Popular Puppet Theatre in Europe, 1800–1914

The first comparative study in English of all aspects of puppetry in nineteenth-century Europe.

John McCormick (Author), Bennie Pratasik (Author)

9780521616157, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 4 August 2005

268 pages, 65 b/w illus.
24.6 x 18.9 x 1.4 cm, 0.477 kg

'Not only have McCormick and Pratasik uncovered a wealth of information about the development of European puppetry, but the connections they make between the different strands of puppetry are at times fascinating.' Lowdown

Banned, marginalised, tolerated or neglected, puppets were a major form of entertainment of the subordinate classes in the nineteenth century. Showmen travelled from one end of Europe to the other bringing everything from biblical plays to melodramas and variety to audiences who experienced them as their only form of dramatic entertainment. The first study of its kind in English, Popular Puppet Theatre in Europe is less a history than a comparative study, highlighting a significant aspect of social and cultural history from a national and transnational perspective. It examines the showmen, their audiences, the performance context, and the technical and practical aspects of the puppets and their stages.

Introduction
Part I. The Context: 1. Showpeople
2. The performance context
3. Audiences
Part II. Puppet Actors and Their Stages: 4. The stage and the wings
5. Puppet actors I - the characters
6. Puppet actors II - the figures
7. Puppet actors in performance
Part III. Repertoire: 8. The traditional repertoire
9. The establishment of new repertoires
10. Contemporary plays and popular fiction
Epilogue
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Puppetry, miniature & toy theatre [ASZM]