Walking Theater
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/4/3/124331411/published/biggerwalking-theater.png?1582442945)
Brief Background
I have used a walking theater based exclusively on this image, since approximately 2009. Here’s what I know about the image. It is a sketch of a Russian traveling entertainer from 1634. What I know of the subject matter of the play is based on a memoir that goes with this sketch. It is said that the human-like puppets are trying to romantically pursue the horse puppet and the one who successfully beds the horse becomes the “king of men” (Jurkowski, 1996). They may be glove puppets, or rod puppets. There a chance that a smaller human is sitting on the shoulders of the person whose legs you can see walking. The presence of more than two puppets is more easily explained, however, by the more likely scenario that the two puppet figures on the edges of the performance space are fixed in place, and the ones in the middle are being controlled by the person whose legs are visible. They might be rod puppets that can be moved by merely pivoting the sticks below the puppets, like a lever. It is impossible to tell from the sketch. Walking puppet theaters may have existed in many different forms. This is the only image I have found.
Other details to be gleaned include the images in the background. To the right is a musician standing in a dress holding some sort of stringed instrument with bow, possibly a violin. (Are they smiling?) Maybe another musician is seated next to the standing one playing a hurdy-gurdy or something. It’s cut off so who knows. To the left, in the background is a person with a large animal, possibly a bear, on a rope. In the left foreground is a figure who appears to be bent. Are they bowing? Juggling? About to do a flip?
Jurkowski, Henryk. History of European Puppetry: a history of European puppetry from its origins to the end of the 19th century. Edwin Mellen Press, Ltd., New York, 1996
I have used a walking theater based exclusively on this image, since approximately 2009. Here’s what I know about the image. It is a sketch of a Russian traveling entertainer from 1634. What I know of the subject matter of the play is based on a memoir that goes with this sketch. It is said that the human-like puppets are trying to romantically pursue the horse puppet and the one who successfully beds the horse becomes the “king of men” (Jurkowski, 1996). They may be glove puppets, or rod puppets. There a chance that a smaller human is sitting on the shoulders of the person whose legs you can see walking. The presence of more than two puppets is more easily explained, however, by the more likely scenario that the two puppet figures on the edges of the performance space are fixed in place, and the ones in the middle are being controlled by the person whose legs are visible. They might be rod puppets that can be moved by merely pivoting the sticks below the puppets, like a lever. It is impossible to tell from the sketch. Walking puppet theaters may have existed in many different forms. This is the only image I have found.
Other details to be gleaned include the images in the background. To the right is a musician standing in a dress holding some sort of stringed instrument with bow, possibly a violin. (Are they smiling?) Maybe another musician is seated next to the standing one playing a hurdy-gurdy or something. It’s cut off so who knows. To the left, in the background is a person with a large animal, possibly a bear, on a rope. In the left foreground is a figure who appears to be bent. Are they bowing? Juggling? About to do a flip?
Jurkowski, Henryk. History of European Puppetry: a history of European puppetry from its origins to the end of the 19th century. Edwin Mellen Press, Ltd., New York, 1996
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/4/3/124331411/58980-151456454875408-4963075-n-2_orig.jpg)
What did you do? The early years
The first thing I did was make a muslin apron. The 2009 version had stick that I could thread through the bottom hem like a curtain rod. Then I had two sticks that were threaded in each side hem of the apron. I used cedar branches because they are a bit curved and because I conveniently had a cedar tree in my back yard. So I had a screen that I could wear around my waist that was rigid on three sides. To do performances I would lift up the apron and I used some ribbon to tie it around my back like some suspenders. It worked well if I was standing still. It made a little pouch at the bottom for all the puppets to rest. I could have pinned scripts to read on the inside of the screen, but instead I had people tell the stories next to me as I performed.
The downsides of this version were that if I walked with the screen up the sticks swayed back and forth and could possibly put out eyes. When the apron was down, the stick across the front of the theater hit me in the shins when I walked. It was simple, but awkward. I could just take it off, you say. I did, but I wanted to try something else.
The first thing I did was make a muslin apron. The 2009 version had stick that I could thread through the bottom hem like a curtain rod. Then I had two sticks that were threaded in each side hem of the apron. I used cedar branches because they are a bit curved and because I conveniently had a cedar tree in my back yard. So I had a screen that I could wear around my waist that was rigid on three sides. To do performances I would lift up the apron and I used some ribbon to tie it around my back like some suspenders. It worked well if I was standing still. It made a little pouch at the bottom for all the puppets to rest. I could have pinned scripts to read on the inside of the screen, but instead I had people tell the stories next to me as I performed.
The downsides of this version were that if I walked with the screen up the sticks swayed back and forth and could possibly put out eyes. When the apron was down, the stick across the front of the theater hit me in the shins when I walked. It was simple, but awkward. I could just take it off, you say. I did, but I wanted to try something else.
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/4/3/124331411/published/img-2611.jpg?1582443089)
So, my 2011 version of this theater was completely over-engineered. I must have asked my husband to help. It used some shepherd’s hooks from the garden section that I attached to my body with some repurposed belts from Goodwill and some rivets. I used the same apron as before. So there were still sticks on three sides. I did cut off the lower half of the apron. It had the same benefits, and it was safer? I could also use the two sides of the theater as well as the top to display puppets, since I didn't have to hold the screen from swaying back and forth.
During the years I was using this type of theater, I was doing a few bardic competitions in my local barony and then I did a single entry at Kingdom Arts & Sciences. I did some Aesop stories and I could drape extra scenery off the front of this theater. You can see the fox and the crow performed at the right. I had been working with glove puppets for a while and I wanted to move on to shadow puppets which was my next goal.
So, I got bored with this concept and I gave up using it altogether for a time. (See below for next version.)
During the years I was using this type of theater, I was doing a few bardic competitions in my local barony and then I did a single entry at Kingdom Arts & Sciences. I did some Aesop stories and I could drape extra scenery off the front of this theater. You can see the fox and the crow performed at the right. I had been working with glove puppets for a while and I wanted to move on to shadow puppets which was my next goal.
So, I got bored with this concept and I gave up using it altogether for a time. (See below for next version.)
“Skirt-over-head” Theater
Then I went through a whole tourney season doing “Skirt-over-head” theater. It was very funny and popular. People enjoyed it, even children. I was writing satire based on little episodes that I found humorous that were happening at the time. During the day, I was able to use the sun as the light for my shadow puppets, which was pretty ingenious if the timing was right. You can see my performance of ‘Giant’s Tale’ in the photos. I built that bodice to hold the sticks, three this time, one in the back and two in the front. And I used a plastic hula-hoop in the lower hem which I could remove when not performing. The peplums of the bodice were also pockets that I could put the puppets in. At the time, I was using poster board cutouts of the characters I needed. They worked beautifully. When it was dark outside I had a book light that I could clip to the front of my bodice and make the shadows with that. I do not have any photos of this, but I called it Biffy-side Theater. In our group a biffy is a port-a-potty. If you can’t draw a crowd, go where one already is. I also had very loud people read my scripts as I performed. It was lovely.
Possibly unrelated, I was awarded my Kingdom's Grant level arts and sciences award at the event shown below.
Then I went through a whole tourney season doing “Skirt-over-head” theater. It was very funny and popular. People enjoyed it, even children. I was writing satire based on little episodes that I found humorous that were happening at the time. During the day, I was able to use the sun as the light for my shadow puppets, which was pretty ingenious if the timing was right. You can see my performance of ‘Giant’s Tale’ in the photos. I built that bodice to hold the sticks, three this time, one in the back and two in the front. And I used a plastic hula-hoop in the lower hem which I could remove when not performing. The peplums of the bodice were also pockets that I could put the puppets in. At the time, I was using poster board cutouts of the characters I needed. They worked beautifully. When it was dark outside I had a book light that I could clip to the front of my bodice and make the shadows with that. I do not have any photos of this, but I called it Biffy-side Theater. In our group a biffy is a port-a-potty. If you can’t draw a crowd, go where one already is. I also had very loud people read my scripts as I performed. It was lovely.
Possibly unrelated, I was awarded my Kingdom's Grant level arts and sciences award at the event shown below.