Profession puppeteer

Puppeteers perform shows by manipulating puppets such as hand puppets or marionettes. Their performance is based on a script and the movements of the puppets have to be synchronised with the speech and music. Puppeteers may write their own scripts and design and create their own puppets.

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Skills

• Interact with an audience

  Convey the artistic values of the art form(s). Respond to the reactions of your audience and involve them.

• Manipulate puppets

  Manipulate puppets by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or her own hands placed inside the puppet or holding it externally, so as to create the illusion of life.

• Perform live

  Perform in front of live audiences.

• Cope with stage fright

  Deal with conditions that cause stage fright, such as time limits, the audience and stress.

• Memorise lines

  Memorise your role in a performance or broadcast, whether it is text, movement, or music.

• Adapt to different roles

  Adapt to different roles in a play, regarding the styles, ways of acting and aesthetics.

• Interpret performance concepts in the creative process

  Learn and research a part, in personal and collective research and rehearsal, build an acting performance respecting the concept of the show.

• Accept feedback on artistic performance

  Accept feedback, proposed discussions and avenues of exploration about the precision of movements, rhythm, musicality, precision of the performance, interaction with peers and stage elements, areas requiring improvement. Take feedback into account to develop the potential as performer. Note the choreographers/repetiteur/dance master instructions, the instructions of other collaborators (dramaturge, performers/dancers peers, musicians, etc.) assuring being in the same page with direction team.

• Declaim

  Speak for an audience with the expression of rhythm and vocal technique. Take care that articulation and voice projection are appropriate to the character or text. Make sure that you are heard without compromising your health: prevent fatigue and vocal strain, breathing problems and vocal cord problems.

• Study relationships between characters

  Study characters in scripts and their relationships to each other.

• Engage the audience emotionally

  Create an emotional connection with the audience through your performance. Engage the audience with sadness, humour, anger, any other emotion, or a combination thereof, and let them share your experience.

• Develop puppet shows

  Develop shows with puppets.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB