Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates the significance of stop motion puppetry as an artistic device that enables illustrators to explore the notion of the ‘grotesque’. Mikhail Bakhtin and Wolfgang Kayser’s theorisation of the grotesque provides the foundation for my analysis of the manifestation of the grotesque in the puppets and stop motion techniques utilised in Jan Švankmajer’s Something from Alice (1988) and a selected film from my own work entitled Bad Man He Comin’ (2011). A comparative study of these two films demonstrate that stop motion puppetry is an apt medium for facilitating and exploring forms of the grotesque. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die klem in hierdie tesis val op die belangrikheid van stop-aksie poppespel as ‘n artistieke toestel wat kunstenaars kan gebruik om idees van die groteske weer te gee deur die gebruik van objekte sowel as die destruktiewe aard van die animasie proses. Mikhail Bakthin en Wolfang Kayser se idees rondom the groteske, vestig die grondslag vir die studie, om karaktereienskappe van die groteske te ontbloot in die poppe en metodes wat gebruik is in Jan Švankmajer se film Something from Alice (1988), sowel as ‘n geselekteerde film van my eie werk genaamd Bad Man He Comin’ (2011). ‘n Vergelykende studie, weerspieël dat groteske karakteruitbeelding verkry kan word deur sekere materiale te gebruik om poppe-liggame te skep. Die studie ontul verder dat die groteske geïdentifiseer kan word in die animasie proses waarin die verwronging en afbreking van objekte, tyd, spasie en beweging plaasvind.

This study utilized an ethnographic methodology to examine and describe the various aspects and processes occurring in a children's group as the members created their own puppets and accompanying puppet plays. Individual and interactive behavior patterns were isolated and analyzed as a means of gaining an in depth understanding of the puppetry process. The puppetry process, in turn, was viewed in terms of information it provided regarding the individual members and the group process. The facilitative and non-facilitative aspects of the procedure were delineated. The adult leader met with a group of six boys, in grades four and five, for 12 one-hour sessions in which they made puppets and then created puppet plays around issues that they had articulated as problems. The group sessions were videotaped and transcribed. The transcriptions were coded in an effort to extensively analyze the puppetry process and the group process, and the ways in which the two processes interacted. An independent observer/rater was utilized in order to provide some validity for the researcher's reported results. The puppet-making task appeared to offer an opportunity for individuals to begin to come together in a common, but individual task. Characteristic styles and individual personality dynamics were evidenced. General response to the task was enthusiastic, with varying degrees of satisfaction expressed regarding their finished products. The play-creating and performing process met with less success than the puppet-making. While the group members appeared to be generally amenable to contributing ideas for the puppet plays, the process met with far more resistance in the cooperative task of putting their ideas into a finished product. The group discussion and interaction that occurred around these tasks provided a vehicle by which to view levels of interpersonal skills and the group's overall stage of development. The puppets the children created appeared to act as metaphors in expressing the group members' views of themselves and in enabling the symbolic representation of some of their central concerns. The plays they created paralleled the process that actually took place in the group. The subject matter and content of the puppets and plays provided information and evidence as to how each member approached and solved problems. The discrepancies in the ways in which the researcher and the independent observer/rater viewed the positive and negative social/emotional interactions of the group members, coupled with the small number of subjects included in this study preclude generalizing to other groups of children at this time. Further studies, with additional groups of children, utilizing parametric statistics are called for before any such generalizations can be made.

Puppets have been entertaining, educating, and mesmerizing American audiences since the birth of our nation. Both in live theatrical events and TV/film, audiences have watched puppeteers bring their puppet characters to life with clever voice quality choices, unique characterizations, and vivid visual designs. This thesis is a case study that first borrows insight from cartoon character designers, animators, and voiceover actors to provide considerations for voice quality choices, characterizations, and design elements when creating a new puppet character. It then investigates the connections that exist between those three elements once a puppet is fully realized. In order to identify these connections, a test was developed in which participants were asked to use a set of blank puppet heads/bodies and a variety of facial features to each build a unique character and then provide their puppets with a unique character voice. The data collected from the test was then deconstructed and analyzed by comparing each included design element to specific Estill Voice Training System™ vocal attributes identified within each individual puppet character's voice to find where connections occurred. The goal of this thesis is to provide a systematic method for creating vibrant and rich original puppet characters.

This thesis is a reflection of the design, fabrication, and production of the Zal and Simorgh story in Shahnameh in puppet and stop motion. It is an original performance piece of my concept, design, and fabrication and it was presented to the public in August 2023.

<p>Докторска теза Драмска и<br />луткарска активност у наставној и<br />ваннаставној пракси Српског језика и<br />књижевности у основној школи замишљена<br />је као књижевно-методичко истраживање<br />које има за циљ да истакне значај драме и<br />луткарства у наставној и ваннаставној<br />пракси; да истакне значај и утицај драме и<br />луткарства у редовној настави; да прикаже<br />рад драмске и луткарске секције и њихов<br />значај, као и значај који драма и луткарство<br />имају за ученике у ваннаставном процесу, а<br />све то кроз принципе диференциране наставе<br />и кроз примену теорије синхроницитета.<br />Рад је заснован на примерима и<br />искуствима из&nbsp;праксе, а кроз примену дијалошке методе (слободан разговор:</p><p>дискусија, полемика), рада на тексту,<br />демонстративне методе, практичног рада и<br />радионица, кроз примену игровне<br />активности, аналитичко-интерпретативне<br />методе дошло се до резултата који показују<br />да драма и луткарство у наставном и<br />ваннаставном процесу имају значајан утицај<br />на ученике и у образовном и у васпитном<br />смислу. Применом поменутих метода као и<br />принципа диференциране наставе часови<br />редовне наставе Српског језика, као и часови<br />драмске и луткарске секције ученицима су<br />омогућили нов приступ драмским<br />књижевним делима како на пољу читања и<br />разумевања, тако и на пољу доживљавања и<br />анализе.</p> / <p>Doktorska teza Dramska i<br />lutkarska aktivnost u nastavnoj i<br />vannastavnoj praksi Srpskog jezika i<br />književnosti u osnovnoj školi zamišljena<br />je kao književno-metodičko istraživanje<br />koje ima za cilj da istakne značaj drame i<br />lutkarstva u nastavnoj i vannastavnoj<br />praksi; da istakne značaj i uticaj drame i<br />lutkarstva u redovnoj nastavi; da prikaže<br />rad dramske i lutkarske sekcije i njihov<br />značaj, kao i značaj koji drama i lutkarstvo<br />imaju za učenike u vannastavnom procesu, a<br />sve to kroz principe diferencirane nastave<br />i kroz primenu teorije sinhroniciteta.<br />Rad je zasnovan na primerima i<br />iskustvima iz&nbsp;prakse, a kroz primenu dijaloške metode (slobodan razgovor:</p><p>diskusija, polemika), rada na tekstu,<br />demonstrativne metode, praktičnog rada i<br />radionica, kroz primenu igrovne<br />aktivnosti, analitičko-interpretativne<br />metode došlo se do rezultata koji pokazuju<br />da drama i lutkarstvo u nastavnom i<br />vannastavnom procesu imaju značajan uticaj<br />na učenike i u obrazovnom i u vaspitnom<br />smislu. Primenom pomenutih metoda kao i<br />principa diferencirane nastave časovi<br />redovne nastave Srpskog jezika, kao i časovi<br />dramske i lutkarske sekcije učenicima su<br />omogućili nov pristup dramskim<br />književnim delima kako na polju čitanja i<br />razumevanja, tako i na polju doživljavanja i<br />analize.</p> / <p>PhD thesis Drama and puppet activity in<br />curricular and extracurricular practice of<br />teaching The Serbian language and literature in<br />primary school is envisioned as literarymethodological<br />research with the purpose of<br />emphasising the importance of drama and<br />puppetry in curricular and extracurricular<br />practice; emphasising the importance and<br />influence of drama and puppetry in regular<br />classes; showing the work of drama and puppetry<br />club and its importance, as well as the<br />importance of drama and puppetry for students in<br />extracurricular process, all through the principles<br />of differentiated teaching and through the<br />application of the theory of synchronicity.<br />This paper is based on the actual<br />examples and experiences, through the<br />application of dialogue method (free conversation: discussion and polemics), text</p><p>analyses, demonstrative method, practical work<br />and workshops, while applying acting games,<br />analytical-interpretative method. This showed<br />that drama and puppetry in curricular and<br />extracurricular process have a significant<br />influence on students in both educational and<br />upbringing sense. Applying the said methods, as<br />well as the principles of differentiated teaching,<br />the classes of The Serbian language, as well as<br />drama and puppetry club classes gave students an<br />entirely new approach to dramas in the field of<br />reading and understanding, as well as in the field<br />of experience and analysis.</p>

Practising Shadow Theatre in the West today means to subvert the predominantly negative view of shadow in the Western psyche, to transcend the faintly racist notion of shadow theatre as the quaint practice of traditional people of the East and to contend with the dominant influences of the electronic media on this once powerful and popular art form. This research is through creative practice in the form of the production, Cactus. This performance investigates the use of the screen in contemporary Shadow Theatre and the optimisation of the live theatrical experience. The performance also seeks to integrate mediatized and non-mediatized performance through the combination of live performance and projected images. My research is a social constructivist process to creative practice as research using a pluralistic approach including elements of action research and autobiography. The literature included for review in this study includes work by Brook, Grotowski, Auslander, Sontag, and Schechner. The literature analysis and previous training with Italian company, Teatro Gioco Vita, served to inform the application of my theories as praxis. The central question of this research project is: How can I break the fifth wall (which is the screen) in shadow theatre performance? Subsidiary questions are: How can we harness the advantages of both mediatized and non-mediatized performance to produce a contemporary shadow theatre form catering to the needs of a twenty-first century audience? How can I optimize the live theatrical experience? What is contemporary Shadow Theatre?

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-08T16:51:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 alex.pdf: 1294416 bytes, checksum: a9e5368eec58f31aaa65300e5119de57 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-08-30 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This thesis deals with puppet manipulation visible to the audience , focusing on soloist performance. The field of study is defined by the first four editions of the International Puppet Festival, in Florianópolis FITAFloripa, during the years 2007 untill 2010. First of all there are reflexions about different kinds of didacticism in Puppetry, the different age groups desired according to the play, the transformations in the choice and using of modalities of puppetry, and the presence of the direction in brazilian puppet plays. Still having as a reference the quantitative database got from the analysis of the 72 plays that composed the FITAFloripa programme during the period, the research go into the characteristics of the soloist performer activity and the puppet manipulation visible to the audience in Brazil. In this carefully examination it is discussed the relations between the soloist performance and the puppetry and its mains characteristics, followed by a historical research about the first brazilians experiences in the puppet manipulation visible to the audience, with its transformations and distinct ways of performance find in current plays. In the last part of this thesis the plays O Incrível Ladrão de Calcinhas and O Princípio do Espanto are analysed, in order to deepen the study about soloist performance and puppet manipulation visible to the audience. Both plays selected from the FITAFloripa programme present different kind of performance with differences that allows a best ponderation about the subjects. The items developed about the two plays are the soloist performer activity, the puppet manipulation visible to the audience, the direction and the dramaturgy / A presente dissertação trata da animação de bonecos à vista do público, com foco na atuação solo em cena. Parte-se de um campo de estudo delimitado nas quatro primeiras edições, entre os anos de 2007 e 2010, do Festival Internacional de Teatro de Animação de Florianópolis FITAFloripa. Realizam-se primeiramente reflexões sobre as formas de didatismo no teatro de animação, as diferentes faixas etárias almejadas conforme o espetáculo, as transformações nas escolhas e usos de modalidades de animação, além da presença da direção no teatro de animação brasileiro. Ainda tendo como referência os dados quantitativos obtidos pela análise dos 72 espetáculos que compuseram a programação do FITAFloripa no período referido, detalham-se as características da atividade do solista e da animação de bonecos à vista do público no Brasil. Neste aprofundamento discutem-se as relações próprias do solo no teatro de animação e suas principais características, seguido de um levantamento histórico acerca das primeiras incursões brasileiras na animação à vista do público, com suas transformações e distintos modos de atuação encontrados na atualidade. Na última parte do trabalho analisam-se os espetáculos O Incrível Ladrão de Calcinhas e O Princípio do Espanto, a fim de aprofundar o estudo sobre a atuação solo e a animação de bonecos à vista do público. Ambos os espetáculos escolhidos na programação do FITAFloripa apresentam as duas formas de atuação com diferenças que permitem refletir melhor sobre os temas. Os itens aprofundados acerca dos dois espetáculos são a atividade do solista, a animação à vista do público, a direção e a dramaturgia

Cultural diversity in a global community demands our tolerant understanding of one another. Participatory art projects can be instrumental in facilitating equal-footing en­counters and creative communication between people from different cultures that transcend language barriers. Used as a methodology for synergistic exchange and exploration, they represent a useful tool for the study and advancement of alternative solutions to development-related themes, particularly where non-verbal communication is either essential or advantageous.This report considers an independent arts-based project, “How to Talk to Dragons”, which was carried out in Phnom Penh, Cambodia by cultural workers from Berlin. The inter-cultural project chose the art form of shadow puppetry to explore the country’s culture and the experiences of its people, and to exchange ideas and perspectives in an engaging and socially just forum. The question guiding this cultural voyage of discovery was how the symbolic dragon, a mythical creature with a global resonance but subject to different perceptions in Europe and Asia, might be used as an agent for opening the way to revealing insights into human nature.The report also explores the links between How to Talk to Dragons and ComDev practices and, by incorporating an auto-ethnographic approach, considers how this method can serve to provide a better understanding of practice and add value to project analysis from a practitioner's perspective.It finds that open concept projects offer an exceptional flexibility to adapt to local and cultural conditions and makes the case for the Cambodian shadow theatre known as Sbek Touch (literal meaning: small leather) as a valuable emancipatory tool for promoting communication across social, economic and cultural borders. It recommends further studies into its potential for raising and identifying sometimes controversial issues in a humorous manner and for uncovering collective solutions, particularly among marginalized communities and classes. Ultimately, the report points to Hooks’ “Practice of Love” as an overarching concept that can inform and transform activities designed to engage with and embrace diversity.

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Taming is an experiment and a written assignment about the development of ProjectMorpheo, which was my degree project at Stockholm University of the Arts. ProjectMorpheo is a participatory experience designed to explore the fragile connections between the content of our dreams and the physical materials that surround us. To give a chance for contemplation the project uses meditation and an experimental form of a contemporary puppetry technique: material animation. Taming Amorphalia is a fictional documentation of the intrapersonal happenings, the experiments and experiences that influenced me during the development of ProjectMorpheo. The aim is to introduce the intuitive process behind the project through the form of a text based RPG.