Marionettes, masks and shadows

CHAPTER III
Choosing Your Play

It may not always be easy to find just the play you wish for your marionettes. If you should go to your library and ask for a marionette play, it is possible that the librarian would have very little to offer you. But if you should go to her and ask for a good story that you could make into a marionette play, you would probably be surprised to see how many books she would place before you. You might even feel confused when you came to make your choice. Suppose that you wish to give a humorous play. Begin by making a list of the very best of the humorous books:

You will find that it is not at all difficult to turn the vivid and amusing characters of these books into marionettes. Neither is it difficult to turn these stories into marionette plays.

First: Make a list of the most important incidents in the story.

Second: Decide upon the number of scenes that you think necessary for your play.

Third: Decide upon the number of characters required for these scenes.

These three things you must do if your play is to be only the simplest kind of a Burattini play, if it is to be a shadow play, or a marionette play.

If you are not experienced in making marionette plays, you may think that you need a great many characters to act your story. But the more you learn about marionette plays, the more you will be surprised to find how few characters, and incidents, and scenes you will need. Choose only those which are most important. This means that you should know your story very well indeed before you begin to make your play. When you thoroughly know your story and all the characters in it, all that they say and do, you will enjoy your play-making quite as much as your play-giving.

Let us choose one or two humorous books and see how we can turn them into a marionette play. We might choose Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. You remember how the story of Alice in Wonderland begins? Alice falls asleep under the tree and the white rabbit passes by. So one might select:

Incident I.

Alice and the White Rabbit

Incident II.

Alice and the Caterpillar

Incident III.

Alice and Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee

Incident IV.

Alice and Humpty Dumpty

Incident V.

Alice and the Duchess, the Cheshire Cat, the Cook and the Pig Baby

Incident VI.

Alice and the Hatter, the March Hare and the Dormouse

Of course, a dozen plays could be made from these two books, but these six incidents will be quite enough for your purpose. A good play, as you know, must not be too long, it must begin in the right way, the story must hold together, and it must be very interesting all the time, and it must have the right ending. The above six incidents were selected with these requirements in mind.

Now, how many acts shall we have? Since this is a dream story, the play might begin by showing Alice falling asleep under the trees, and the White Rabbit running past, and then Alice jumping up and following him. This part of the play we might call a Prologue since it begins the story. Then follow with:

Act I.

Scene: In the woods

Act II.

Scene: In the Duchess’s kitchen

Act III.

Scene: The mad tea party

To bring the play to an end, there might be a closing scene, or epilogue, showing Alice waking from her dream and becoming herself again.

We must now decide just how many characters are really necessary in these six incidents. Let us take a pencil and make the list as we find them in these three acts:

Prologue:

Alice and the White Rabbit.

Act I.

Alice, the Caterpillar, Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum, Humpty Dumpty

Act II.

Alice, the Duchess, the Pig Baby, the Cook, the Cheshire Cat

Act III.

Alice, the Hatter, the March Hare, the Dormouse

Epilogue.

Alice and the White Rabbit.

Here we have made from six important incidents, in the two stories about Alice, a marionette play of three acts, with a cast of thirteen characters. This play might be called The Adventures of Alice.

Possibly you and your friends are much interested in heroes and heroines and would prefer a hero play made from such stories as:

Instead of hero plays you may be interested in plays of adventure. The list of excellent books of adventure is a long one, as you know. Here are just a few that are waiting to be turned into wonderful marionette plays:

Let us take one of these, Howard Pyle’s Men of Iron, a story laid in England in the time of King Henry IV. The list of important incidents is a long one.

1.

Myles parting from the old servant.

2.

Myles presenting his father’s letter to the Earl of Mackworth.

3.

Myles meeting with Gascoigne.

4.

Myles meeting with Sir James Lea.

5.

Myles at play with the boys.

6.

The ball flies over into the ladies’ garden.

7.

Myles and Lady Alice in the garden.

8.

Myles, discovered by the Earl of Mackworth, learns that the Earl is befriending him.

9.

Arrival of King Henry at Devlin Castle.

10.

The knighting of Myles.

11.

Myles’ challenge to the Earl of Alban, his father’s deadly enemy.

12.

The combat between the Earl of Alban and Myles.

13.

The triumph of Myles and his request for the hand of Lady Alice.

When you have studied the story of Men of Iron and made your list of important incidents, you will find that four acts are sufficient for your play:

Act I.

Courtyard of Devlin Castle

Act II.

The ladies’ garden

Act III.

The great hall in Devlin Castle

Act IV.

The tournament ground and the royal pavilions and gallery .

The list of characters is long but it gives an opportunity to many boys and girls in a class to make marionettes and to have a part in the play. Here is the list of characters:

1.

Myles as a boy in Acts I and II

2.

Myles as a man in Acts III and IV

3.

The old Servant

4.

The Armorer

5.

The Bear Trainer

6.

The Bear

7.

Gascoigne

8.

Walter Blunt

9.

The Squire

10.

Sir James Lea

11.

Earl of Mackworth

12.

The Pryor

13.

The Earl of Alban

14.

The Minstrel

15.

The Jester

16.

Lady Alice

17.

Lady Anne

18.

Black Horse

19.

Gray Horse

20.

The Pigeons

Marionette plays are exactly like all other plays. They need songs and dances, and many things that will be certain to interest the audience. Here is a list of the incidents that were added to this play when it was given by the boys and girls of Fairmount Junior High School in Cleveland, Ohio:

1.

An Italian bear trainer, who whistled a jolly tune while his bear danced and did his tricks.

2.

The song of the Armorer as he worked at his forge. (The forge was so made and wired that every stroke of the hammer on the anvil gave forth a shower of sparks.)

3.

A fight between Myles and the young squire, Walter Blunt.

4.

Practice at the pells to show the training of the squires of that day.

5.

Lady Alice’s little dance.

6.

Lady Anne’s song as she plays her lute.

7.

Alice’s tame pigeon that flew down to her shoulder.

8.

The wandering minstrel with his lute and his ballad of Chevy Chase.

9.

The antics, capers, and songs of the jester.

In order to prepare the audience for the play and to carry every person back in imagination to the time of this play, an announcer was chosen, who, in the costume of that day, came before the curtain and gave the introduction to the play. This announcer was chosen with great care because his part was so important. He was responsible for carrying his audience back into the days of chivalry, not only by his speech and costume, but by his tone of voice and his gestures. Here is the prologue that one of the children wrote:

There were many things in this play that every member of the class was uncertain about. No one knew about the kinds of costumes that were worn in England in the time of Henry IV. Neither did anyone know about houses, gardens, and furniture, nor about the armor and the musical instruments of that day until he had studied reference books. Here is a list of some of the books that were found helpful:

The Museum of Art and the Historical Museum can be visited for first-hand information. Librarians, history, art, and English teachers can be counted upon for help. The librarian will help you to find the kind of book you wish, and will be glad to help find reference books and pictures. The history teacher will help you in learning about the life and customs of the people who are of the time of your play. The English teacher can be of invaluable help to you in working out the development of your play. Last, but not least, you will have very great need of your art and manual training teachers. They will help you in learning how to make your marionettes, how to make your marionette stage, how to make your scenery and properties, how to light the stage, what colors to use in your costumes and in your scenery, and how to place both your scenery and your actors on the stage. They will also assist you in planning the stage pictures.

Moreover, you may be interested in other literary plays made from such stories as:

Should you like the story of The Childhood of David Copperfield, some such interesting incidents as the following might be chosen:

1.

David and Pegotty.

2.

David meets Captain Pegotty, Emil, and Mrs. Grummage.

3.

David and Emily.

4.

David in the schoolroom.

5.

Betsy Trotwood and Master Dick.

6.

David and Betsy Trotwood.

The characters in these incidents are:

1.

David

2.

Pegotty

3.

Captain Pegotty

4.

Mrs. Grummage

5.

Emily

6.

Sam

7.

Tommy Traddles

8.

Schoolboy

9.

Mr. Schoolmaster

10.

Mr. Schoolmaster’s assistant

11.

Betsy Trotwood

12.

Master Dick

13.

The mouse

Five acts would give the story:

Act I.

The Copperfield sitting room

Act II.

Inside the boathouse

Act III.

Along the seashore

Act IV.

In the schoolroom

Act V.

Betsy Trotwood’s garden

Since every act of a play should help in telling the story, in solving the principal problem, and in bringing about the proper ending, this arrangement might be made:

Act I.

David reads and talks to Pegotty about her brother’s boathouse. Pegotty invites David to spend a week there.

Act II.

In the boathouse. David meets Pegotty’s family.

Act III.

By the seashore. David plays with Emily, who sings a song, and David tells Emily how much he will miss her when he goes away to school.

Act IV.

In the schoolroom. The cruel schoolmaster and his assistant. David decides to run away.

Act V.

Betsy Trotwood’s garden. David finds a home with his good Aunt Betsy and gentle old Master Dick.

At the same time that Charles Dickens was writing David Copperfield and other stories about the people he knew, several clever artists were making drawings of the same people. You probably know many of the amusing pictures they drew, especially those of Cruikshank, Tenniel, and Du Maurier. If you wish to know how David and Pegotty and Betsy Trotwood and little Emily really looked, ask your librarian to show you some of the illustrations that these artists made. Because these pictures give the very best idea of how the people of Dickens’ time looked, you might copy them for your marionettes. Their faces have a great deal of character, their clothes are those of that time, and they are so quaint and characteristic that they will never be uninteresting.

Probably the most beautiful marionette plays that one can imagine could be done from the great stories in the Bible. Just as in the early days of Christianity, when marionettes helped the people to see and feel the great scenes in their new religion, so, it would seem, that a time might come again when the little figures might return to their earliest uses. This could well be done in Christmas and Easter plays for the church and Sunday school. Imagine the story of Joseph and his brethren with scenes showing:

1.

The tent life of Israel.

2.

The kind old father.

3.

The cruel brothers.

4.

The selling into bondage.

5.

The court life in Egypt.

6.

Joseph among his new friends.

7.

The famine.

8.

The visit of the brothers.

9.

The remorse of the brothers.

10.

Joseph’s forgiveness in the last scene.

Parables, such as that of the Good Samaritan, are full of dramatic possibilities.

How many beautiful plays appropriate for Christmas, Easter, and saints’ days could be made from the lives of the saints! If you are interested in a play for your Sunday school or your parochial school, read and make into a play the life of Saint Christopher, Saint George, Saint Patrick, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Agnes, Saint Genevieve, Saint Catherine of Sienna, or Saint Joan of Arc.

If you love fairy tales you will, no doubt, wish to make a fairy marionette play. You probably know many of the books listed here:

Here are a few familiar poems that may be turned into marionette plays:

Many other stories will, no doubt, occur to you, and many ways of turning them to your needs.

CHAPTER IV
Making Your Stage

A chair, sofa, or table top may have been the first stage on which you moved about your tin soldiers and paper dolls. Your imagination supplied the scenery and lighting. A small table turned upside down and placed on top of another table may have been your next invention. A curtain drawn about its three sides and your string of Christmas-tree lights gave you a very satisfactory little theater. As your stagecraft developed, you may have seen possibilities in a soap box or a dry goods box. By knocking out one side to make a proscenium opening and painting scenery on the back of the box or on to cardboards which you slipped in and out, you had a very real stage. With a proscenium arch made from cardboard and decorated to suit the play, a little curtain on a rod, Christmas-tree lights, and your company of small doll actors, you had a complete theater. It could be placed in a door or an archway, or between two screens.

Possibly you were interested in the Burattini. You may have made a booth somewhat like the illustration and decorated it quite gaily. It had this advantage. By means of hinges it could be folded together. It was no trouble to take anywhere, indoors or out, to a friend’s backyard, to school, to the playground, or even to a picnic.

If your enthusiasm had led you further, you would have been interested in the drawings of a semi-professional marionette stage which are shown on the next two pages.

A

Stage floor, 10' × 32".

B

Bridge for puppeteers, 24" wide, 12" high above stage floor.

C

Beaverboard facing (10' × 4' 6") in which proscenium arch (6' × 30") is cut.

D

Backdrop, 7' × 4'.

E

Supporting trestles, 33" high.

F

Bridge ladder.

G

Bridge fence.

H

Iron rod attached to fence for holding S hooks.

I

S hooks for holding marionettes when not in use.

J

Supporting frame for wings and backdrop.

K

Footlight trough.

L

Curtains.

K

Footlights.

M

Switchboard.

N

Movable strip (one for each side of stage) of wing lights.

O

Boxed overhead lights for general stage illumination. Nine sections complete the line.

R

Large curtains between the audience and back stage—framing the stage.

Fig. O

Two sections of overhead lights showing bulb, and colored sheet gelatin Q inserted. Each section can be operated independently from the switchboard.

Fig. P

If the boxed lights are not practicable the simple tin trough with colored bulbs may be used.

CHAPTER V
Making Your Marionette

In your adventures with marionettes, probably nothing will give you more pleasure than the actual making of them. This is equally true of the Burattini, of the doll puppet, and of the real marionette.

The Burattini, Guignol, or Mitten puppet is the simplest kind of marionette. It is usually nothing more than a head, two arms, and an empty sack. The most important part of a Guignol is its head. This can be made from unbleached muslin, from a hollow doll’s head, it can be carved out of a block of soft wood, or it can be made from papier-mâché.

Muslin Head. Here is a pattern for the unbleached muslin head. Sew the two halves together and then stuff firmly with cotton. If you dampen the cheeks, the muslin will stretch and then you can round them out with more cotton. Into the neck insert a cuff of stiff paper, ⅞ of an inch in diameter. It should be fastened either by sewing or glueing. This cuff gives you space for the finger which manipulates the head. Water colors or crayons may be used for painting the face. Before you begin, experiment on scraps of muslin.

Doll’s Head. If you wish to use the hollow head of a doll, you will probably find it necessary to remodel its features. This is done by taking papier-mâché, a mixture of bits of paper mixed with flour paste, and building out the nose, the cheeks, and the chin, in order to give them more character. The building out must be done gradually, a bit at a time, after you have made the surface rough by the use of sandpaper or a file. When you are sure that you have finished the head, stand twenty or thirty feet away from it and see if it is still interesting to you. This is an excellent test. Those in the last rows of your audience will be even farther away and your Burattini must hold their interest.

Wooden Head. Boys who like to whittle will enjoy carving out wooden heads. If you decide to carve the head from wood, use a soft wood, such as pine. Start with a piece about 5 inches long by 3½ inches wide by 3½ inches high. It is well to keep in mind that the head is egg shaped. The chin is the small end of the egg. Observe that the eyes are placed halfway between the top of the head and the chin, and that the nose is placed halfway between the eyes and the chin. Notice, also, that the mouth is placed halfway between the nose and the chin. The illustration will show you how to go about the carving. Cut the big planes first, then the smaller planes. Curve the cheeks and chin if the character requires it. You will then be ready to drill the ⅞ inch hole up into the neck. Into this hole is thrust the forefinger of the puppeteer.

Papier-mâché Head. If you wish to make a papier-mâché head for your Burattini, follow the directions for making the head of the true marionette which you will find on page 67.

Hair. For hair, use yarn, lamb’s wool, or frayed hemp, as is best suited to the character. The toe of a stocking makes an excellent foundation for the wig, since it so perfectly fits the head. When the material for the hair has been sewed to this foundation, glue it to the head. When the glue has set, you can arrange the hair.

Hands. Burattini hands should be cut out of wood and shaped as in the illustration. Sandpapering makes them smooth. Little cuffs of cardboard should be glued or tacked onto the wrists in order to make a place for the thumb and second finger of the puppeteer.

Painting. When you have finished carving both the head and hands you are ready to paint them. You will need red, yellow, blue, and white oil paints. Use a piece of smooth wood or glass for a palette. Squeeze onto your palette a small amount of each color. As you know, people do not have pure-white skins. There is a tinge of yellow-orange in the white man’s skin, deep red and orange in that of the red man, brown in that of the Negro, and yellow in that of the Oriental. Begin by squeezing out onto your palette a small quantity of white paint. Only clowns’ faces, however, are painted a pure white. You must add a bit of yellow and red to the white paint if you are painting a white man’s face. If you are painting a red man’s face, you must add more red and a bit of blue. For the face of an Oriental, add yellow to your white paint and the least bit of red and blue. For the black man’s face, use black paint instead of white paint and into it mix a very small amount of orange and blue. Use a palette knife for mixing oil paints and turpentine for thinning them. Do not be timid when you begin to paint. Strong and vigorous painting is as important and necessary as strong and vigorous modeling in bringing out the features and expression. When the painting is finished, the face should fully express your idea of the character.

The Body. Now we come to the mantle or cloak which gives a kind of body to the Burattini. The illustration shows patterns for the front, back, and sleeves. To this foundation you can sew any costume that your character may require. The hands are fastened into the ends of the sleeves. When the cloak is fastened securely about the neck, it becomes a kind of sack, open only at the bottom. Now slip your hand inside this sack or mantle, your forefinger into the head, your thumb and second finger into the arms. The head will bow, the arms will move, and the little figure comes to life.

ANIMAL BURATTINI

Burattini animals can be made for such stories as The Three Pigs, The Three Bears, and Little Red Riding Hood. There are several ways of making them. The first way is to use the head of an old toy animal. Into the center of this head cut a hole for the forefinger. Then attach this head to a suitable sack or coat. The forepaws of the animal can be fastened into the sleeves.

Another way is to carve the heads and paws out of soft wood. A third way is to cut them out of suitable cloth. A fourth way is to make them out of papier-mâché in the same way as the papier-mâché heads described on page 67. This illustration will show you how the lower jaw is cut out and then attached in such a way that the puppeteer can open and close the mouth.

Scale. Before you begin to make your marionette, you must decide upon the kind of stage you intend to use, for the size of the stage determines the size of the marionette. It is the right relation of the marionette to the stage that creates an illusion and makes your audience feel that the little figures are life-size. For the semi-professional stage, use a scale of 2½ inches or 3 inches to the foot. If you use a scale of 2½ inches to a foot, it would make a 15-inch marionette represent a 6-foot man. If you use a scale of 3 inches to a foot, your 6-foot hero would be represented by a marionette 18 inches high. Never forget your scale of measurements. All properties and stage settings must be worked out to the same scale you have fixed for your marionettes.

TURNING DOLLS INTO MARIONETTES

A very simple kind of marionette can be made from a ten- or fifteen-cent doll. Change the face as you did the Burattini face. Then take off the arms and legs and separate the arms at the elbows and the legs at the knees. Fasten the upper and lower arms together with tape. Do the same thing with the upper and lower legs. Then fasten the arms and legs to the body as in the illustration. The tape gives free movement at the joints.

Strings. This type of marionette requires not more than seven strings: two for the shoulders, two for the hands, two for the knees, and one for the back. The shoulder string should be about 42 inches long. The other strings are longer as you can see in the illustration. Waxed black linen thread can be used for the strings.

Controllers. For this kind of marionette you can use either a horizontal-bar controller or a cross-bar controller. The illustration gives measurements and construction, and indicates the place for attaching the strings.

A

Horizontal-bar controller

1.

Back string

2.

Shoulder strings

3.

Hand strings

B

Cross-bar controller

1.

Hand strings

2.

Head strings

3.

Shoulder strings

4.

Back strings

5.

Leather strap under which the hand slips

C

Foot controller

1.

Foot strings

2.

Hole to slip over nail in controller B when not in use.

STOCKING MARIONETTE

Another kind of marionette is made from old stockings or any soft material. The head and body are in one piece. Each arm is in one piece. Each leg is in two pieces. Cut and sew according to directions. Stuff the head very firmly with cotton. At the base of the neck leave a quarter of an inch between the two rows of stitching. This will permit the head to move. The body should be stuffed less firmly than the head, especially at the waistline, so that the figure can bend easily.

A

Body pattern. Dotted line indicates stitching. Do not stitch across the bottom until after the stuffing has been inserted.

B

Arm pattern. Dotted line indicates stitching.

C

Front view of the leg stuffed, showing upper leg extending over lower leg. This is to prevent a forward swing at the knee.

D

Side view of C showing the fastening; the upper leg is sewed to the lower leg at the back of the knee. Note the downward slant of the foot.

E

A dancer’s leg showing the downward drop of the toe.

F

Lower leg showing round piece of wood to insure stiffness.

G

Back view of upper leg. Dotted line indicates the piece of light-weight cardboard inserted to insure stiffness.

Note: Pieces of lead or small shot are used to weight the feet and hands. A lead dress weight may be sewed in the torso to give the body weight. Cotton or soft rags are used for the stuffing.

Staples. Into each side of the head, where the ears would naturally come, insert a staple. It requires a great deal of patience to insert these staples into this kind of head but it can be done. Just where you place these staples is very important. If you place them too far forward the head will be drawn too far back when the strings are attached to the staples. On the contrary, if the staples are inserted too far back, the head will fall forward when suspended from the strings. If you wish to make a pompous, strutting character, then place the staples forward. If you wish to show a hunchback or bowed old age, then place the staples quite far back. Between these two extremes is the normal place for your staples.

Modeling. When the staples have been inserted, dip your fingers into water and dampen the head and then cover it with some kind of modeling clay that hardens when exposed to the air. The features of your character can be modeled with your fingers and the help of an orange stick or a toothpick. Do not cover the staples, for the head-strings must be attached to them later. This kind of marionette head should be painted with tempera colors or with oil paints. Paint the hands the same color as the face. When the paint is dry, cover the head with glue and attach the hair, which may be made from yarn, mercerized cotton, silk, or lamb’s wool.

A marionette of this kind could be used on the semi-professional stage if it is carefully constructed, made to scale, and appropriately costumed. The strings are attached to the head staples, to the shoulders, the hands, the back, and to the knees. For this type of marionette use the cross-bar controller.

THE REAL MARIONETTE

The third type of marionette, which might be called the real marionette, is somewhat more complicated, but it is better suited to the larger stage and to more exacting plays. There is scarcely a thing that this type of marionette cannot be made to do if skilfully constructed. Its greater flexibility of neck, waist, wrist, and ankle makes it possible for it to bow, kneel, sit down, turn its head, dance, play a musical instrument, climb a wall, or perform any number of lively tricks.

CHARACTER

A marionette should be as individual as a human being, both in its appearance and in its character. Before you make your marionette, you must have clearly in mind the character you wish to portray. You should aim to make its appearance indicate its character. Let us suppose that you are about to make a marionette of Myles in Men of Iron. Let us make a list of his characteristics: brave, strong, loyal, daring, courageous. Now choose one of these traits which you think most fully sums up the character of Myles. Probably you will choose the word “courageous.” The problem now is to create a marionette whose appearance will suggest the Myles who is brave, strong, loyal, daring, but, above all things, courageous. Can you not see him, tall, broad of shoulder, fearless of eye, as he stands before Sir James Lee? Strong of limb and strong of will, he reflects the spirit of his time. You now have the problem of creating out of a few bits of wood and cloth this daring, headstrong young squire.