Puppetry

The use of puppetry in theatre spans many centuries, many artistic movements, and many countries. Across the globe puppetry has been a vital form of expression, ritual, and celebration for centuries. The Ancient Egyptians are believed to have used wire-controlled puppets in religious dramas, while the earliest written records of puppets were found in the writings of Ancient Greek historians, Xenophon and Herodotus. This guide looks at some examples of the diverse popularity of puppet theatre.

Terminology

• Bunraku: a form of puppet theatre developed in Osaka, Japan in the seventeenth century.
• Kathputli: a string puppet theatre, native to Rajasthan, India.
• Mahābhārata: an ancient Sanskrit epic.
• Marionette: a puppet worked by strings.
• Sanskrit: an ancient Indo-European language of India.
• Shadow puppetry: an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment, in which shadows of puppets or flat figures are projected onto a lighted screen.
• Ventriloquism: the art of producing vocal sounds that appear to come from another source.

Key Dates & Events

• 618 - 907 - The timeframe of the Tang dynasty in China
• 1796 - 1800 - Puppet theatre forbidden in China
• 960 - 1279 - The timeframe of the Song dynasty in China
• 1984 - Opening of the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka, Japan
• 1998 - The Lion King won 6 Tony Awards, including Best Costume Design
• 2004 - Avenue Q won the Tony Award for Best Musical