PuppetVision Blog pointed out this stunning video by Richard Teschner. There are a couple of things you need to understand before watching this short film. It was filmed in 1916, so it is very early cinema. It is also not stop-motion. Both of those things are cool. What is significant though is that Richard Teschner […]
Classic Christmas Puppetry From Richard Teschner Read More »
You guys are getting this on time-delay, because I’m using these posts to communicate with Emily DeCola, the designer, who is on a trip to China at the moment. So, once she reads and we catch up, I’ll post the pictures of the build. Just because it is interesting, I’ll also share the commentary that
Tempest build, Day One Read More »
I should’ve mentioned this earlier, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about my own show. Just finished a run-through and I think it’s okay. So: Tonight. December 9th, 2007 8:00 pm at Theater for the New City, 155 First Avenue (corner of 9th) Voice 4 Vision Puppet Slam. I’ll be performing Nails in Our
In performance, tonight Read More »
It’s hard to be upset about things breaking when you get to have this conversation. Stage Manager: Hi. I hate to bother you, but the chair isn’t spurting blood anymore. Me: What’s it doing? SM: Blood just dribbles out onto the stage instead of shooting across. We really need spurting blood. I went down to
Trouble with the trick chair Read More »
I’ve been doing scenic design work for a couple of years for McCarter Theater’s education department. It’s work that I enjoy because it combines the dual challenge of making a design that fits a shows aesthetic as well as one that will tour. The current project is for their First Stages Company. It’s not a
The show that I’ve been working on most recently is at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and called Rag and Bone, written by Noah Haidle and directed by Sam Gold. I watched a preview last night and am delighted to let you know that the hearts I made and the twenty tiny ladders make total sense within
For the new show I’m working on, Rags and Bones, I have to make a trick chair that spurts blood and hides human hearts. Actually, I have to make it look like an actor is spurting blood, but the chair is the easiest way to deliver said fluid. The harder thing was figuring out where
We just finished the show and are tucked safely away in the hotel in Albany. It felt really good to be performing. I’ve missed it. And it’s very nice to have nothing on my docket for the evening.
Tiger Tale and Good night Read More »
I finished the dog today. Finally. The consensus was that it needed to be gorier, but since I hadn’t built it that way, there were limits to what I could do without rebuilding. For instance, exposed bone wasn’t an option… wait a minute. There’s a real skull in there. So, I dislocated the jaw and
In a sort of minor miracle, I don’t have a mountain of work to do tonight. I had to distress the dog a bit and tweak the intestines, but otherwise, nothing. I even cooked dinner. Of course, I also picked up two new gigs today. I’m going up to Albany on Friday with Chinese Theater
Going to bed early Read More »
I had a seriously great time. Hung out with many fabulous people but didn’t get to spend enough time with any of them. Got back to the city and went straight to the theater to pick up the dead dog and the intestines. My god… I have such a strange job. Anyway, I’ll try to
Back from World Fantasy Read More »
I’m starting by using a real skull for the dog head. I’d planned on just getting a resin dog palette, but lo! There’s Skulls Unlimited has a giant collection of dog skulls. Now, I’m not going to be using the Chihuahua skull in this picture, but had to share it with you. Does that not
Making the dead dog Read More »
The theater decided to move the dress rehearsal up a day, as in tomorrow. I explained that it was impossible to have the wings built and installed in the dress–which the designer also knew–by tomorrow. So, they are going to cut the puppetry wings. le sigh…
No need for wings, after all Read More »
Douglas Cohen has posted about having a subscription drive for short fiction genre magazines. Now, working on a small press magazine, Shimmer, I certainly support the idea of wanting more people to buy our magazine, but I think that the subscription drive is a matter of looking at the symptoms rather than the cause. The
Marketing short fiction Read More »
I’ve returned from a preview screening of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust–tickets provided by the fabulous Livia Llewellyn. Since I got out of the theater, I’ve been wanting to go back. When was the last time that happened to me? Princess Bride? Goya in Bordeaux? But since then… I can’t remember one. I don’t want to gush