Let me start by saying that if you are fortunate enough to receive an invitation to speak to the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, you should accept with alacrity. They are in every way gracious hosts and just plain fun. It’s also nice to see such a thriving community of SF fans and writers.
I spoke for about half an hour on the intersection between puppetry and SF in the larger context — both are the red-headed stepchildren of their respective fields — and about how puppetry informs the way I approach writing. Then I told puppet war stories and did a Q & A. One of the discussions was about different types of puppets and I referenced Vietnamese Water Puppets. I also offered to provide links, so here we go.
The two big puppetry organizations are Puppeteers of America and UNIMA-USA.
Thanks again to PSFS for having me out and particularly to Lee and Diane for being such good hosts.
this clip is wonderful… I’m assuming this is done with long rods, and not scuba tanks…
This style was developed to be performed in rice paddies, in lakes and in rivers. Long poles and strings under the water manipulate the puppets. Pretty darn nifty.
Yes, love the Hanoi puppets! It’s a wonderful show.
After reading about them for years, I finally got to see them in Seattle a couple of years ago.
I got to see them in Hanoi. What’s nice is that it isn’t just a show for tourists- there were plenty of Vietnamese children in the audience.
Oh, cool. I’d love to see them in their original context, you know. Not in the theater but by the side of a lake. It seems like it would be just magic.
Salutations, Ms.Kowal !
We Philadelphians thank you for the compliment.
While we have a good supply of lacrities around here already, we can always find a place for one more.
See you at Philcon!
Yours,John Desmond