Moving Words is the title of a project which was devised to explore the ways in which the contemporary art form of puppetry can collaborate with new writing for performance. What happens when the puppeteer and writer are placed at the heart of the creative process? How do these forms interact? How can puppetry inform new writing and vice versa?

The project commissioned Gavin Skerritt and Rachel McGill to create a new short for performance at the Soho Theatre, London. The project supported four months of exploration; two large-scale workshops; two months of making and eight day’s rehearsal; bringing together more than forty artists to participate in the project.
 
(The project was supported by the Esmée Fairbairn foundation and initiated and organised by Puppet Centre Trust with additional support from Soho Theatre.)

BODY

The puppet consists of a solid, robust dressmaker’s mannequin. Castors support the base, which is how the puppet “walks” and travels across the stage. The puppet has one arm, but there are times when two can be used to mark a development or chance in the character. The mannequin looks old, solid and formal and is quite bare apart from the odd things that relate to her work.

JOINTS

NECK: One joint on the neck to turn and nod the head with a short rod at the back of the head to animate it.

WAIST: The rod that is set into the stand will be able to swivel in order for the object to turn without moving forwards.

ARM: For the domestic everyday scenes, the performer uses one sleeved arm.  The use of only one arm suggests a restriction and awkwardness in her everyday life.

TRANSFORMATION

For both Mary and Gail the transformation from shop-worker to spell-maker will come from the device of adding the performer’s bare arm. Adding the extra arm adds a supernatural element giving a sense of empowerment which the characters do not feel in their ordinary lives. Mary, as the centre of the energy, has a light inside her body which is switched on during the spell scenes.