Prep School: Fantasque

The narrative of Fantasque has its origins in a collage of stories and myths. Bertha the Broadfoot (aka Perchta the Goosefoot aka Mother Goose) is both a historical figure and a goddess of Norse Mythology.

The Hard Facts of the Grimms’ Fairy Tales lays out the basics of Bertha (106-108).

Heroes and Heroines of Fiction dives into the false Mother Goose from Boston, and how a French Queen became a German goddess (126-128).

Bonus: an account of a Bertha ghost-sighting in a German castle from 1889 (572-575).

But Bertha wasn’t the only source material for Fantasque. Dance Heginbotham cites inspiration from the Ballet Russes’ 1919 production of La Boutique Fantasque (The Fantastic Toyshop). Written by Ottorino Respighi and based on piano pieces by Gioachino Rossini, the orchestrations were adapted for this production.

Puppets are no strangers to sharing the stage with human dancers and actors. Mythbusters‘ Adam Savage goes backstage with Broadway’s The Lion King to get up close and personal with the puppets, and meet the full-time staff charged with their care and upkeep.

The National Theatre gives a step-by-step tutorial on how to make and move your own life-size person puppet, with simple materials (no motors here, unlike The Lion King!).

While The Lion King‘s director and designer Julie Taymor favors more elaborate, mechanized puppets, Trompetter champions DIY, eco-friendly puppet-making, and emphasizes community engagement in and through her puppets, via in-studio performances and political parades. While her creations are expertly made, they come from humble materials, as she describes on the Redwing Blackbird Theatre website:

If we are to continue our existence on the earth, then the harmony with nature is going to need to find a way to lead humanity… Our materials cost practically nothing. We make puppets and sets from clay dug from the earth, glue made from cornstarch and paper and cardboard found in the recycling bin.

Following Trompetter’s ethos: Materials for the Arts is a non-profit arts organization that works to keep reusable materials out of landfills, and to provide resources to underserved arts organizations and educational programs in NYC. Their warehouse is a wonderland of potential, with shelf after shelf of stuff that can be reimagined in endless ways: fabric, beads, furniture, unpredictable surprises, and office supplies of every stripe. What kind of magic could be made from hundreds of 3-ring binders? Get inspired with their simple puppet tutorial plus examples of larger-scale puppets made with their materials. (Do you have odds and ends in your home or office that you don’t know what to do with? Make a donation!)

Feeling fancier? Scientists love puppets too. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is currently searching for a $10,000-or-less triceratops puppet, for use in their education programs. Apply now!

Another origin story from Plato, by way of Hedwig and the Angry Inch — no puppets here, but this film adaptation of what was originally an off-Broadway musical uses animation to bring mythology to life.