During the last three days I had the privilege to attend to the marionette workshop by Tommy Luther at ACE Teatro Bolhão.

This was an  intensive workshop of three days (27 and 28 of February, and 1 March)  to understand how to endow life to a marionette applying the manipulation principles of the Handspring Puppet Company, which are known by its international success on the play War Horse.

Tommy Luther was the director of the horse puppet which is manipulated by three puppeteers like in the Bunraku. He also worked manipulating objects for CG animation such as in the film Gravity (2009).

We have learn that breathing is an important aspect to: endow emotion to the puppet; to underline dynamic changes; to help to communicate the physical and psychologic state of the puppet; to unite all the puppeteers to became uno.

Wel also learn that it is very important to keep the space between puppeteers, as well the famous sentence that “less is more”.

Finally, the looking direction contributes not only to guide the audience direction to the audience, but also to give intelligence to the puppet. Before the action takes place, the puppet thinks and he looks to subject.