HSC Bensonhurst Senior Center Puppet Project Blog 11 10/21/2021

 

HSC Bensonhurst Senior Center

Puppet Project

Blog 11 10/21/2021

The day has arrived when we can do some performing with our puppets! Don Lee quietly joined our class and added his support and encouragement to our seniors’ enthusiastic show. We used the human puppet as a glove puppet and the animal puppet as a rod puppet.

However, we first needed to warm up our voices with breathing, pitch, and voice exercises. Then we shared the terrific costumes the students made for their human puppet. Some of our ladies said they didn’t know how to sew but learnt in our classes. Well, they certainly picked up the skill quickly, judging by the outstanding clothes they made for their puppets. 

Sook Fong’s lady puppet has blue drop earrings and two sets of clothes. One vest is trimmed with lace and the other with pink piping. Pun made two human puppets a male and a female. The woman has a pink hat, while the man sports an elegant silver bow tie. Ru Ping made a red vest with matching red buttons and added a blue bonnet tied with a yellow ribbon. Jing Wei sewed bright hearts onto the vest she made for her puppet and added colorful buttons. Stella’s puppet has a blue striped vest and wears a red hat tied with orange ribbon. Lao Yu created a character for her male puppet, a traveler who explores far and wide. He has a long blue vest and matching turban and carries his passport in a pink shoulder bag. So Sim delicately created buttonholes for the buttons on the vest she made for her puppet. She also created a change of clothes, adding orange crocheted ties to her lace ensemble. Hui Fen’s puppet has earrings, and she trimmed the vest with leftover material from the puppet’s costume.

Students used their sketchbook to record their puppet’s character, including its name, age, sex, interests, and job. We asked them to find an object their puppet might use. Spica and I demonstrated with our own puppets first. They set their sketchbook up as a “stage” and we practiced entrances, action and exits with them. They explored how to move their puppet to show how it was feeling, sad, happy, scared, and angry and then practiced voicing expressions in these different emotions. After rehearsal it was SHOW TIME!

Spica and I modeled an interview and then she interviewed each puppet. Pun’s puppet was Jill (and her boyfriend Jack) and although she’s 70 she looks much younger! She maintains her good looks through her writing and naturally holds a pen. Ru Ping modeled her puppet on her one life experience working in the Post Office. She made a stamp, which her puppet held. Stella’s puppet likes to sing. She improvised a microphone with the rod from her puppet. Theodore was most impressed with grandma! Hui Fen’s puppet is called Charlotte and she’s 1 year old. She likes to pick up garbage when she’s in the park and pop it in her mouth. Her grandmother, Hui Fen, is constantly on guard to prevent this. Jing Wei’s puppet held a map to indicate she likes traveling and collecting souvenirs. She enjoys Europe best because of the beautiful and varied scenery. So Sim’s puppet is “No Name”, a little girl who loves to play with her ball in the park. She held a small green ball of crocheted wool. Lao Yu’s puppet loves to give children candy for Halloween. Unfortunately, Sook Fong had some technical difficulties, so we didn’t get the chance to interview her puppet. 

For their next performance they used their animal puppet. Spica demonstrated how to move your rod puppet to express emotion. We also reviewed the importance of establishing a clear entrance, an action, and an exit. Each senior was spotlighted, voicing their animal puppet as they presented its action. It was thrilling to see how confident they have become in delivery, how adept at manipulation and how creative they are at improvising. 

Next week we begin a new project. Thank you to Hong, Chip, Fanny and Winnie at Bensonhurst Senior Center for organizing the collection of the materials. Let the excitement, fun and creativity continue!