Puppets going overboard
Background:
In "Puppets" (also called "Moving
Bodies" in some cities), each actor on stage is manipulated by an
audience member. The actors cannot move unless they audience members move
them. The actors take care of the dialogue.
It
was a show like any other we had done before at a small coffee shop in
Victoria. Our actors, Anna and John had been called up on stage to play
Puppets. Our host managed to get two audience members up on stage to act
as
the puppeteers. We usually explain that the "actors are
breakable" in hopes
that our volunteers take it easy on them as they move the actors around the
stage.
This time, however, Anna's puppeteer really got into his role. At first,
the scene started as they usually do... the actors barely moving and having
to verbally encourage their puppeteers to move them. Then, all of a
sudden,
Anna's legs started shooting out in front of her... as we watched, we
realized that her legs were being kicked, and Anna appeared to fly through
the air as her puppeteer, not satisfied with how fast she was moving, lifted
her off the ground and moved her around the stage! We were too busy
busting
a gut to come to Anna's aid. Finally, at the end of the scene, all we
could
hear Anna say was "That's enough!!"
Jonathan Argue, "Impromaniacs Theatre Company"
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada