Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Los Angeles, 1980. / Includes vita. "Plays from the Toone Marionette Theater": leaves 313-409. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 410-421).

It is the purpose of this thesis to determine the function of marionette, puppet and shadow plays as a tool for learning in the elementary school.

The subject of my thesis is Russian artist Alexandra Exter’s work in the performing arts, with a focus on her theatrical set and costume designs in the Kamerny Theater, her creations for Iakov Protazanov’s 1924 science fiction film, Aelita, and finally her exquisitely fabricated set of approximately forty marionettes. Within these colorful wooden figures are reconciled conflicting notions of stasis and dynamism, sculpture and performer, human and object. Drawing upon Victor Shklovskiĭ’s formalist definition of “enstrangement,” I examine her introduction of the object in place of the human performer as a means of exposing the creative process, forcing the viewer to actively engage with the production. Thus, her manipulation and eventual replacement of the human performer not only exemplifies the interconnectivity and mutability of Russian avant-garde art, but impels the viewer to reconsider the familiar in terms of the strange, ultimately calling attention to the humanity of the dehumanized performer.

This practical-theoretical thesis consists of two wire-controlled marionettes. The puppets are made of fired clay and other materials. The marionettes come with an original theatre play, which is also a part of the thesis. The form of the marionettes is inspired by the puppets of Czech folk puppeteers and marionettes from Munich. The accompanying theoretical part focuses on the history of puppetry, types of puppets and their use in art schools. The work also informs about the lives of our foremost puppeteers.

With mobile web browsers holding around eight percent of the global browser market share in terms of usage, web development for these platforms is becoming critically important as usage moves from the desktop towards mobile devices. Recent advances in client side browser technology like HTML5 and WebSockets have allowed web browser applications to approach feature parity with thick client desktop applications. This paper explores the possibility of a real-time online multiplayer game playable from just a mobile device's web browser. It does not focus on gameplay or graphics, rather it focuses on the backend infrastructure needed to support such a game. The framework devised to support this sort of interaction, Marionette, is well suited towards addressing sharing of location-specific, short-lived information between people using their smartphones without the use of any external software or proprietary software packages on the client side. / text

The usage of puppets in nursery school In its theoretical part, my diploma thesis presents the preschool-age children's game and focuses on its object and the perception of the puppet as a toy. It approaches the theory and function of the puppet from its educational point of view. Further, it points to various methods of their usage and to the relation between the teacher and a puppet. In the conclusion, it includes some suggestions to make simple puppets. Next part of this work results from the research on the relation between children and puppets within the educational process in nursery school. It approximates children's displays towards the puppet and their ability to distinguish between the puppet and the teacher. Further, it is supplemented with the research on different methods of using the puppets and the experience within the pedagogues' practice. Key words: Marionette theatre, puppets, a preschool-age child, nursery school, the education of a preschool-age child, game, the object of the game

My thesis follows up life and work of Bohumil Schweigstill, teacher and puppeteer living in First Republic of Czechoslovakia. First chapter is about social situation in Příbram, about his childhood and studies in this famous mining area. Then it focuses on the beginning of his career as a teacher at Klatovsko and subsequent move to Prague, where until the end of the 30s of the 20th century has taught at several schools. Thesis then makes a closer look at his puppeteering work in Prague theater in Vladislavova street and theatre in the garden of Kinský, monitors normal operation of both theatres, structure of performances, ensemble and repertoire. Stand-alone chapter is devoted to Schweigstill's dramas and its benefit for forms of puppet - Punch, because he was one of the first to come up with a brand new concept. The final chapter then examines his tenure at the magazine Little Reader and Heart, as well as end of his life, where despite leaving both of its own puppet theaters, he didin't hesitate to help other amateur and professional theatre groups, and finally the overall contribution that Schweigstill's playwright and theatrical activity had. Key words Bohumil Schweigstill, puppet theater, marionette, puppetry, Punch, the Kinsky Garden Theatre, the Theater at Vladislavova Street, the Society for...