|
Arts in Education Grant—Spring 2012 McDougle Elementary School PTA
<br /> Ford is bout as irumvator in pupperry a loft aril a master story- "1`lte puppet rharacrets ecvc;al Baer—schras as I 1--gin to plyv%6th
<br /> ruer. He is tar:rrratar Of framiei'pupfyers--iatle a::in J pup- dtemu.o+ee what incv can do,'saps lrrd."I'liq are like wu-iml
<br /> pCis caned iisam!ducks of foam—as well'm dent.,liaud puppets 'MAZL.nct-t$with inherent ix:sszbi itics,,As I think about the rhar-
<br /> known as**Pm1wt,,")it niLws pupa's o;Ulf sites.thawing f-nm actsv vrh k Far vine; eht uupfxt, -he ^shetgpcs corne rhrrt i#.
<br /> vsrous c At mr.i azuur d*.hc world-nd f:urn dcc drip Weil of ft, liven w!:cn i i awc,rirxi vut antiane puptxets,l I2cl scmerme.,ws h
<br /> own artistic imagination. certain±v thy, the orif ir,;i puppeteer Faust have enmtr to ncC sat`t.-
<br /> If Ford—rc6irirnt of thrcr,)icu;Ieuson Foundation l,cints slid in5?iraci4utl I get as 1 manipulate.glair,.1'hcti just secol to hap:a
<br /> winner of puppe-rp's h-,hc,t hu;ior, fx cocacd I NIM A Citation of lifer of;heir own in sour ways."
<br /> Fxt�Lcn - can be cowArrcil a m:snt.it is oril-,in dte same i chive As dre cl uact,°rs (if his puppets het,rnr a;rin acct—and the
<br /> way that we ought dcszi}x Caa.-lit Oaniin,Ot.uw i.uerlle a.Khctr cconnects tv rkc universal emotions and iulayi iarive Accts
<br /> cnnvMT11 by the rmrmsncr__
<br /> I have never had another st w erg imclops. the pt:ia_
<br /> pcttxr and the atzdien hap..ii to
<br /> career. I started doing e)vc life to the sand rc Etim
<br /> Anat,puppets and never rne!suc happtrs. Fo"d recalls
<br /> one Stich exixtience that!x wig
<br /> " nca-sed a an s audience member:
<br /> stopped. ""rhea was a show 1 .ow ay a
<br /> g� d Spapis«h puppet troupe where at
<br /> —H obey '(}1"[t. pL1�Jpereer dle cod of the play I suddenly
<br /> IL 161t like I was riling to cry.it jusr
<br /> _ tame our of nuwhcm•The Shaw
<br /> Ball or Miles Davis as"m nuts." IYrrd i:: -,ctuaAcably original anti, .+t-as good,but i didta't understand ray nusuon.
<br /> ttdicshingly antitnttu anise whose par lent iaavper_< m exp ea iryelf "TDen t looked amtand etad the whole audienccvras tz�pinpa t s,
<br /> besr rhnaup h slat:tadacr umasua`.ant ewtcr:c medium of inippc'-rv. Everyone was its a revcric or sorm.it was like a rnyuical space enrv-
<br /> 'lli n nigh intricate charm raphy and tFe rrcation, -brig nal pup. one fell into.The puppereers were sonirwhat amxrnl to well,for this
<br /> pets,Lord has earnest an internationalFriwwionmadtransformed hadncrcrhapfacnedtotitembefwaaorsixscc,I later;'ound our-Itwas
<br /> Otis personal passion into a succacshti carter.He performs on;rages a ntaagital;harem that happmed through the urcerhsity of tverycsrte
<br /> throughout fire world and me laps a vnr ctv ut"puppetry styies,indud- c.-wr8y at the show:We all created it together;if you%%iV
<br /> ing Bunntkui avd,tnarionetn- "?'Cram cs" and shadow puppetry. Seci ng pxhwer(ol puppet dx-A m piccos performed by others in�;pincs
<br /> Ford adepts folk talcs from various adtures for many of his pecfornr Tord to raise the Isar for himself;in an artistic coneusior belt coutin-
<br /> anct°s,.always adding a,vial`tr 4tn lied' twisr(Gokica Red ually rvolves in order to allow him to product his lout wasuk,But the
<br /> Pupl=is the narne of F)ol's company).He uses his own voice to maser pUPpxttccr is quick to reedit audience members fur thcirvital
<br /> treater dwraccrers and word c1ects,tell srnric,and sing. rs into e.energy and inpu in dhc Creative pna:eAx---a penctss!hat is
<br /> Fnrds newt i prtxlut titan, inimalia,twAures dhe magical world of *ate y dependent upon imaginative cuopelasiun with others.
<br /> animals.In a thcrfortoanct and:Gro torial style rnat rurinpuls w.rnic of "'Th:mlatmoship with the p uiVer mid puppetect is nor com-
<br /> the wi ally popular Broadwa) his Cues.Ford al"-s h..imppeu to p ore without the sudience."says Ftxd.And that make,:tedacatsal
<br /> utilize the entire tltcarre s}m cc as a stage Te ma"lk d-e.AnimrGa puf> pretty hard.because the audience reaction is so key to the licifutw-
<br /> pets,rrord first did a tnref it shady of each pariicusar animals thistle. ante:.It is cspccialpy so with puppets.The imaginwimu of the pup-
<br /> ttaistic movcmtrts, lit thch designed varinw coutxol mechanisms fitted, the audience and the inherent archetypal's'cW of the
<br /> to make the ptippeu move in a At-like mamit:r.A member of the cliarartcr all meet in the pupper.The pappctcer must stay right
<br /> ilsheville Puppetry AlUnce,Ashrvitk!'tppeay org,Ford will pen- with the pkm Automatic pilot just doesn't work.'l'he pupil ewer
<br /> form iniriu:lia liov 24,2lllre,at Diana W*rtharr Theatte in tkmn- performanix miglat not be perks ever}time,bill if tbry:ire prt:a-
<br /> town Ashcvil'e,N.t: Laird also performs family cinwcrts in schnols cut its the trhoment,reacting us tlrc character and she audience,the
<br /> and provides teacher workshuLn in puppetry in,conjunction with final tcsult will be more dynamic."
<br /> the Kennedy Center's Euv acrship in'r'.dncasivu program. (surd also adds a teamsxaaatary on the state ofconremporary edu-
<br /> Nis intermt,in puppets began in college,when as an art sruderu uadon and the arts."We live on a planet Char!s a living work of
<br /> Ford sou&t a unique form of xxpress.ozn LLat could incurporatc art."says Ford.'Stripping our stltt oh of the arts to spend,norc
<br /> and expica a variety of crewivc intcrosts..As sown a,`,got stored time cr:an'rmialt for more ante more tests is low-grade thinking avid
<br /> in puppcuy,I knew I itad.hoscu correctly.`he says."I have never leantiaa.It lacks educational nutrition.The!etaons won't suck b%
<br /> hall another career.I started going ianpt r-t :ar,:I never stOpp,-d." the brain.An education rich in the a;r;requires z 6rcwt kinc n'
<br /> Loud shame rxcz ptiunaf insight into the art of puppetry by learning expetirrarr:that wi''_1 last a liferimc,"Ford Ix:licvcs.
<br /> c*iining that his puppets have pritoutdi_ia and harzctxt.t that His audiencxs tend to agree overwhelnting,.y.I I'
<br /> disclose themselves to him in ways drat arc of-,:v s:;rpri;ing wad
<br /> alwac,inspirational. .'?^t,,{°7 t, :!1'JeW!41R:6 ARP"t'il'it .J„r t e.:3 5.1,40+.
<br /> `J MARIZJEE-t;r.lrys n'G£CEnIa-4 'J0•.
<br /> Page 17 of 22
<br />
|