Puppet History

No one knows where puppetry first began though most scholars seem to agree puppetry as an art form
started in China with the introduction of the shadow puppet. However, that is only one particular kind of puppet
and one kind of puppetry. Puppetry to me, seems to have existed in many other countries, in many other art forms,
long before the formal introduction of the shadow puppet and shadow theater in China.

 

Puppets have peopled this world since man first began trying to influence, explain, train and entertain the human race! The first puppeteers were teachers instructing their people, religiously and culturally through ceremonies of song, dance and prayer. Their goal was to keep their culture alive, their people informed and their heritage in tact!
It was not until later, storytelling became the heart of their art and the puppeteer emerged as a storyteller.

As people moved from place to place, for one reason or another, conquest, flight or exploration, puppeteers mirrored the changing cultural, social and political landscapes. Traveling, the globe, like roving reporters bringing the news of the many to the few, and the opinions of the few to the many, puppeteers recognized the need to attract and engage their audience.
 

It was then they learned the true power of "The Puppet" as a spokesperson and communicator.

In a world then separated by distance and suspicion, speaking on all aspects of the human condition,
sharing their view of it all, puppeteers helped shape and reflect public opinion for Puppetry served both the rich and poor equally! Informing it's ever eager yet, expanding and changing audience on universal themes, the puppeteer worked his magic and perfected his art.

Puppet Theater for this reason, became an influential force in the world of old reflecting the times,
morally, spiritually and historically. For no longer was the puppeteer, just a teacher, he had become an entertainer as well.

Much came from this change, as the rich Tapestry of Puppetry, was woven through the ages
and encircled the globe. Courting smiles and laughter, through the confines of the plays he performed,
expressing and impressing, the puppeteer evolved!  Adding new depth to self expression,
and refining the medium of mass communication, Such was the Art of the Puppet and its Puppeteers!

Today, puppetry remains universal in its appeal though it has lost much of it's power  as a means of human communication. Now, television, radio, film and even the internet are more powerful mediums in this exchange.  Still, the Art of the Puppet will endure and continue to be embraced,  for it is after all, what makes us all puppets akin under the skin!  Puppet's will continue to exist,  as long as their are puppeteers to breath life into them.

Yes, my friends, puppets and their puppeteers  do indeed cast their spells!  Such is the magic of the Puppet, his Art and his Theater!