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Q: Where is
Castle Creek, New York?
A: Just outside of Binghamton,
about 3 hours from New York City.
Q: Do you make your own puppets?
A: Yes. Most
puppeteers do. It's not required, but a person working in the field of puppetry can express him or herself, not only
as a performer on stage, but as a visual artist in the workshop.
Q: What
are the puppets made of? Papier mache?
A: No. Papier mache
is used by many artists and may be a popular crafts material, but it is
not strong or durable enough for our puppets which will appear on stage perhaps a thousand times, year after year.
Ours are sculpted in modeling clay and cast from plaster molds in a rigid
latex; then painted with acrylics. Carved wooden pieces are often used as well.
Of course, each puppet receives a specially tailored costume.
Q: What
is the difference between a puppet and a marionette?
A: There is no difference.
Any inanimate object that is given the illusion of life is a puppet. A
marionette is simply a puppet worked with strings. Marionette is French for
little Mary, a popular puppet character from centuries ago. Over time, the
name became a generic label.
Q: What
types of puppets are there?
A: Hand puppets, which are
worn like gloves and operated by a person's fingers;
rod puppets, which have sticks connected to their hands and heads (and extended through
their torsos); marionettes, which hang from strings; shadow puppets,
two-dimensional figures placed against a cloth screen and lit from behind.
Q: Which
type do you use?
A: All types, depending on
the production. Some plays seem better suited for one kind of
puppet over another, for example: slapstick comedies and hand puppets. Some
performance venues are also larger than others requiring appropriately sized puppets.
Q: How
many puppets do you have?
A: Some puppeteers
have become quite famous using only a few puppet characters in many situations.
The Robert Rogers Puppet Company has trunks and trunks full because every
new production calls
for its own cast of characters. We also have several touring stages,
a variety of curtains, scenery and props.
Q: Do
you enjoy your work?
A:
Absolutely!
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