Puppets and Performing Objects: a Practical Guide

This fascinating study reveals a world where a suitcase can comment on politics and a marionette can play Faust. It answers the question of why directors, writers, and producers use puppets and objects, investigating their different styles of performance, the distinction between props and performing objects, and how actors learn to animate. Ideal for anyone participating in or directing productions involving puppets or inanimate objects, this book paints a vivid picture of one of the most entertaining forms of theater.

Tina Bicât’s work with theater, film, television, and carnivals includes productions with casts of hundreds, one-man shows, puppets, transformations, tricks, and special effects as well as more traditional costume designing and making. Her previous books include Devised and Collaborative Theatre: A Practical Guide and Handbook of Stage Costume.