This Week's Cultural News
Children's book illustrator and writer Eric Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" is retold as a puppet show for the Korean audience.[Interview : John Allen MacLean, Performer] "I think what is beautiful about his works is that he makes his own paper and then from that he writes his story. One of the reasons Jim chose his books is because it's so colorful and so fun and so honest. Pictures can be translated very easily into puppets. And especially as our show is a black light show, everything glows in the dark. Very vibrant."
[Interview : Christine Elizabeth Oakey, Stage manager] "Mermaid Theatre has been doing this story for 12 years and this story is done in black light. So that means the curtains are black and the performers wear black so that you don't see us. So it looks like the puppets are moving themselves. and that is the magic."
[Interview : Emma Slipp, Performer] "I think the joy in the books is really important. The play is based on Eric Carle's books. And if us bringing a live version of the play is going to make them read more and be excited about books"
[Interview : Song Woo-ri ,Audience member] "I was amazed at the height. It seemed unreachable."
[Interview : Lee Kyung-in, Audience member ] "The butterflies were in so many different colors!"
[Interview : Lee Soo-jin, Audience member] "It was fun watching the caterpillar wagging its tail."
[Interview : Sohn Jae-yun, Audience member] "So far the performances were done by people, but this one featured puppets."
[STUDIO]
There's something really special about puppet shows isn't there Yea. The story of the butterfly's transformation is always captivating.
Black Light Puppets - News
'John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean' (Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday) John Tartaglia, who starred in the original cast of “Avenue Q,” conceived this musical production, which uses black light and fluorescent creatures from the Puppet Kitchen to tell the
One of the reasons Jim chose his books is because it's so colorful and so fun and so honest. Pictures can be translated very easily into puppets. And especially as our show is a black light show, everything glows in the dark. Very vibrant.
Griffith says that he and wife Shari always wanted to perform with a blacklight. While experimenting with the blacklight, the Z Puppets Rosenschnoz team discovered that ping pong balls glowed in the dark, which is how they came up with their unique
'John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean' (Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday) John Tartaglia, who starred in the original cast of “Avenue Q,” conceived this musical production, which uses black light and fluorescent creatures from the Puppet Kitchen to tell the
'John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean' (Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday) John Tartaglia, who starred in the original cast of “Avenue Q,” conceived this musical production, which uses black light and fluorescent creatures from the Puppet Kitchen to tell the
What materials do you use for blacklight puppets?
Fabrics
A great example of this is my Round Head Foam Puppet pattern : the fur I used was blue, and surprisingly, while testing what appeared under blacklight , I discovered that the fur did have a glow (see first video above. Not a particularly strong one, but it did glow. (Additionally, I discovered that some of the heads on my pins glow!)
There are a number of suppliers who sell blacklight furs, fleece, and other fabrics, which can be used to cover foam puppets.
Costuming and rodsIn order to hide the performers, and any methods of operation on the puppets, you must black them out. This means: coating any rods, etc. in a black matte paint or similar coating method. Matte is important, because you don’t want the paint to reflect under light - even if it is blacklight . Performers should wear a blue black (black cloth comes in hues, believe it or not! One’s blue, the other is red), from head to toe; velveteen is a good cheap light fabric for this. There are a number of blacklight suppliers that sell rods and gloves.
Other stuffWhat else works? Polystyrene balls came out well when I tested them, costume wigs might work if they’re fluorescent… Don’t forget, you can use black paint or materials to highlight, accent, hide, or outline puppet features. In fact, my best suggestion is to visit your local craft and art store, and pick up materials you might want to use, test it with your handheld blacklight , and use what you can. As mentioned, anything and everything can be used so long as they’re fluorescent, and it’s hard to narrow it down for you here. However, the above is a good start; but if you have a suggestion, let me know and I’ll add it here!
