Before launching into it, to make things easy I’m putting everything in one post: you can find a summary of the show ratings (below) here, including a few thoughts on the shows themselves; a summary of the festival highlights (below) here; return to the itinerary to see that I’ve updated it with links to each day’s diary post and show reviews, so they’re all easy to find and read according to your particular fancy.

Also, forgive the length. I thought that I would have very little to say - or at least I had very little on my mind when thinking about the trip in general - but once I sat down I found I had heaps of things to say.

Overall thoughts on the trip

Over the past few days I’ve been thinking about the benefits of going to the festival; and find myself struggling to answer it. My expectations of the event were so different than what I got that I’m actually disappointed. The workshops were honestly not worth travelling so far to attend - although informative, it’s nothing I couldn’t have gotten from websites online or books ordered from Amazon. And though I could say that being around other puppeteers is itself encouraging and reinvigorating, I spent so little time actually making acquaintances with anyone (staceyrebecca not included) that I find that too wasn’t as good as I’d hoped.

One could be tempted by those statements to think that I’m writing off the whole trip, but I’m not. At the very least, I got to prove to myself that travelling - no matter how difficult emotionally - is possible, and that my newfound ideas of how to mitigate the panic attacks is not only on the right track, but repeatable. Most of all, there were even some new things that I’ve discovered which will help improve things for ‘next time’ (every time I return after travelling, I think "never again"). 

I recently filled out the festival survey, and found myself making a lot of criticisms of the event. Most were small things - better signage for instance - but I think it’s mostly due to making the comparisons between the NPF and UNIMA 2008 (the latter site is no longer available, visit the blog page of my site for the diary posts from that experience). In many ways they are incomparable. Because of my scholarship from UNIMA Australia though, I must not only think about, but write about, what I gained and experienced at the NPF. 

Did I learn anything fantastically new or something that opened my eyes to new techniques, ideas, or ways of using puppetry? For the most part, no. I did have my eyes opened for some fantastic shadow puppetry - see Danny the Diver - but as mentioned above, nothing really pushed the boundaries of puppetry. Perhaps this is due to the nature of the shows presented, which were of often random quality. But I really expected the workshops to teach me something, especially to allow me to have hands-on experience building. I specifically chose workshops where my knowledge of the subject was minimal at best, or for the shadow puppets, where my knowledge could use some refinement. I found myself unchallenged, and in learning, isn’t that exactly what is needed to gain anything of value?

Of what then, happened in my mind? I discovered a way forward in writing a script for puppetry which I’ve been brainstorming. Although my word working workshop (ech, alliteration and a repeat of ‘work’) provided impetus for the move forward, I’m not 100% sure that it occured because of what we learned in the class, or simply from activity naturally improving creativity (the more active puppetry I do, the more likely I am at being creative in general. The more I sit on my ass, the less creative I am). Likewise I discovered a new way of attaching rods to my shadow puppets; but this occured on the second night of the festival - before I attended the shadow puppet workshops - and again, not related to anything from the NPF itself. 

So did nothing really inspire me? Did I really get zero out of this whole experience? The obvious answer is yes. But it got me thinking: I’ve been doing puppetry now for about 7 years, and only really been taking it seriously for the last year and a half. Over the last year, I’ve taught myself a considerable amount in terms of shadow puppetry and what I can do with it. In fact, just finding my niche in shadow puppetry is new in itself, and only occured thanks to my visit to UNIMA  2008. Perhaps I was expecting too much from NPF; that my learning has come so far over this time that I need/needed more than what I got from the ‘beginners’ workshops at the NPF. I feel somewhat annoyed, especially in regards to one thing: I received a scholarship from UNIMA Aus. to go, and the majority of the reason I applied was because I wanted to learn more in a place/setting that wasn’t available here in Australia. I actually almost feel as though I let down the people behind, and premise, of the whole scholarship. I hope that those who made the judgement call don’t feel as though it was wasted, particularly in light of the following…

But also, I find that something else unexpected happened. Although nothing really made me want to change my plans for my business - in fact, in some ways it solidifed them further - I did do one thing. I missed my friends, and fellow company members, Jeany and Susan. We’d been talking on and off for years on making a new show, doing this, doing that, but with work and other commitments (and lack of money or ideas), we never seem to get around to it. I really love working with them, and miss doing so quite a lot. I knew all of this before I left, but at the festival, seeing so many people actually making shows, as well as celebrating each other’s work, it made the feeling a lot stronger. So I’ve resolved to try and resurrect Sticky Apple Legs from its lethargy; Jeany and I have already been thinking on similar lines for a new project, which would also coincide with some personal plans for Puppets in Melbourne… so maybe by the end of the year we can have something put together. 

Before I leave you with the highlights and show ratings, I thought it would be a good idea to also have a side-by-side comparison between NPF and UNIMA 2008 (see table below, I go on a bit of a sidetrack in the following paragraphs). I will add that these things I think are interesting: as mentioned previously, NPF is predominantly by puppeteers, for puppeteers, whereas UNIMA 2008 was more by puppeteers for the public. As such, I think it’s good that included in the registration fee to NPF is all entrance costs to see shows; and that even if the quality of the shows weren’t great, that it’s also good to have everyone attending the festival go to see all the shows (instead of picking and choosing like at UNIMA 2008, where I missed a lot of good stuff because of time and money). However, I think that the quality and quantity of workshops available at NPF were reduced because of the overprogramming of shows (3 hours total per day of workshops, vs about 6 hours total per day of shows). 

Finally, I would add one more thing: I wish Australian puppetry was a little bit more community-minded. In the US, there are state and city ‘guilds’, where small local groups of puppeteers come together to support each other, see other people’s work and share information. This is on top of having UNIMA USA and the umbrella organisation, Puppeteers of America. Attending NPF, it was clear that many, if not most, of the attendees had friends, colleagues and workmates also in attendance; and that this biennial festival is predominantly a time to catch up and make connections. Although Australia has the UNIMA Aus branch to rely on, our community is so small and sparse, that it’s difficult to be in contact with others; further to that, I would suggest that UNIMA Aus is underused, and that the community here is less willing or able to spend the time meeting up. We also have no guilds, and though I’m tempted to set one up in Melbourne, I know that it would fail miserably - and quickly - for the exact same reason UNIMA Aus is underused.

Likewise, any puppetry festivals here are presented for the public only, and classes and workshops are offered likewise. Any opportunity for the Australian community to meet up is limited at best; and it would be wonderful if we could arrange a NPF of our own (only perhaps a little better ). I know that other (younger) puppeteers have commented on the woeful amount of communication between the rest of the industry, but I also know that the (older) puppeteers have been trying for decades to establish our very own centre of puppetry (venue, workshop space, etc.). There is a lot of room to move forward, and I think it is necessary for the younger generations that the Australian puppetry industry gets off its ass and makes some of this happen.

In fact, other than wanting to start producing shows again, this is the single biggest effect of attending the NPF: I’m going to be more active in UNIMA Australia’s activities, including actually attending meetings where possible, and being more vocal as a member of the organisation. I’ve long been an open and vocal advocate of the arts/theatre in Australia - from submitting my thoughts to government inquiries, to writing on important issues (see my letter about VCA) - so it’s about time I get active about puppetry on a more substantiative level. Heck, I started in this direction the very moment I began the Learn Online page and blogged about where to buy puppets in Australia, etc. If there’s not enough info out there about Australian puppetry, then why not write about it? Likewise, if there’s not enough community involvement in Australian puppetry, then why not get involved yourself and help change things? It would be great if my efforts resulted in an Aussie festival of our own, or something more substantial by way of community gatherings.

… Overall, my experience has been mixed. Couple nervousness and stress with a lack of sleep and food; then blend it with a dash of boredom and semi-good shows… And then top it off with some genuine learning and growth, and a rediscovery of certain aspects of my passion for theatre… Well, I’m not sure what that adds up to. 

(I hope I’ve covered all the differences between the two festivals; I’m sure I’ve missed something, but there’s a lot of stuff here and I can’t think of everything right now!)

NPF Highlights

Actual festival highlights:

• Meeting staceyrebecca, and all the other people at the festival
• Seeing Nana Projects’ fantastic shadow puppetry
• Seeing Hobey Ford’s foamie puppets, up close and personal; they’re so unbelievably flexible and lifelike!
• Jim Henson Day, not just being there for the announcement, but for The Little Pirate Mermaid, which was a fantastic set
• And I think the A Puppet Intervention film, word working workshop, and the overall festival experience for reinvigorating my need to actually produce shows, inspiring a few lightbulb moments, and to get more active in UNIMA Aus activities. 

Sightseeing highlights: 

• Going to the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta (more info on Day Two)
• Doing the Segway tour in Atlanta (see Day Nine)
• Watching the Black Holes film in DC (see Day Fourteen)
• … And I think I’ll include the moonlight trolley tour of DC; despite having a panic attack, on reflection, it was really great to see all those famous places and I think if I’d have just eaten properly I would have enjoyed it immensely (see Day Eleven)

NPF Shows

I’m posting here my original ratings; but I do also want to add a comment or two. After leaving the festival, I find my mind returns again and again to a number of the shows, even if they didn’t receive the highest ratings; Danny the Diver is my top favourite, but also in the list is the True Story of the Three Little Pigs (things may have gone wrong, but it was lots of fun); The Dragon King was perfect theatre, but I almost prefer The Little Pirate Mermaid in a weird way… maybe because it pushed the boundaries with their realistic sets. Likewise, those who received highest ratings I’ve not thought about again since seeing them. Indeed, proof that a confusing storyline is a bad idea is in that a few of them I’ve actually even forgotten what they were about! And with Panther & Crane, I really now think they deserve one star, not two (though I’ve left the rating intact to reflect what I thought at the time), as even Cinderella in Muddy York was better than P&C; funnily enough, I’m also tempted to reverse that for Bride - making it a two star instead of one. Looking over the ratings, it’s sad to see the quality all over the place; UNIMA 2008 averages at a 4 star rating (4/5, instead of here which is out of 6), meaning a higher quality of performances overall at UNIMA 2008. Sadly, I was also waiting for my Angel; a show that so completely challenged the concept of what puppetry is that it’s hard to forget. Even Danny the Diver doesn’t near Angel’s repeatable watchability factor - well over a year later, and I’d go to see Angel every day for a week if I could.

	Danny the Diver & Alonzo’s Lullaby The Dragon King (technically unrated, but I’ll stick it here anyway) An Evening with John Tartaglia Poli Degaine (Punchy Draw)
	The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A Wolf  The Day it Snowed Tortillas La Muela del Ray Farfan The Little Pirate Mermaid
	Mallory Lewis and Lamb Chop The Rainbow Bridge and Other Tales Entertaining a Thought
	The Box? A Show of Feelings
	As I Lay Dying  Panther & Crane Cinderella in Muddy York El Hombre Ciguena (The Stork Man)
	Bride Secrets History Remembers

Read yesterday’s post here.

Day Fourteen: Black Holes

(Yes, I’m home now, and yay! But for the purposes of keeping everything less confusing tense-wise, I’ll write this as if it’s happened just today)

So after the cruise to Mount Vernon yesterday I had an early night, packed up and chilled out by watching some TV. After checking out this morning, I took the train down to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It was a short walk from the Archives (and something or other) station, which meant crossing the midsection of the National Mall and looking down towards Capitol Hill in one direction, and the Washington Monument in the other. Very pretty.  (More pics at Flickr)

I timed it well, and arrived at the museum just as they’d opened (even on weekdays they only open at 10am), and managed to beat most of the crowds; but even getting there at 10 meant lots of people. I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of time, as my shuttle was arriving at the B&B to pick me up at about 1pm; so I headed straight to the Albert Einstein Planetarium to buy tickets for my planned activity; a 30 minute filming on black holes. (I’ve been heavily into astronomy of late, and on my trip had been reading Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End . . . by Philip Plait, so black holes was not only fitting, but interesting too) I had some time to kill before the showing - all of 30 minutes - so I rushed through a couple of the exhibits on the second floor of the museum around where the planetarium is. 

The museum is pretty big, and the first thing you see when you enter the doors are a whole bunch of hanging or standing models of various crafts: rovers and probes, shuttles and planes. On the lower level (there are two entrances, one on either side of the building, so saying right or left here is unhelpful) there’s: an exhibition on the beginnings of flight, including the Wright plane itself; jet planes; simulators; current airplane technology; Apollo models and info; something on the solar system… and probably something else. I only managed a ‘drive by’ viewing of this stuff before I had to leave. Oh, and there’s also a museum shop with lots of books, DVDs, Washington DC/Smithsonian (18 Smithsonian museums in all, this was just one of them) souvineers, space food, etc. There’s also the IMAX cinema on the first floor.

On the second floor was more solar system stuff, a small shop, and a whole bunch of things I didn’t get to see. Fortunately, the Planetarium was the most awesomeist thing ever (yeah, I did just make up a word). You go into this small theatrette, with an arc of very laid back chairs - what you’d find in a cinema, only with really tilted backs, so when you sit, you naturally look towards the ceiling. The ceiling itself is a round white dome, onto which the show was projected. 

The Black Holes film (scroll down to below the Youtube video at this link to see a blurb) itself was very good, although a little confusing at first (even though I knew most of the terms and explanations for black holes, etc. I’m not sure it would have made much sense to anyone who didn’t know anything about astronomy). But the graphics were awesome, and so much better than the 3D fish film at the Georgia Aquarium on day ten. They did all that stuff of moving through the stars, and going into a black hole, etc., that makes it feel 3D even if it isn’t. It combines computer graphics (based on real models/physics) and actual imagery of the universe, and we travelled from earth to our galaxy (Milky Way), through the universe. You really don’t get a proper sense of the scale of everything whilst reading a book, and it’s amazing how big everything is when you see it in a film. And even then it’s impossibly under-represented. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I was glad it was the last thing I got to do in America before leaving, and it was a great way to finish.

Well, I sped through the rest of the exhibits on my way out - if you ever get to go, do. Many of the exhibits are done up in the style of the era (ie. Vaudevillian for the early flight section, 50s futurama for the jet era) and there’s lots of fascinating stuff on what’s being discovered right now as well as historical or informational sections. 

Anyway, from there I went back to the B&B, grabbed my stuff and went to Dulles airport. I got there a bit early, but that was fine; better to be early than late! Of course, my whole theory about one thing going wrong a day held true: in order to not pay extra for baggage, I stuffed my laptop into a rather large bag that I used as a carry on. Except the zips broke and so everything (passport, wallet, etc) could fall out. So I buy a new bag at the airport, and just as I’m doing so, the handle on my old bag breaks. Lucky? Maybe just good timing on that one. But I also nearly left behind my passport at security, whilst removing my laptop, liquids and shoes in a hurry… I’m so glad the person behind me saw it and handed it to me, because I really had my head screwed on upside-down and wouldn’t have realised until several hours later when I needed to board!

The trip itself was pretty uneventful except for feeling sick for most of it (I still do feel sick, hoping it’s nothing horrid), and being confused about the time differences: leaving LA at 10.30pm their time, and arriving in Sydney at 4am roughly our time, I managed to see the sun set, wait for 14 or so hours and not see the sun rise until a few hours after arriving in Sydney. And managed to still gain a day in the process… Weird.

Thankfully though, everything was fine and I came home to a house full of family and pets. It was also my mum’s birthday whilst I was on the plane, so we’ll be celebrating that at some point during the week.