The Orlando Puppet Festival

When people think of puppets, there is an automatic memory of childhood to a wondrous time when imagination and reality were one in the same. The animated character brought to life by a puppeteer was real, not a lifeless object. The magic of puppets are not just a childhood pastime, but a serious art form for both the professional and amateur puppeteer, young and old alike.

Many puppets are two and three dimensional, and are used in film, though not as much as the professional puppet artist or enthusiast would like to see. A current example is the movie The Water Horse. Puppets were used in this film to guide the actors and in general, mainly as a prop later filled in by animation, but the effect of the puppet is standout. There are also some seriously regarded niche films made with scripts, themes and drama acted out by puppets and their puppeteer counterparts.

Various puppet films are considered true art, for the simple puppet, no matter how elaborate, must convey to the audience varied emotions and messages that the best of actors could find difficult to project at times. In this sense, the puppeteer must be skilled enough to bring his or her puppet to life, and this is where the art factor of puppetry comes into play, aside from the visual.

The annual Orlando Puppet Festival, which takes place three days in October, is gaining in popularity. Though the festival is not as famous as the puppet festivals of Europe, 2008 will mark the fourth year of the festival, and it is thriving. The City of Orlando Puppet Troupe, and various professional and non-professional puppet artisans who create, perform and rejoice in all things puppetry attend the festival.

Part of the festival includes film exhibits by gifted artists, The City of Orlando Puppet Troupe, film-makers, puppet builders and amateurs acting out the art of puppetry on stage. Puppetry is easy for the beginner, for it can be an affordable art form, something as simple as a sock with black magic marker eyes can come to life with someone's imagination. So in a sense, puppetry is not just child's fare. A puppet comes to life to convey present various emotions, from joy, sorrow, happiness and pain. This is a most precise art, where the adult imagination based in real emotion creates the illusion of magic, if only for a little while.

There are ongoing shows throughout 2008 at the Mad Cow Theatre in Orlando. To check out the show schedule, gallery and festival information, visit the website: www.orlandopuppetfestival.com. Here you will find links to the Gallery at Avalon Island, a link to the Mad Cow Theatre, and Heritage Park at the Orlando Regional History Center. Along with the gallery, all venues are conveniently located in Orlando.