Pupperoos recently ran a 2 day giant puppet making workshop at Shopfront Theatre for Young People in Carlton, Sydney. Puppeteer Kay Yasugi worked with the Junior Ensemble group of 8-15 year olds to devise and create a giant sea monster puppet for their end of year production (directed by Howard Matthew & Luke Kerridge). The workshop involved experimenting with various materials (including umbrellas, fans and cardboard rolls) to brainstorm ideas of what their sea monster could be – including how it moves, what it looks/sounds/smells like and how it thinks. A twist to this process was drawing the character of the monster from within the participants’ own selves (the monster representing the side of themselves that people don’t see – e.g. loneliness, anger, fear). Needless to say, building the monster was a lot of fun. The children used cane, masking tape, paper and glue to create 2 beastly heads, 2 long necks, 2 tentacle-like arms and 2 ferocious claws. After the various parts were joined together, some of the group had a go at operating the puppet. For many it was their first time working with puppets (let alone giant ones!). Pupperoos will be returning to Shopfront to help finish off the puppet and work with some of the ensemble in operating it. Here are some comments from the sessions:
“I enjoyed seeing it all come together just from an idea, and making it from just cane and paper.” – Kayla “I loved how we could create something brilliant in 2 days.” – Alexa
Shopfront is a not-for-profit organisation and registered charity for young people aged 8 – 25. It is a cultural network and production co-operative where all young people, regardless of their background or ability, can create themselves. For more information about this organisation, please visit http://shopfront.org.au/
