Something New
Every week for about two days, I begin to struggle with ideas for the next blog topic. We really want to make this blog a place of interest and learning to help in the development of Vents of all ages. What we don’t know for a certainty is whether or not we are always addressing the topics that need to be addressed in order to achieve that goal.
It would be very easy to just keep a running list of funny things to talk about, but that is not necessarily what is needed to help in your development as an artist.
So. . . we want to solicit your input this week. Please take a few minutes to think about this idea. We would like to ask each of you to tell us of a topic that we could expand on for the good of the entire readership. What subject would you like to know more about?
I won’t even pretend that we know all the answers, so if you have interest in a topic that you think would be useful or just a topic that you personally would like to know more about and don’t feel there is enough material available on, the let us know what it is. It would be great if we already know about the topic, but even better if you want to know something about a topic we know nothing about. This way we can all learn something new and grow together in the knowledge of the craft.
Please make your comments below. No topic will be considered stupid except the ones that nobody asks about. Don’t be discouraged if we don’t get to your topic right away, because we will try and get to them all over time, even if we space them out a bit.
Thanks in advance for your help. Lets all learn together.
Steve and JET
Character development, establishing seperation betw character and vent, rehearsal tips, performance stand vs handheld, increasing physical longevity of puppets, lip control, how to end routines and exit, original routining, blocking for vents, modern comedy techniques for starters..
How about sound and lighting? I once did a show (I think I sent you the DVD) where the sound man only had the house mic turned on in the back of the auditorium and not the lapel mic. when he realized his mistake, he turned on the lapel mic, but then proceeded to turn off the house mic. As a result, you couldn’t hear the audience participation and laughter. It made for a “pretty dead” show.
I also did a show once where the lighting was only from the back of the stage. A lot of the sight gags were lost to the audience, not to mention a lot of the magic tricks I was doing.
These are topics that could be discussed for both indoor and outdoor performances, from living room birthday parties to large auditoriums in schools, churches, theaters, and stadiums.
I mainly use my puppets for singing , any tips on this subject very welcome
I find your articles interesting. I also like to read ideas about writing songs and parodies for puppets. I have done quite a bit of both, yet I am always on the lookout for new ideas.
I love the suggestion for tips on entrances and exits with each puppet. We play different entrance music for each puppet and begin it as soon as the previous puppet begins exiting. However, no matter how quick I try to move to put one puppet up and get the next one on stage, it seems too long. Any ideas. I also sing with several of my puppets so I agree with the suggestion of advice about singing. Any tips on voice protection (not straining) would be helpful too. Thank You! Joanna Daniel