#AMAZING PUPPETRY PROFESSIONAL#

There are modern puppet shows of several types that you can see in cities around China. Nowadays, glove puppet plays are popular in Taiwan. There were miniature palace courtyards with richly decorated buildings that for example had carved rafters and golden roofs. In contrast to shadow plays that were staged even in rough Mongol encampments or poor primitive villages, the stages for glove-puppet theater were often finely crafted. These were also popular in China since ancient times. Glove puppets are still a common toy there.

Glove-type puppets like the 'Muppets' are quite familiar in the West. Read more about Shadow Puppet Theater in China> Glove-type Puppet Shows These were ancient dramas or cartoons, and they were even colorized for added entertainment by using colored translucent figurines.

With added music and sound effects, the performances could be quite entertaining if they were well executed. The lamp illuminated the screen from behind, and people could move little figurines around for theatrical performances. Things like people, animals, furniture, pagodas, walls and plants were shown on the screen by placing figurines or figures made of cardboard or leather in front of the lamp. Simple to perform, dramas were played out on screens or walls for thousands of years to entertain and instruct, and shadow theater is still performed in China.Ī simple lamp and a thin screen was all that was needed for a stage. Shadow shows were once a popular form of entertainment, and they were also used for religious and instructional purposes. Shadow Puppet TheaterĪt a time when there was no flat-screen TV, people entertained themselves in the evening with shadow puppet theater. Rod puppetry is still a little popular in China. The hand rods may be attached to the performer’s wrists or elbows. The head of the puppet is usually hollow and is carved from wood, and the performers can move the eyes and mouth. One rod is attached to the puppet’s head. Performers used to wear special traditional theatric robes with big sleeves so that the rods were somewhat hidden, but modern performers tend to let their hands and rods show. The puppets may be small or even life-size. Rod PuppetryĬhinese rod puppets are puppets that are manipulated by three rods as shown in the picture. Marionette performances or other types of puppet theater were often outside of temples or shrines and used for instruction of religion. There were religious aspects to Chinese marionette plays, and there might still be to some extent. In the West, the audiences usually expect the performers to be hidden. Chinese marionette plays are mostly performed in the open air without a curtain to conceal the puppeteers, unlike the common practice in the West, and spectators can see both the performances and the performers from the three sides of the stage. Marionettes were usually carved from pieces of wood, and the assembled parts are hung on strings. Marionettes on strings or wire like the old time Pinocchio or as in the picture to the right were once popular in the China before the advent of motion pictures. Four Forms of Chinese Puppet Theater Marionette Theater The Chinese puppet theaters come in four forms: marionettes on strings or wires, rod puppets, shadow plays, and hand manipulated glove-type puppets. There were several forms of puppet theater in China.

#AMAZING PUPPETRY PROFESSIONAL#

AxTrax puppet and professional ventriloquist routinesĪxtell Expressions Puppets is always innovating and pushing the envelope with cutting edge technology too.Puppet performances of various types were popular in China.

We’ve also created original magic tricks and comedy props:

and many more stage puppets and professional ventriloquist figures!.

“The Amazing Apes” Puppets, Ostrich Puppet,.“ Youcan Toucan Puppet“, “ Ed Nerd“, Koo-ee Koala Puppet”.“ Vern the Bird” – used with the very popular magic prop bird arm illusion!.“The P-P-Platypus Puppet” used in Edutainment.“The Old Storyteller Puppet” – a very popular ventriloquist figure!.We have over 100 puppet characters including: Our puppets are built from a variety of specialized materials such as: This website is a huge puppet-related web resource!

Steve Axtell and his team have been building custom puppets and animatronics for years.

Amazing puppetry