We spoke to our fantastic puppeteering friend, Alicia of Wondering Hands about their new show ‘Sex and Puppets’ which we’re showing on Sunday 13 alongside a story telling workshop with StorySlam Bristol. Details here!
What’s Wondering Hands all about?
Wondering Hands is about taking big issues and talking about them with puppets. We’re really interested in puppetry for adults and young adults, engaging communities and generally messing about with all kinds of puppets!
How did ‘Sex and Puppets’ come about, and have you did you end up making singing vaginas?
When I had the idea for the show I was messing about with writing sex for stage in a way that wasn’t voyeuristic or pornographic or just plain awkward. I think with actors there are distractions because fleshy bodies, egos and identity all get in the way. With puppets you can remove all of that, ranging from having life-like puppets to household objects and anything in between. It lets the audience fill in with their own imagination. It similar to how you might see sex portrayed in dance. Also – there’s just generally less bodily fluids too.
Sex and Puppets is ‘verbatim’ (created from true stories), can you tell us about what that’s meant for the show?
‘Sex and Puppets’ is a cabaret mixed of all different true stories donated anonymously online via our surveys. The surveys are an experience in themselves designed to make people laugh but also think about themselves and their own experiences. We then take these stories into the rehearsal room, design a puppet to tell the story, sometimes without words at all.
We genuinely have no idea who is who. When our friends tell us they’ve taken it, we’re always surprised! I think the stories become separate to the writer when they hit the send button. And then even more so when we create a puppet character to tell that story. We often play with the gender, age and identity of the storyteller to see how it changes.
What do you think puppetry brings to storytelling?
When it comes to storytelling, the puppets allow you to speak honestly, and sometimes with rather sensitive subjects, but with the attention away from you. It removes the pressure from you as you direct focus onto the puppet, the audience only sees them. Your story becomes the puppet’s story.
You can try many different types of puppet and see how each one tells the story in a different way, depending on the audience’s familiarity with it!
We have so many different types of puppets in the show from furry monsters and aliens, feather boas, cuddly toys, balls, socks. It really is a toy boy to jump into and see what happens.
Meet The Puppets
Fuzz
“We’re puppets! We can do anything!”
Colour: Fuchsia, fuzzy and proud.
Height: 50cm
Type: Teenager
Usually found: In bed, under the covers.
Tweak
“What’s Sex??”
Colour: Lime green.
Height: 45cm but 55cm including antenna.
Type: Alien
Usually found: Space ship, orbiting Earth
Lady Glitteris, Venus Vajazzle, Vera Vajazzle
Lady Glitteris: “Get outa’ my spotlight.”
Venus Vajazzle: “Read my lips, baby.”
Vera Vajazzle: “Hands off my pussy.”
Colour: Sequins, unicorns and sparkles.
Height: 20cm on average
Type: Vulva
Usually found: Backstage after a gig, with fizzy wine and a cigarette.
Cum see the puppets on Sunday! —> Facebook Event