesztétikai szöveggyüjtemény, Tankönyvkiadó, 1976.

5. Sandberg, G.:Background Info on Toy Theatre in: www.datasync.com

6. James, A.S.: The end of the Juvenile Drama? In: www.puppetguild.org.uk

New Shop Celebrates Storytelling

2011-03-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

Liminal Space opened this week...

A new shop has opened in the London area that celebrates storytelling in many ways, including the form of toy theatre!

They describe themselves as "...a pop-up shop celebrating storytelling through the making and animating of hand-crafted objects."

You can see more here...

"...the grim ending to Baba Yaga is performed, as we watch a wicked,
money-hungry stepmother and her two obnoxious daughters being
turned to ash by the flames from a skull's eyes."

Optical Toys: Cyclotrope

2011-03-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

The Cyclotrope from tim Wheatley on Vimeo.

A delightful re-purposing of bicycle parts!

The creator, Tim Wheatley, had this to say...

The cyclotrope is a cycle of 18 images that is spun at a certan speed so that the frame rate of the camera filming it gives the illusion of animation.

Toy Theatre Influence: 2D Animation

2011-03-11T10:16:00.000-08:00

Toy Theatre & Beyond

2011-03-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

The Fifth Annual Toy Theatre After Dark Festival starts today in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Programming is staggered with several options for the festival-goer...

Intimate, inventive, and wonderfully odd, toy theater has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, especially in the Twin Cities. From shows-in-a-suitcase, paper marionettes, and wearable theater to shadow plays, weird object animation, and table-top cantastorias (sung stories), a new wave of theater miniaturists is captivating audiences with fresh approaches to an old art form. The award-winning Open Eye Figure Theatre began showcasing the burgeoning local scene in 2007, and now partners with the Walker to expand into a two-week festival and present a program that includes short new pieces from local and national artists. Two distinctly different programs offer a stunning spectrum of miniature puppetry work. Featuring the far flung and home grown puppeteers Justin Spooner, Kurt Hunter, Z Puppets, Robin Schwartzman, Kristi Tiernes, David Commander, Amber Davis, Dolly Wagglers, Michael Montenegro, Michael Sommers, and Billy Mullaney. Curated by Susan Haas with Michael Sommers and Philip Bither.

May Festival Recognizes Bicentennial

2011-03-09T02:00:00.000-08:00

The poster's striking image is a brilliant focus on the foundation of toy theatre: PAPER!

7th INTERNATIONAL PAPER THEATRE MEETINGS
25 – 29 May 2011
Pays d’Epernay – Terres de Champagne
Bicentenary of Paper Theatre Just 200 years ago, in the window of a small publisher’s book shop in London, appeared the sheets which made it possible to construct a real theatre at home for the first time; miniature but real…
All Europe published these theatres until they gradually disappeared at the beginning half of the twentieth century before reappearing in the 1980s by artists who brought them a future in other scales.
The Paper Theatre International Meetings which takes place in Pays d’Epernay – Terres de Champagne is devoted to this technique.
Exhibition
Paper Theatre from the Origins to the Present Day

Two hundred years of history, the first portraits until the most contemporary proposals
An exhibition in 200 m²
18 May – 25 June at the Multimedia library of Epernay
Coproduction: Papierthéâtre, Pays d’Epernay, Epernay Municipality, the Puppetry International Festival of Charleville-Mézières, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Champagne Ardenne Regional Council and Marne Departmental Council.
(The exhibition will be in Charleville-Mézières in September 2011)

SHOWS
16 companies
9 countries
20 towns

Companies:
Svalegangens Dukketeater – Denmark
Paperplays – England
Puppet Working Group – England
Anima – France
Théâtre de l’Arc-en-Terre – France
Atelier de la Boule Bleue – France
En Verre et contre Tout – France
Volpinex – France
Barbara Steinitz & Björn Kollin – Germany
Burgtheater – Germany
Darvag – Iran
Papelito – Italy
Facto Teatro – Mexico
Teatro de Formas Animadas de Vila do Conde – Portugal
Scope Toy Theatre – The United States

Towns:
Avize, Bouzy, Congy, Dormans, Epernay, Fleury la Rivière, Germaine, La Caure, Le Breuil, Mareuil le Port, Oeuilly, Orbais l’Abbaye, Pierry, Tauxières Mutry, Tours sur Marne, Troissy, Vandières, Vertus, Villeneuve-Renneville-Chevigny, Villevenard

Information:
Paperthéàtre
Papier.theatre@wanadoo.fr
Reservation:
MJC d’Ay
contact@mjc-ay.com
0033 (0)3 26 55 18 44

Website: www.ritp.fr

Toy Theatre for iPad Official Launch

2011-03-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

The joy on the children's faces as they see their toy theatre creation come alive put a big smile on my face!

I love seeing today's tech-savvy kids gets turned on to old tech interpreted by new tech. A great idea, and hats off to Pollock's Toy Shop for introducing it...

Toy Theatre at the Library

2011-03-05T13:38:00.001-08:00

Decameron no 2 a photo by John Elmslie on Flickr.

Mariella Bertelli is a storyteller and librarian with an extensive background in puppetry and theatre. She has recently worked on a retelling of the 16th century Italian classic Orlando Furioso and on her own stories inspired by material in the Toronto Archives.

Decameron no 5 a photo by John Elmslie on Flickr.

I contacted Mariella to ask about her involvement in toy theatre. She shared that "...toy theatres are my passion after discovering them while working at the Osborne collection of Early Children's books...With my friend (and fellow librarian) Mary Anne Cree we have developed and performed (to private audiences) two shows -real adult content- adapting two stories from Boccacio's Decameron, and have had lots of fun doing them."

The source material sounds very challenging to adapt, but from the still shots I found of her doing one of the productions, shared here, it looks like it was an amazing occasion, complete with live music according to the notes!

Madness in Miniature

2011-03-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

The House Theatre presents Madness in Miniature.

Performer, designer and puppeteer Meredith Miller stars in this elegantly macabre evening, which recreates the early 20th-century practice of parlor entertainment featuring toy theater and adult puppetry. Accompanied by live jazz and ragtime on grand piano, Miller evokes an Edward Gorey-esque vibe that tells a story of love and loss.

Meredith Miller’s hour-long escape into the depths of the Chopin Theatre’s opulent lounge recaptures the intimate feeling of the time when people performed toy-theater and puppetry for each other as live entertainment in their parlors. The mood is evocative of the artwork of Edward Gorey—elegant, macabre, understated, and hovering somewhere between Victorian and Art Deco. And by pairing a line-up of intimate, lush puppetry performances with virtuosic jazz and ragtime played live on a grand piano, we have the feeling of having slipped back in time and found ourselves in a mysterious, timeless, parlor populated by dark humor macabre notions of love and loss.

Meredith Miller is a Chicago-based designer and performer of original object-based theatrical works. Her recent work includes The Abduction, originally created for "The World is Flat! A Weekend of Toy Theater" at Chicago's Links Hall, where she shared the bill with Great Small Works. Following this performance, Meredith was invited to appear in Open Eye Theater's annual Toy Theater After Dark festival in Minneapolis, and Great Small Works' 9th Annual Toy Theater Festival in New York.

Sources: goldstar.com and thehousetheatre.com

Old + New = Spellbinding

2011-02-21T18:53:00.000-08:00

French animation master Michel Ocelot has made a new film - Les Contes de la Nuit (or Tales of the Night) - featuring "...six freshly conceived fairy tales that are rendered instantly timeless."

The film is presented in 3D, which "...gives Ocelot's distinctive two-dimensional look a pop-up book feel..." - or as I prefer to imagine it, a kind of toy theatre depth!

Tomtom Boy: A boy trains to master a magic tom-tom drum that makes everyone dance

The Doe Girl: A doting young man sees his beloved turned into a doe by a jealous
sorcerer; she will stay that way unless he can find the touch that will change her back

Puppet Heap

2011-02-19T07:11:00.000-08:00

Click to see Video...

Puppet Buzz posted today about a delightful series of videos that I had to pass on. They are highly amusing and just plain fun. Lots of hard work and love obviously went into their production, and it shows!

Vaudeville "Music Hall" Theatre

2011-02-10T06:03:00.000-08:00

The above video shows an animated toy theatre. It's animated physically, not digitally. It's your standard paper toy theatre, but the characters and props are all jointed so in addition to sliding them around the stage, they can also be manually manipulated to perform actions. To be more exact, "...they are string-pull puppets, working along the same principle as jumping jacks, so they can be 'remotely controlled' by a puppeteer."

The theatre is called "Vaudeville", but is also known by some as "Puppet Music-Hall", and it was created by Pete Brown.

Pete, a boat builder from Ireland, shared with me that he enjoys puppetry as a hobby, mostly large-scale for parades. However, the idea of the music hall characters were "...just knocking around inside my head", so he felt he had to create something out of the premise. This toy theatre design, and the book that followed, is the creative, innovative, and fun result!

Animation Resource

2011-02-08T14:28:00.000-08:00

I ran across what I thought was a traditional toy theatre, but soon realized it was virtual. "Whatever created this, is good," I thought. I asked the website's creator to share a bit about the software used...

iClone is a 3D animation software. Up until now that sort of 3D software was expensive and slow. It took days or even weeks to build up the frames needed for a final animation. It had to place each and every pixel on the screen and work out how to bounce each and every ray of light off the scene. But iClone does all that instantly, because it uses a videogame engine and the user's PC gaming graphics-card to do all the heavy-lifting required to make a 3D animation. It's affordable too, and very usable - a lot of its content is drag-and-drop. My Alice Theater can be animated quite easily. There's a free version of iClone, iClone Ex, if people want to try it out.

Still from "Alice" toy theatre animation, created with iClone

Exhibition Feedback

2011-02-06T13:53:00.000-08:00

"The Wedding Supper", somehow I want to call it the "Last Supper"!
How many celebrities can YOU identify? [Click to enlarge]

I recently wrote about an exhibition that uses toy theatre in a very fun, inventive, and stimulating manner. It opened last weekend. One of the individuals behind the exhibition, Bren O'Callaghan, wrote to share some images from the exhibition (see below) and these kind comments...

Dear Trish

Thanks so much for getting in touch about my exhibition, apologies it has taken until now but I was consumed with the final few days of preparation and then had to take a few days off!

Please find attached two images of each theatre should you wish to use these on your site.

Thanks also for the lovely blog post, you seem to have the hang of the purpose behind the work - building upon the seed of an idea first proposed by TV comedian Harry Hill, actually the alter-ego of artist Matthew Hall. I picked up the baton of the earlier challenge so to speak, and decided to interpret Cruikshank's mammoth painting by selecting key vignettes from within the larger whole. I wanted to retain the sense of caricature and retreating fields of depth, which is why I turned to the form of toy theatres, and I glad I did because I've loved every moment of this project - even though it was hard work at times!

Best regards,

Bren

David Bailey

Laura Barnard

Charlotte Gould and Hannah Gibson

Simon Misra

Gemma Parker

John Powell-Jones

The exhibition is ongoing through February 27th.

Toy Theatre Bicentennial

2011-02-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

A website devoted to the small stage has declared 2011 the bicentennial of toy theatre.

Actually there has been talk about 2011 being toy theatre's bicentennial year before.

I'm not sure how 1811 has gotten momentum as the chosen 'year one' of toy theatre; many will posit that toy theatre existed before then in one form or another, but as regards the classic form that is associated with Victorian England, I think it can be argued to have its roots in that general time frame.

The question now is, will the toy theatre community at large acknowledge this? Will it be embraced, and used to celebrate and publicize toy theatre far and wide? I think it would be a great opportunity to do so...

Toy Theatre Influence: Flash Menu

2011-01-30T08:31:00.000-08:00

Still shot from interactive flash menu, featuring toy theater-like graphics
[Click to enlarge...]

I was introduced to a magical place yesterday. The worlds it shares takes you beyond the mundane. It is a magical place where you forget about things like homework, jobs, or bills, and your imagination can run wild. It calls itself "...a studio for the imagination."

Take their website, for instance. When you arrive, you're immersed in a virtual world of castles and ships, hot air balloons and kites, with a road full of travelers coming and going. If you move your cursor to the left or the right, the scene moves in that direction, and you are introduced to new landscapes, peoples, and goings on. Visitors will discover that the scenes are, in actual fact, a very clever and fun interactive menu system, featuring toy theatre-like graphics.

The People You're Not Exhibition

2011-01-24T16:04:00.000-08:00

Amy Winehouse character

Opening this weekend is a wonderfully satirical, creative, thought-provoking, and amusing exhibition that features toy theatre as part of its realization.

The People You're Not exhibition can be briefly described as "...a satirical trip through the private and public faces of fame, from the first heady days of idolisation and adoring fans, via rock and roll alter-egos, excess and media mockery to dysfunction, introversion and the eccentric depths of the celebrity soul."

Proposed by Harry Hill, realised by Bren O’Callaghan, the goal was to recreate George Cruikshank's THE WORSHIP OF BACCHUS using known alcoholics.

From the gallery's website, it is further described as "...Victorian satire meets Heat Magazine as six illustrators put a contemporary spin on scenes from George Cruikshank’s famous 1860 painting exposing the evils and horrors of alcohol. ‘Performers’ such as Kerry Katona and Liza Minnelli, Courtney Love and George Best, Oliver Reed and Lindsay Lohan are given centre stage in six large-scale Victorian-style toy theatres, setting the scene for cautionary tales of drunken celebrity clichés and the pitfalls of the demon drink.

The Plays & The Characters
[When the cast member is fictional in origin, the source (film, play or novel) is referred
to in parenthesis...]

The Wedding Supper, or Till Decree Nisi Do Us Part
Tommy Cooper
Errol Flynn
Elton John
Kerry Katona
Shane MacGowan
Liza Minnelli
Katie Price
Bender Bending Rodríguez (Futurama)

Harlequinade, or Rita Sue and Herpes Too
Clarissa Dickson Wright
Robert Downey Jr
Keith Floyd
Paul Gascoigne
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
Gram Parsons
Amy Winehouse
Trinny Woodall

Olympian Revels, or Two Pints of Ouzo and a Kebab
Drew Barrymore
Charles Bukowski
George W. Bush
Keith Chegwin
Pete Doherty
Lindsay Lohan
Kate Moss
Oliver Reed

Mission to the Hindoos, or Pilgrims of the Porcelain Throne
Rick Blaine (Casablanca)
Christine Cagney (Cagney & Lacey)
Sue Ellen Ewing (Dallas)
Judy Garland
Mel Gibson
David Hasselhoff
Rock Hudson
Samuel L. Jackson
Janis Joplin
William Shatner
Patsy Stone (Absolutely Fabulous)
Kiefer Sutherland
Elizabeth Taylor (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?)

Fête Champêtre, or The Battle of B.O.G.O.F.
George Best
Richard Burton
Tracey Emin
Father Jack Hackett (Father Ted)
Richard Harris
Billie Holiday
Courtney Love
Peter O’Toole

Studious Pursuits, or One More for the Road
Truman Capote
Blanche Du Bois (A Streetcar Named Desire)
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Judith Hearne (The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne)
Ernest Hemmingway
Dorothy Parker
Edgar Allan Poe
Hunter S. Thompson

1st Annual Online-Only Toy Theatre Festival?

2011-01-16T10:18:00.000-08:00

An excellent example of computer-animated toy theatre is Nigel Peever's production of The Corsican Brothers
Recently on the Toy Theatre Yahoo Group, a member mentioned the following idea:

What does everyone think about holding an online TT festival?

It could include performances via YouTube or Vimeo, or even web cam if anyone would fancy trying something live.

We could post images, scripts, proposals etc

There are several sites where one can hold online conferences, for presentations, abstracts and papers.

It might be easier than a physical event to start with?

Any takers?

I think it's a marvelous idea. An idea whose time has not only come, but is long overdue.

Overall response so far has been modest but enthusiastic. There was some concern about it being 'only' an online festival, with recorded performance versus live performance (albeit by video, not in-person). However, as it was further discussed in the online group - and the original poster suggested - why not both?

Another aspect of a virtual festival beside the the recorded vs live, is that there could be virtual (animated - handmade or computer) versus 'real' or physical performances.

It goes without saying that variety is the spice of life, yet tradition is something to preserve. That said, both traditional theatres and/or plays would be presented, but innovative, avant-garde, or experimental theatre-of-the-small should be encouraged, also.

What say you, Dear Readers? Anyone interested in taking part? It's early days, but the world toy theatre community would love to hear from you if you'd like to participate in any capacity - design, performance, 'backstage', technical, etc. If you don't know who to contact, let me know and I'll put you in touch...

Elephant Man Toy Theatre

2011-01-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

I ran across an amazing original toy theatre production about real life personality, Joseph Merrick, better known as the "Elephant Man". Created by artist and writer Scot D. Ryersson, the detail of the the creation is amazing!

Joseph Merrick: A Three Act Tragedy (inspired by the legend of Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man) – Handmade, antiqued cardboard & paper vellum Victorian toy theatre, based upon an original design in the collection of the Theatre Museum, London; battery-operated miniature white lights; LED flickering candle; pewter figurine.

Read more (and see more) about it on Scot's blog...

Little Mermaid ala Rube Goldberg

2010-12-31T02:00:00.000-08:00

"The Little Mermaid" - Great Small Works 9th International Toy Theatre Festivalfrom btay on Vimeo.
The toy theatre production featured in the video above is presented in a very novel (and charming) fashion...

Pollocks on iPad is Here!

2010-12-27T14:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas Production

2010-12-25T18:53:00.000-08:00

The Neffs, about to perform...

George and Ann Neff have been sharing the Christmas spirit in a very unique way over the past day or so on Facebook. I still can't believe I didn't figure it out right away! Ann was hinting a couple of times...

"They are almost to Bethlehem now, to be counted. May YOUR travels in preparation for the holiday be safe and blessed.", and

"They made it to the manger. The Babe is born! Hope you all are having a most Merry and Blessed Christmas. Ann (and George ) Neff"

As Ann posted the updates, I wasn't noticing at the time, but I'm thinking now that her Facebook profile icon was changing to different scenes from their "Nativity" toy theatre play. They were once again putting it on this Christmas season, and from the series of photos from it that Ann posted today, it looks like an amazing production.

The first angel tells the shepherds, "Be not afraid!"
[Click to enlarge]

I asked Ann if I could share about it here, and she kindly said yes. In Ann's words, she describes it as "...The Neff's toy theatre production of The Nativity, as conceived and drawn by Stephen Langdale for A Service of Lessons and Carols. Watercolour, stage and lighting by the Neffs." (All Photos used here are from a 2008 production of this play...)

Shepherds come to the manger to adore the Baby Jesus...
[Click to enlarge]

Library Display

2010-12-23T07:53:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year I changed my whole life. Part of that change involved resigning my job of 23 years, moving to another state, and getting another job in an entirely new field - as a librarian.

Reddington proscenium at left,
some character sheets at right,
& a Dover "Peter Rabbit" below

At the small-town library I work at, they have a glass display case. For the holiday season, I decided to put up a modest display of toy theatre and puppet-related items from my personal collection. While I would have loved to put up my entire Reddington toy theatre, the display case isn't deep enough to accommodate it. What to do? I removed the proscenium from the front of the theatre to bring it alone, along with a schematic of what a wooden toy theatre looks like to hang behind it, for context.

I also brought along both plain and colored character sheets, as well as a few exhibition catalogues, and books about toy theatre history.

It's been fun answering questions about toy theatre, from library patrons!

Exhibitions & Workshops

2010-12-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

Cotsen Children's Library exhibition
focuses on Aladdin (Webb & Skelt)

Over the weekend, I became aware of another ongoing exhibition featuring toy theatre, and some workshops for another I wrote about before...

The Cotsen Children's Library's exhibit (through March 15, 2011), "Making the Toy Theatre", concentrates on one production ("Aladdin") from start to finish. Besides examples of scenes, characters and even scripts, on view will also be "...copper and stereotype printing plates, lithographic stones, metal dyes, and other tools of the toy theatre trade."

Publisher: J.S. Schreiber
Proscenium, Prozenium mit
Musikkapelle, sheet number 300
Scenery for Kriegerzelt (War Tent)
Figures for Siegfried
Germany, ca. 1901
Facsimile/ original lithograph
Collection of Eric G. Bernard

Ongoing is "A Child's View: 19th-Century Paper Theatrers" at the Bruce Museum (through January 30, 2011), showcasing approximately 35 colorful, antique paper theaters plus related materials from the personal collection of Eric G. Bernard of New York City.

Coming up as part of this exhibition is “Paper Theaters School Vacation Workshops,” December 28 through 30, 2010, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., suitable for students in grades 1-3 of all abilities.

Memoirs of a Muse

2010-12-11T19:46:00.000-08:00

The Muse discovers her powerful relationship with mankind...

I received a wonderful surprise in the mail the other day. I opened our rural delivery mailbox to find a fat envelope addressed to me. I looked at the return address and was delighted to see it was from my old friend Gail. I thought to myself, "Hmmm, I wonder what Gail has sent me?!" I was excited to find out...

The contents of the envelope turned out to be two volumes of a planned trilogy, a 'graphic novel' of sorts entitled "Memoirs of a Muse". I sat down later and devoured them both, then of course started to wonder where the inspiration for the books (ironically about that very subject of inspiration, aka the 'Muse') came from. I went to the source...

Gail shared that "...I was reading a book called The Story of Painting, where the author connected each artist to the next and I thougtht it's like the muse is a groupie that goes from one star to the next. Then I was walking around at work and thought what would be the beginning of the muse's story?"

The first volume follows the beginnings of the Muse's relationship with mankind through several characters including Enoch and Moombi.

In the second volume, the Muse meets up with General Lakhdunlim, King of Mari, and thus later his bride - Ariadne, a "Minoan princess from the Knossos palace on the Island of Crete." Theirs was an unhappy marriage, but lucky for her, she had an opportunity to start a new life. It came with a price, out of which she created a memorial in a form of a statue. In turn, the statue came to represent a legend of the real woman it was once inspired by, and thus a cult was born. Eventually the Muse moved on to a young potter Nashuja.

Nashuja and the Muse end up on a journey to Egypt, and we are left with a cliffhanger - the Muse thinks she might be able to get back in touch with her first artist, Enoch, because she has heard the Egyptians had special knowledge of the afterlife. But that will be another story, in Volume III. I look forward to it!

Toy Theatre Influence: Nutcracker

2010-12-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

The Harlequin, from the NYBT's Nutcracker

Productions of the Nutcracker abound during the Christmas season. One particular annual production in New York caught my eye because of the heavy influence of toy theatre in its conception and design over 25 years ago that stays with it to this day.

I contacted the man behind the design, Keith Michael, and he was kind enough to share this article he wrote about it...

Choreographer and Scenic Designer Keith Michael created the Toy Theater-inspired production of The Nutcracker for New York Theatre Ballet in 1985. Led by serendipitous practical and aesthetic considerations, Toy Theater was the perfect metaphor for this re-imagining of the classic holiday ballet fantasy tale. New York Theatre Ballet, founded by Artistic Director Diana Byer, is an acclaimed chamber ballet company which maintains its prominence through meticulously detailed dance creations on a personal scale. The Nutcracker ballet is traditionally a grandiose endeavor often deliciously festooned with spectacular scenic effects and sometimes literally hundreds of performers onstage. NYTB and Keith Michael’s vision for a more intimate tale focuses attention on the story of the heroine Clara’s wonderful adventure within an equally delectable visual environment.

The Company’s frequent performances in smaller theaters, without the luxury of fly-space for multiple drops or generous offstage space for rolling scenery, made the logic of Toy Theater with the potential for grand opera house-scale production values “on a tabletop” was ideal!

Mr. Michael’s background as a teenage puppeteer, touring all through high school with his own 35-marionette version of The Nutcracker, made the leap to envisioning a candy box ballet version completely a natural.

The primary Toy Theater scenic element of the NYTB design is a back-of-the-stage Victorian-detailed proscenium arch within which backdrops are hung and revealed with the high “technology” equivalent of pulling a living room drape! Four stages of Clara’s journey - A “Nutcracker” act curtain, The Stahlbaum Drawing Room, The Snow Forest, and The Land of Sweets - are each evoked with a separate painted drop. Additional rolling scenic elements are a Doll House, a Window Unit, a Sleigh, decorative Land of Sweets Heraldry Banners and, of course, (what could be better?) an Ice Cream Throne.

In particular, Uncle Drosselmeyer’s Doll House, which is also the magical revelatory cabinet/stage for the Nutcracker doll, further enhances the playfulness of scale, by containing a miniaturization of the Drawing Room Scene complete with a miniature proscenium arch frame (more in the scale of a true Toy Theater) mimicking the “large” proscenium arch onstage immediately behind it.

Further Toy Theater references include Clara’s “real world” with her parents illustrated, a la the MGM The Wizard of Oz, in penny-plain black-and-white, and as Clara is transported to her own “Oz”, the stage is transformed to vibrant tupence-coloured. The rolling scenic units are relatively small and self-contained, and travel onstage primarily only right and left like Toy Theater props or characters manipulated through slots in the floor. And, indeed, all smaller hand props are likewise created with a “flat” design, even the Nutcracker doll, to emphasize the paper cut-out aesthetic of Toy Theater. The dancing, however, is fully three-dimensional, often bursting from the stage space.

The elaborate yet cozy stage pictures would not be complete without the masterful costume designs of Sylvia Taalsohn Nolan, who uses color and line as a story-telling sixth sense, and the recent re-imaginings of the backdrop paintings by Gillian Bradshaw-Smith add lusciousness to all of the visual sweetmeats.

Finally, it is the exuberance, insight and humor of the dancing in The Nutcracker which brings Victorian-inspired tableaus and grandeur to this magnified miniature Toy Theater world – still a delight to audiences after 26 years!

Clara & Prince, from the NYBT's Nutcracker

Toy Theatre in Reverse

2010-12-07T07:08:00.000-08:00

Toy Theatre grew out of live theatre. But several productions of live theatre in recent years - including a new one now in production, seen in the video above - have been influenced by toy theatre.

Toy Theatre-inspired sets surround the play's live actors and puppets...

The production design has used toy theatre as the main inspiration for the play's sets. "I love the simplicity," says Jessica [Grindstaff] (of Phantom Limb, the set designer). "In a way, the set is a puppet too, a giant puppet."

To read more about the people behind this production, go here...

Seen behind the performers is another Toy Theatre-inspired backdrop...

Technology Provides Toy Theatre Innovation

2010-12-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

Exciting news - An entrepreneurial spirit [who I have since found out is none other than Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop] has developed an iPad app with which you can create - and perform - a toy theatre production. I'm excited because I was thinking even I could maybe pull off a production using this...! The release date is December 26th which makes it unfortunately NOT available in time for Christmas, but that's OK.

The application was recently mentioned on the toy theatre group, and I asked the person [the developer of the program itself] who posted if it would also be available to people who don't own an iPad or other such small device, but would like to use the application on a desktop or laptop. The developer's response was...

...there is a good chance that app would be available for download on a computer but the software we use only puts out iPhone, iPad and mac version (in saying that, there is a way we can put it on the web as well, which we are investigating more...)

I sincerely hope they will find a way to bring it to a wider audience. For various reasons, there are many of us who cannot use iPad or iPhone devices.

In the meantime, I can hardly wait to see more - it looks like a LOT of fun to play with - it could be used for brainstorming, education/learning, practicing - who knows what else?!

A Very Special Toy Theatre Performance...

2010-11-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

It was recently announced on the Toy Theatre group's mailing list about an upcoming performance that I felt sounded very exciting. I emailed the person listed as contact, and she was kind enough to share the graphic (shown below) used on a poster promoting the December 6th show.

Royal Holloway's

Department of Drama and Theatre Presents:

Toy Theatre Transformed!

Courtesy: Samantha Turner [Click to see larger version...]

What I found exciting about it was, a university was actively promoting and TEACHING a course on toy theatre, and this show is the culmination of that course, with the students putting on the performance.

Samantha Turner (contact for RHUL) shared:

A celebration of the heritage of paper theatre in England and world-wide in anticipation of toy theatre's 200th anniversary in 2011. Student performances of a new version of A Christmas Carol, based on the Charles Dickens story and incorporating nineteenth-century toy theatre figures and sets from the Museum of London's collection; Jack B. Yeats' miniature circus Onct More's First Circus (1901); and The Red Tree, based on the story book by Shaun Tan. The celebration will also include a small exhibition. The event is the culmination of an intensive one-term course on Toy Theatre, which took students to toy theatre archives and institutions around the country, and involved the participation of acclaimed New Model Theatre artist Robert Poulter.

Performance will be held at Royal Holloway, in the Handa Noh Theatre.Doors will open at 6pm on December 6th, with performances beginning promptly at 6:30pm. No latecomers admitted.

For instructions on how to get to Royal Holloway, see here. The Handa Noh Theatre is number 25 on the campus map.

The event is free, but reservations are required. Please contact Samantha Turner at telephone: 07766258571 or contact Samantha via email...

I applaud their choice of subject matter - fascinating! I envy those of you who can attend. If you go, I'd love to hear from you.

Bravo, Royal Holloway, for doing your part to keep this very special form of performance art alive. All over the world, more and more people continue to discover the relevance, magic, and joy of toy theatre. May it continue to be discovered for many years to come...

Toy Theatre/Puppet Political Satire

2010-11-15T04:31:00.000-08:00

New Toy Shop Opens!

2010-11-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

Peter Baldwin shares his passion for toy theatre [Photo Credit: BBC]

Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop has opened a new branch.

You read right. The well-known toy shop, particularly known for toy theatres, is branching out.

Read more about it here...

Playette Theatre

2010-11-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

I ran across the above video of an old toy theatre on YouTube recently. Not a classic toy theatre, it is a type nonetheless. The person who posted it had this to day about it...

In 1942, my father, Larry Wise, and my uncle, Dick Briefer, collaborated on the invention and design of a "toy theatre," called the Playette Theatre, and this video is a kind of nostalgic homage to that formative period in my childhood, and to the two men whose wild creativity were such inspirational models to me as I grew up in the thrall of their energetic imaginations.

The theatre itself was a knock-down cardboard item packed in a colorful, flat box, with instructions for folding and inserting tabs into slots to create the theatre structure in all its Dick Briefer-illustrated glory, as shown in the first slides of the video.

EXHIBITION: A Child's View

2010-10-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

The above image is one of several you can see online, just some of an exhibit about to premiere entitled, "A Child’s View: 19th-Century Paper Theaters,” at the Bruce Museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The exhibit is part of a private collection. It is ongoing through January 30, 2011...

5th Toy Theatre After Dark - Festival Solicitation!

2010-10-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Exciting news! Right here in my home state of Minnesota will be a major toy theatre festival this coming March, and it's soliciting performers right now - I hope many reading this will consider performing in this festival - they sound open-minded so the sky is the limit...
____________________

In March 2011, Open Eye will present the 5th Toy Theatre After Dark, and for the first time, will partner with the Walker Art Center for the festival. This partnership allows Toy Theatre After Dark to expand into a two-week festival complete with duo programs, workshops, artist discussions, and social gatherings. Selected work will be divided into: Program 1, appropriate for all ages, and Program 2, potentially not recommended for children under age 12. Both programs will have evening and matinee performances. Covering two weekends, the festival will give local and national audiences two opportunities to see the whole program in a single weekend.

Open Eye is soliciting proposals for image/object/puppet driven small-scaled performances that resonate with the traditional form and contemporary approach to toy theatre. Up to 10 artists will be selected. Works that will be considered may be 5 to 20 minutes in duration, must be self-contained and portable for quick changeover, intimate in scale (though large enough for a 90-seat theater-work will not be projected), and finished to the point of being ready for a first public presentation. Projects chosen will represent a broad spectrum of form and content and show a professional stance. Artists may propose single or multiple short pieces or one longer piece

Exhibit: Worlds in Miniature - EPHEMERA

2010-10-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

Sean Sharp shared this post card with me today of the ongoing exhibition
(through the end of the year) in San Francisco, featuring toy theatre!

Toy Theatre at Fishmarket News

2010-10-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

The website for Toy Theatre at Fishmarket has been updated. The current newsletter has been published, and I highly recommend you check it out.

If you are not familiar with Toy Theatre at Fishmarket, it is a site run by Harry Oudekerk from the Netherlands.

Harry sponsors a wonderful bi-annual toy theatre festival. The last one was in 2009. The next one is scheduled for June 2011, and the newsletter tells you all you need to know. I wish I could attend, because the last one sounded amazing (and it was dedicated to one of my toy theatre mentors, Gigi Sandberg, who I was privileged to know for only too short a time. I am hoping there are many photos and writings from people who attend.

NOTE: If you're reading this and thinking you'll be there, I'd love to hear from you. I'm looking for a 'reporter-at-large' for the fishmarket festival similar to the wonderful Tess who helped cover the 9th International Great Small Works Toy Theatre Festival...

2010 Maker Faire: Report II

2010-09-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Tess in her Toy Theatre booth this past weekend...

Here's the scoop from Tess on this year's Maker Faire in New York City:

The World Maker Faire here in New York City was just terrific and happily overwhelming. We had good crowds, and a lot of families lamented not getting the weekend pass to take advantage of all the teaching booths—this was all so new to locals. Maker Faires usually have pricey entrance fees (ours was $25 at the door and a weekend pass $35 with much lower rates for kids). But once you go in, there are many many booths where you can get free lessons and I made sure to show anyone who would stop long enough how I make my rod puppets. I did not go as a seller, but to simply show what I do and demonstrate what I make and how I do it. My booth was covered with balloons so I was a kid magnet. We had a little over 500 exhibitors from all over the Eastern seaboard, and many came pretty late in the game as I did because the word got around so slowly.

The important thing about Maker Faire is that it is the vision of a man named Dale Dougherty. He looks like a low key professor with a pleasant demeanor and amused smile. But he is a true believer, mover & shaker of DIY, i.e., it helps the Earth with recycling and repairing objects, and it helps the individual save money and maybe even build a business. In this economy, we can't have enough people who see the world this way. Maker Faire encourages Makers to talk to each other and be supportive. It is so refreshing to encounter business people who are opposite the corporate model of ruthless Capitalism. The Makers believe in what I think should be called Capitalism with a beating heart. Many of the makers I met referred other makers to booths for supplies or to share technical problems (I brought flyers for two of my suppliers, also). I had a tricky moment right up front when I discovered my gridwall required an Allen wrench which the seller did not inform me about. A local maker helper passing through brought me an Allen wrench in five minutes and helped to put it up.

Tess' Italian Toy Theatre

Tess' Medieval Toy Theatre - I LOVE the draw bridge stage!

Favorite Childhood Toy

2010-09-28T07:18:00.001-07:00

Actor Ralph Fiennes shares about his favorite childhood toy - a toy theatre (at about 3:30 into the clip...)

2010 Maker Faire: Report I

2010-09-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

Tess checked in late Friday night, and then again yesterday, to share her progress setting up for yesterday, the first day of the Maker Faire. She explained it was a VERY busy day, and apologized there weren't more photos. She hopes to share more images from today. In the meantime, she had this to share about the experience so far...

FRIDAY NIGHT: I am a zombie! Here is my basic booth, and I will be bringing the toy theaters in early tomorrow thanks to a kindly cab driver who took me home and said he was still working and could come pick me up. SOLD! Oh my. I have had five hours of sleep in the last 48 but I will write again very early tomorrow morning. I just have to conk! You should see the looks I get - kids go crazy. I have a super spot on a landing right by the major attraction: a lightining show by a guy in a metal suit! It's WICKED! I am making signs in the morning!

SATURDAY MORNING: I fell asleep at 9PM and woke up at 5am. Drinking coffee, gathering together Rod puppets, and clamps to hold my velvet in place. Am making three signs and OH how I wish I could print 11 by 17! That's the next upgrade: both printer and scanner have to be larger format. I will be taking lots of pictures today. Am so psyched! Don't have to iron because I am wearing my crinkly gold shirt which was knotted up under my pillow--sounds weird but it's very pretty. It's humid so I have wild hair--fits with the strange woman inside the balloon house! Very many of the Makers are quite young Gizmodo types but they get a kick out of me as I am a sort of anomaly to them being a parental generation but not like a parent. Am gonna have fun. Keep your fingers crossed! Tess the balloon lady

SATURDAY NIGHT: I have no pictures to show. I am getting there very early tomorrow to shoot my booth and the environs, and later that morning when my brother gets there will get to wander FINALLY to the outside booths. I have to come and go fast because today we got hammered with wall to wall people and my booth covered with balloons is a kid magnet...Tomorrow I will set up ALL of the toy theaters farther away from the front with signs asking not to touch anything. I may actually laminate a few of the characters but the kids really can't handle them because a child has a sense of ownership the minute they have something in their hands. But they do love how the toy theaters look, and I have had maybe 100 of my business cards taken. Tomorrow, with temperatures down into the low 70's, I expect a massive crush! My coloring pages were also a big hit. I hung a lot of my drawings around on clothespins thanks to the gridwall panels I bought.

The staff there is mostly volunteer and extremely helpful. Make Magazine has organized many of these massive affairs, and while they started out expecting 300 exhibitors we reached 500 booths by the time we opened today! When you see the map I will get tomorrow, you won't believe how massive it is. And my booth is totally unique in that it is really about kids, and is a really old fashioned sort of style. But some of the more tech types have loved looking at the miniatures and how I created an atmosphere with my little LED lights. Am still tired and will hit the sack soon. I was up at 5 am and printed solid until I left to get up there at 8:30. It's a 45 minute cab ride, and even longer on the subway.

Sounds like Tess is having an amazing experience - lots of hard work, but lots of great exposure for toy theatre in a major venue, and that's a GOOD thing! I look forward to seeing more later today...

New York Maker Faire to Feature Toy Theatre

2010-09-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

"Medieval Toy Theatre", by Tess Elliott (preview) - This theatre will be featured at this weekend's New York Maker Faire

Tess Elliott - Good friend to this blog and reporter-at-large at this summer's 9th International Great Small Works Toy Theatre Festival - is about to embark on another adventure this weekend.

She will be at an event called the Maker Faire, exhibiting toy theatres.

Tess had this to say in a recent email:

Hurray and Hallelujah!

I will have my very own Tess Elliott Design Toy Theater booth at the first World Maker Faire in New York City. I set up September 24th, and stay for a networking event that Friday night. And then I work my butt off all day [Sat & Sun] from 10am to 7pm showing off my stuff.

Of COURSE, we will 'be there', thanks to Tess, who will be sharing with us her experience. Leading up to that, she has graciously provided the image above, a preview of a theatre she will have at the event. It's still being finished, so there will be more to the theatre than seen here. But it is a wonderful appetizer, and I hope anyone reading this in the vicinity of the Faire, will make an effort to get out and take in Tess' booth, her toy theatres, and the Faire per se. Sounds like a wonderful time to me!

Lifesize Toy Theatre Project

2010-09-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

Figures being cut...

Joanna Hruby is a student at the Central School of Speech and Drama. On her website, she has recently begun outline an ambitious design/performance project that incorporates as a major part of its theme, toy theatre...on a grand scale.

She says, "A zany idea perhaps, but one that I have not been alone in entertaining - Terry Gilliam constantly refers to the scenography of life-sized Victorian toy theatre in [his] films..."

The basis of her project is a...

...collaboration between live 'psychedelic folk' performance and live, animated theatrical visuals. This is my stab at turning a folk festival into an all day ritual theatre spectacle.

The poetic imagery in much folk music overwhelms me with inspiration, and has always struck me as a form of storytelling in itself. So at last I am doing what I have wanted to do for so long, and attempting to create a visual narrative to accompany a day of folk performances.

The basic aesthetic framework I am using is that of toy theatre - the Victorian tradition of telling stories via flat, animated figures and scenery made of paper, performed within a miniature proscenium arch theatre. Only this toy theatre will be on a human-sized scale, and the musicians will perform within it, surrounded by it.

The project is on a deadline, only days away. It'll be interesting to see how it all comes together!

Book Review: Leo's Heroes

2010-09-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

I want to tell you about a book I recently read entitled "Leo's Heroes". I wrote a bit about it a few weeks ago when the author was kind enough to send me an advance copy of the book for the very purpose of reading and reviewing it. As many times happens, life got in the way and I was delayed. Thanks to a kind reminder by Mo, I got down to business this past weekend and dived into the world of Leo.

What struck me was how vibrant and alive his world is. His mother (or Mum) has a wonderful sense of humour, and both his parents show an intelligent and patient style of relating to him. His excitement of obtaining and collecting more toy theatre sheets reminded me of the excitement I've seen on many occasions of kids nowadays in comic book shops excitedly asking about this week's latest Magic-the-Gathering cards. There are words in the story that might not be familiar to American readers, but are fun to discover and learn, such as stookie, boffin, mudlarks, 'Billys & Charleys', chink, stum.

Aspects of the book are reminiscent of the the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, because it incorporates well-known (and some not so well-known, but fascinating) real people and real events from history - Benjamin Pollock, John Logie Baird, Frederick James Camm(and his brother Syd), to mention just some. The vernacular spoken by these characters bring the story alive and will immerse the reader, helping them lose themselves in the story - and that's what a good story SHOULD do!

One of "Leo's heroes" is Dr. Who, and ironically Leo himself ends up eing a kind of Time Lord, participating in key ways in various people's lives and events in the past. The ultimate answer as to how and why Leo can time travel is eventually revealed...but you'll have to read "Leo's Heroes" to find out!

"Leo's Heroes" book launch is scheduled for September 26th. You can find out more details at the author's website...

Fringe Festival Features Toy Theatre Design

2010-09-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

Performed recently at the Edinburgh ine Festival, an adaption of a controversial work features toy theatre in its design...
A wild adaptation of Frank Wedekind's sex tragedy 'Lulu'. Considered too controversial to be staged in the playwright's lifetime, the tale of love, sex and death is as relevant and dangerous today as it was a century ago. Rififi Theatre transports Lulu's spectacular demise to a life-sized toy theatre filled with cads and showgirls, a roller-skating countess, sextet cabaret band, wandering Weimer jazz singer and a polar bear. Lulu seduces all who see her, from Time Out London ('Exciting'), to Vogue ('We loved Lulu ... hilariously bizarre and surreal feast ... a performance like you've never seen before').

PROFILE: Paul Zaloom

2010-08-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

Paul Zaloom is one talented fellow.

One of the things he has talent for is toy theatre.

Unbeknownst to me, I had already seen his work. That was brought to my attention by a recent article where his name was mentioned, that led to me researching him. One thing led to another, as it often does with me, and suddenly I was reading how he had been part of the Dante's Inferno project that used toy theatre in new and innovative ways.

Recently Paul once again used juvenile theatre, when his Toy Theater Puppet Show did an adult-only found-object-animation satire entitled, The Abecedarium. Paul describes it on his website:

In this new work of jumbo toy theater, Zaloom packs a big wallop in not-so-small spectacle featuring veteran nightclub puppeteer Lynn Jeffries. On a mini proscenium puppet stage, utilizing paper and cardboard puppets, Jeffries and Zaloom satirize the Caramel Pecan Cinnebon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, drug product placement in doctors’ offices, ocean dumping, creationism, people who wear sexy cat outfits for Halloween, and more.

The purpose of the show is to create an uproariously funny, visually stunning, politically satirical spectacle that will generate unbridled mirth and awe about the things that are killing us all.

Sounded like a lot of fun to me!

Cutouts on Concrete: Final Performance Report

2010-08-29T07:32:00.000-07:00

Matthew Isaac Cohen kindly shared his experience yesterday of attending the final performance of Horatio Blood's Cutouts on Concrete. The month-long event consisted of three productions, all performed at the National Theatre, by the British Stage in Miniature¹ (BSiM)

Matthew had this to say:

Horatio's outsized Corinthian stage was lit by strong lights from in front (with the glare shielded partially by an umbrella) and a video camera set up right in front. Details of the set and figures (mounted on wooden sliders) magnified brilliantly on to the tower. The core audience (made up of toy theatre followers and the curious) sat on deck chairs on the second floor mezanine and was in good humour throughout this short performance (about 30-40 minutes). We responded ably to the play's rousing patriotism...the play provided a variety of contrasting scenes and effects - a battle at seas, sword fights, the appearance of a ghost, songs and memorable speeches.

¹ - I can't recommend the essay at this link high enough - an insightful, delightful essay not just on this event, but with insights on toy theatre period. I get a kick out of the references to William West's sketch artists and his quick printing of current theatre productions of the time, as the 'pirate DVDs' of the 19th century, for instance!

Toy Theatre in Film: JILLION DILLON

2010-08-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

JILLIAN DILLON TRAILER from Yvette Edery on Vimeo.

A new film by Yvette Edery, it employs toy theatre as one of the techniques or performance methods to tell its story. I've only seen this trailer but I am very excited to see the entire film - it looks very creative and engaging!

Book: Leo's Heroes

2010-08-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

Time travel story involving toy theatre!

Then he did a strange thing. Leo saw him take a small twist of paper from his waistcoat pocket, unfold it, and scrutinise the contents. ‘Have you seen this before Leo?’ He held out the scrap of paper. There, glowing brightly, was a tiny sliver of blue rock.

Leo peered into the paper. ‘No, never seen anything that colour.’

Mr Pollock shook his head. ‘I got this last night from a friend of mine. He was telling me some strange nonsense about … ‘ The man put his hand on Leo’s shoulder. ‘I was wondering if you might be linked to it … you seem … so different to my usual boys. As though you don’t belong here.’

Leo put his finger to touch the blue rock, and as he did so, Benjamin Pollock shimmered before him in the growing darkness, his voice echoing ‘Don’t, don’t’, while Leo’s insides somersaulted, and he was tossed through a hot whirlwind to land on his duvet in his room, staring up at the red Chinese paper lampshade which was twisting crazily above his bed.

- From Leo's Heroes, by Mo Heard

As many readers know, there is an amazing shop in London called Pollock's Toy Shop, run by Peter Baldwin, ably assisted by Louise Heard.

Louise's mum, Mo Heard, has recently contacted me about a wonderful new book she has written. Toy Theatre is featured prominently in the book in a most creative manner, involving time travel. Shades of Doctor Who, anyone? I like what I've seen and heard so far!

Let me share a bit of what Mo has told me:

I'd like to tell you about my new children's book, Leo's Heroes, which features a time-traveling boy who meets real people from the past. In the first chapter he's whizzed to Benjamin Pollock's shop, and then later Mr. P gives him a show.

The whole story will gradually unfold on my children's blog (the outline of the Pollock story is up there already), and my own blog describes how I had the idea for the book.

There were two Victorian men - mudlarks - who duped the antiques world with their fakes of medieval medallions, (they were called 'Billys and Charleys') and I have Leo actually giving them the idea when he's zoomed back to the poverty-stricken East End!

The framework of how Mo is telling Leo's tales reminds me of the television series several years ago called The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. In that series, director Steven Spielberg - using his famous film character Indiana as a little boy and young man - told stories of famous events and featuring famous people from history. I adored that series and the premise it used - pure genius I thought.

I think Mo is onto something using the same premise in her new book, and I'm delighted it features toy theatre in that premise. It’s a fun and creative way to get kids involved and excited (and learn) about history. As an avid local historian, and history fan in general, I’m all for it!

Film Festival Feature Toy Theatre Documentary

2010-08-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

Exciting news to share!

A friend of this blog - and to toy theatre in general - Steve Arnott, has entered his documentary "A Small History of Toy Theatre" in this year's Strabourg Film Festival.

You can see the film online, for a limited time, here.

This Weekend: Toy Theatre in Massachusetts

2010-08-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

Although North Adams, Massachusetts is the 'least populated city in the state', it nonetheless boasts the largest contemporary art museum in the United States - quite a coup (it pleases me somehow to know this...!)

Alice in Wonderland will be performed this weekend there at the Main Street Stage. Tickets are a low $7, and the performance is described as lasting approximately 40 minutes. Sounds like quite the show - I'd go if I could! Anyone on the East coast, and can make it, let us know how the show goes?

GSW9 Revisited - Parade Photos

2010-08-04T05:17:00.000-07:00

As readers of this blog know, we were treated to on-the-spot reporting of the recent 9th International Great Small Works Toy Theatre Festival, brought to us by our fearless volunteer Tess Elliott. Tess did an amazing job with sharing images and descriptions, making the festival come alive to those of us unable to attend in person.

I revisit the festival today only to share a wonderful find on another blog, by a writer who attended and got some great shots of the toy theatre parade, especially the floats. Talk about fun - floats on a miniature scale, walked along by 'giant' humans...I love it!

Horatio Blood on Flytower: Cut-outs on Concrete

2010-07-31T05:21:00.000-07:00

Detail of a backdrop from a melodrama to be shown at the National Theatre

I'd love to see this - public performance of toy theatre to the masses, projected large. Great idea, great event!

...Nobody's going to look ashamed of them at the National Theatre in August, when the British Stage in Miniature – that's Horatio Blood, showman and scholar of popular arts, and his unlikely company – puts on three melodramas. I'm one of that company, having long ago met Blood, pasteboard's Diaghilev, in a cellar (it should have been a dungeon) over tea and stacks of scenery. He presents the visuals on his glowing Corinthian stage, and they're simultaneously projected to vast dimensions on the theatre's fly-tower – period Pixar, before your very eyes, with live music. The words will be as serious as they were when fresh.

Flytower: Fri 2 July – 28 Aug - Events - National Theatre

The Battle of Waterloo Toy Theatre CGI

2010-07-27T05:04:00.000-07:00

From Nigel Peever comes this news:

Since completing the fully animated toy theatre production of The Corsican Brothers last year I've been trying to animate The Battle of Waterloo, The Corsican Brothers is usually available to buy on ebay and you can find a few clips here in my videos as a taster to the full 37 minute version.

The Battle of Waterloo will follow the original script again and is currently up to about 22 minutes in length, so still a long way to go! Each day of rendering produces just a few seconds of video.

I've found a site that offers a great deal of royalty free music, so this is almost a test to see if I get nobbled by youtube for using this music after all :-)

Toy Theatre in Film

2010-07-27T02:00:00.000-07:00

From FANNY AND ALEXANDER (Bergman)

Exhibit: Worlds in Miniature - REPORT

2010-07-17T12:37:00.001-07:00

Toy Theatre exhibition opening
Originally uploaded by Museum of Performance & Design

Thanks to a heads-up by a fellow toy theatre enthusiast on the toy theatre group, I became aware of a Bay area blog that has posted some opening night photos and commentary on the recently-opened-and-ongoing toy theatre exhibition at the Museum of Performance & Design in San Francisco...

Festival of New Theatre

2010-07-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

"A Walk in the City"
Originally uploaded by alankin

Everything old is new again, they say.

Well, in the case of toy theatre, at least in some circles, that appears to be true.

At the upcoming NACL 10th Annual Catskill Festival of New Theatre, toy theatre will be featured, and that my friends, is a good thing!

Great Small Works will be performing there on Saturday, July 24th. Their performances are described in the playbill as "...a summer smorgasbord of Papier Teatre and Banklsang¹ including "A Walk in the City" inspired by the work of Italo Calvino, directed by Roberto Rossi, a new installment of the surreal news serial, “The Toy Theater of Terror As Usual” and [a cantastoria called] "The History of Oil", with paintings by Janie Geiser."

The festival runs from July 23 to August 1 in Highland Lake, NY

¹ - Banklsang, a traditional form of theatre where a singer stood on a bench beside a giant painting and sang current events to the largely illiterate people.

Exhibit: Worlds in Miniature - OPENING

2010-07-15T17:19:00.002-07:00

On the Toy Theatre group today, toy theatre enthusiast Sean Sharp had this to share:

This last Tuesday night, we had a grand opening for the toy theatre exhibit (Toy Theatres: Worlds in Miniature) at San Francisco's Museum of Performance & Design, starting at 6:30.

Catered food and wine, a short presentation by Brad Rosenstein, Curator of Exhibitions & Programs, and William Eddelman, the chief curator for the exhibit, were followed by a 10-minute DVD of clips from various movies about or including toy theatres. 130 people showed up and all enjoyed themselves. The exhibit looks gorgeous, 21 theatres, many framed TT prints. We even have one interactive theatre, where you press a button to turn on the footlights. Six of my theatres are included, including the Redington and Mars, each featuring luridly colored versions of the final scenes from Hodgson's SIEGE OF TROY and Webb's MILLER AND HIS MEN. Also look for an art deco Fold-A-Way Theatre, with a patent-leather haired Prince Charming and a flapperesque Cinderella, printed in Chicago in 1932.

The exhibit is open through December and is free to the public.

Seen on FLICKR: Pollock toy theatre

2010-07-12T16:50:00.001-07:00

Pollock toy theatre
Originally uploaded by shelfappeal

A lovely set of 9 images taken at Pollock's Toy Museum recently...

Menagerie

2010-07-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

It's technology, it's art, it's...magic!

Soon, the Menagerie will be set lose in the UK. This fantastic creation was originally commissioned by the city of Senart outside of Paris in 2008, and has since been seen in other places such as Spain. This summer, Britain will be the lucky recipients of this chance at pure fantasy and fun!

Like the Sultan's Elephant, and La Princesse before - this amazing piece was designed by artist-cum-engineer François Delarozière and his company La Machine. Artichoke, the company sponsoring this treat in the UK, describes Delarozière as "...a modern-day Michangelo", and it's not such a stretch to say so.

He works in the large and the small, bringing wood, metal, fur, glass, and paint to life in ways that delight the eye and feed the soul. That my friends, is why art is the stuff of life, and should NOT be considered optional in educational curriculum, or in political budget funding! Life, without art, is empty...

“To build a moving object is to create a living architecture.

Movement is what makes life. In a machine, the frame is the skeleton, the jacks, pulleys and gear wheels are the muscles, and the wood trim is the skin.

It is not a question of copying or imitating nature but rather a matter of drawing inspiration from it, a matter of using its forms, tensions and movement to imagine, to create a language which will be based on the relation between the machine and the animal. But this is a complex, delicate language. The ways and means that are used so as to create a movement are both as important.

The operators’ presence, child or adult users in this case, strengthens even more this idea of life and gives an additional meaning to the machine’s movement. As a result, we have a couple made of the machine and the operator.

The machine becomes an actor and the operator plays this instrument.”

François Delarozière / La machine

“He creates machines, machines which are both beautiful and crazy, giant animals, strange contraptions which play music, boats which sail across the land, birds from where you can have a drink in a daydream, a world which is both real and dreamlike and which invades cities for beautiful, moving and crazy celebrations.”

Radio France.fr

Dramatis Personae: Catalogue 104

2010-07-07T16:12:00.001-07:00

[CARTLICH, John.] A juvenile drama portrait, "Mr. Cartlich as Mazeppa." London: M. & M. Skelt, [c. 1838]. Contemporary hand coloring, fine and bright.

The latest Dramatis Personae catalogue is now available.

As always, there are several pieces of juvenile drama ephemera up for sale, including this example shown here.

Flannel Graphs & Sunday School

2010-07-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

This video shows what a Flannelgraph is, including a bit of a performance...
I was recently reminded of a very specific art form to the religion of my youth - the flannelgraph. During many a Sunday School, I was riveted to the stories portrayed using this technique, often begging to be allowed to change the scenery and the characters between scenes.

I then watched the above video while reminiscing, and it began to dawn on me how familiar it was in another respect - it definitely has the feel of toy theatre!

Oh sure, it's not on a three-dimensional stage, but the characters are two-dimensional, small, and they are moved around manually. The performer moving the characters gives voice as narrator and character(s). Performances are done for small audiences, closeup. Get the comparison now?!

The seeds of my immediate attraction to toy theatre now makes perfect sense!

Festival Fundraiser

2010-06-30T06:28:00.000-07:00

I received a message this morning that I'd like to pass on to all toy theatre lovers...

Greetings, Friends!

And thank you once again for coming to the Great Small Works 9th International Toy Theatre Festival. It was great seeing you, and being able to perform for you.

There is a campaign afloat to help with the Festival finances, complete with video. The festival is a mammoth undertaking. It has not been until we were "behind the scenes" that we have been able to appreciate the full scope of this event, and the talented people, the extent of the effort, and the degree of collaboration that putting on the toy theatre festival at St. Ann's requires. Although performers are not paid for performing, we are reimbursed for travel expenses.

Trudi Cohen, impressario extraordinaire and one of the producers of this wonderful events writes:
Our finances are still pretty shaky, and it's likely that Great Small Works will lose money on the festival. We've created a Kickstarter campaign, and would be grateful if you could send your friends and fans to the site!
Please visit the site, enjoy the video, and if you wish, and you are able, do make a donation. You could get a festival poster or tee-shirt!

Thanks,

Ann and George - still pushing those figures on and off the stage!

It is my hopes you'll contribute and support the ongoing work of this great toy theatre festival which not only showcases the world's finest performers of the small, but is involved with educating the public and preservation efforts.

NOTE: With only 3 weeks of the fundraiser to go, they are only a bit over half-way to their goal. From what I understand, it's a 'fully-funded' model, meaning if they don't meet their goal of $3,000, they get nothing at all. So I strongly encourage everyone to give what they can - every little bit helps!

William Appleton Collection: Digital Prints Online

2010-06-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

This two-penny coloured sheet was featured this past week on a blog.

It's from the "Penny Plains" and "Two-pence Coloured:" English Theatrical Portraits 1799-1847 in the William Appleton Collection, which is described as...

306 toy theatre prints portraying plays and actors in character, from the early- to mid-19th century; these prints comprise the visual materials in the William Appleton collection of theatrical correspondence and ephemera, 1697-1930.

Confusing dates notwithstanding, it's worthy of a look, since it's all online. In fact, I found the collection most impressive, historically and artistically...Enjoy!