Rod Puppet Playtime in London

Today was the first day of the 2-day 'Rod Puppet Playtime' workshop in London. For this course we have adapted two special types of rod puppet techniques from Japan. One type needs three operators per puppet (Ningyo Joruri), the other called Otome is operated by one person, with the head of the puppet attached by string to the head of the puppeteer. Otome was once the only type of puppetry allowed for Japanese women to perform and was first introduced to the UK by ex-LSP student Yuki Muramatsu.

Here are some photos taken during the workshop:

Warming up with balloons in the air

An exercise using sails. We explored various movements (and stillnesses) while working on being disciplined as an operator (and enjoying ourselves too!)


Playing with Otome-style puppets. The puppets were attached to a strip of cloth tied around each puppeteer (which we have called the 'obi'). There are also two strings that connect the puppet's head to the operator's head, so that the movements of the puppeteer are mirrored in the puppet. Some of the puppets also had additional feet and hands.

Making masks for our Otome puppets

Working in small groups to create short sequences. It was interesting to explore the breathing of the puppets as well as creating personalities for each character (while maintaining the balance of performing in a group).

Performing a simple nursery rhyme and incorporating actions and pauses.