Performing in Children’s Theatre is like nothing else on this planet. Imagine an audience full of critics who will let everyone know exactly how they feel about the show… whilst your still performing it! It’s great fun to have an audience that is so truly involved with what is happening but it can be incredibly distracting and as an actor there is a lot to remember anyway; lines, positions on stage, lines, props, lines, other actors, and did I mention lines? Add to this an inanimate object that you have to bring to life in so convincing a manner that the children don’t question it’s being anything other than real and alive and there you have the fantastic challenge that is puppeteering for children’s theatre, and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else! The thing that always amazes me is that the children truly believe in what they see on stage. The world created in the theatre is real to them in a way that it no longer is when you are an adult and their complete enthusiasm in what you are doing is contagious. The children love the puppets and the stories that you tell using them. They want to meet them afterwards and pet them because they don’t see a puppet- they see a rabbit or a horse or a little boy or whatever else it might be. They don’t see you holding the puppet up or moving it’s head or speaking in it’s voice- you cease to be the reality for the child and the puppet takes your place. The funny thing is I almost feel the same way towards the puppets now- I love them as a beautiful uncomplicated elements to my job and whilst holding the puppet I can’t help but either talk directly to it or talk in it’s voice constantly. It’s a little bit crazy how fond I am of the Velveteen Rabbit puppet but I have spent so much time developing his voice and movement and learning how to create his world that actually I think it would be crazier if I felt nothing for him.
These shows are full of an infectious magic that is really heightened by the puppets in a way that having actors playing the parts just couldn’t achieve and I have really enjoyed being a part of the whole experience; learning new skills and applying them to the creative process of making The Velveteen Rabbit and Greek Myths for Kids has been great fun and very rewarding and I would happily do it all over again, if for no other reason than to spend a little more time with my bunny puppet.
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