Robert Rogers Puppet Company

   Q: Do we make our own puppets?

A: Yes. Most puppeteers do. It's not required, but we feel that 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 may be a popular crafts material, but it is not strong or durable enough for a puppet which will be used 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'sfingers; 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 paired with one kind of puppet over another, for example: slapstick comedies and hand puppets. Some performance venues are also larger than others requiring appropriately sized puppet casts.

Q: How many puppets do you have?

   A: Some puppeteers have become quite famous, using only a few puppet characters in many situations. We have trunks and trunks full because every new production of ours calls for its own cast of characters. We also have the stages, the curtains, the scenery and the props.

Q: Do you enjoy your work?

A: Absolutely!