About Puppetry

Introduction
In North Carolina

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Introduction

Although puppetry is often thought of as a type of theater, mainly for children, some argue that the art of puppetry was actually the first theater; that puppets and masks were dramatic characters before human actors ever performed roles.

In some times and places, puppet performances have featured heavily in religious observations, particularly nativities; in others, churches have strongly opposed them and governments have outlawed them.

The most familiar puppet character, Punch, is the English adaptation of a character type--a folk hero--that has existed for at least 2,000 years. This "hero of the lower classes" was frowned upon in 17th century England and banned in 18th century France for his tendency towards social critique and political commentary.

Radical puppetry is most well-known in the United States through the work of Peter Schumann, who led rent strikes in Manhattan in the 1960s. He and others went on to protest the Vietnam War and to form a company called Bread and Puppet Theater. Performances were always free, and included the distribution of free bread.

Inspired by Schumann's work, Judith Toy has constructed larger-than-life puppets for many years. Since moving to Black Mountain with her husband, Phillip Toy, she has sought to bring radical puppetry to children as a message of peace.

Toy performed a new story, The Day the Sun Fell Out of the Sky, at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts on March 17. This story, like all Toy's performances, incorporates audience participation so that everyone present is a part of the performance, not merely a spectator.