NEWTOWN ITALIAN SENIOR CITIZEN CENTER SHADOW PUPPET STORYTELLING WORKSHOP Friday May 26, 2023

 NEWTOWN ITALIAN SENIOR CITIZEN CENTER

SHADOW PUPPET STORYTELLING WORKSHOP

Friday May 26, 2023


Our class continues to attract more students and today was no exception, with a new member who decided to watch while participants rehearsed their shadow puppet story and offered insightful advice and asked interesting questions, which helped focus the story telling. 

Spica met with Rita before class to go over with her the order of presentation of her puppets. This is an example of the dedication and enthusiasm of our participants. She decided to add color to the top of each pot of food, to help distinguish the rice from the vegetables, and the chicken from the pork. Her husband, Paul, has made all his shadow puppets and has a very clear idea of the order of presentation as well as the sound effects needed to enhance his story. 

Once all rehearsals were complete, students had the opportunity to finish the final touches to their puppets or make the ones that were missing and necessary to help tell their story. Rona added yellow cellophane to the windows of her church creating a stained-glass effect. Nerissa made her title card, My Travels, with help from her granddaughter, while Hilda made a Hong Kong junk and added blue cellophane to create a water effect. Beatriz, whose first class was last week, has made excellent progress, cutting out her watering can and adding blue cellophane for the water inside and making 2 symmetrical flowers with green leaves and colorful central stamens. Nidia added tiny scraps of color to the windows of her New York skyline creating the twinkling lights of night. Her longtime colleague, Josephine, helped her rehearse, offering suggestions and handing off puppets. What a great friend! Chui Fong made another large bitter squash, which she will present using her hand.

There was a constant buzz of excitement in the class as each student checked their puppets, experimenting with the most effective way to manipulate them behind their shadow screen. With only one week left before the Public Celebration at Flushing Town Hall, everyone is keen to rehearse their shadow storytelling.

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