Finding Pleasure in Puppetry
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Working with the unfinished Bunraku puppets, Kasie Gandenberger manipulates Scrooge's right arm and head and Jordan Rader positions the feet while Cameron Murri manages the left arm. On the second puppet-Marley, Bonnie Ortner operates the right arm and head while Hailey Gandenberger works the feet and Angela Murri assists on the puppet's left side.
During the first week of December, rehearsals for A Christmas Carol were going strong as cast and crew members began working with the Bunraku puppets that will bring the characters to life. Directed by Angela Pratt, the opening performance of this adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic holiday tale will take place tomorrow, December 16, at 7:00 p.m. in the Montana Actors' Theater (MAT) on Cowan Drive. Five people with Blaine County ties, in fact, have involvement with the production.
Art Instructor for Chinook Public Schools, Kasie Gandenberger is playing Ebenezer Scrooge the puppet, not the voice. Furthermore, both of Gandenberger's daughters, Hailey and Geana, have roles in A Christmas Carol. Sixth grader Hailey is both the voice of the Ghost of Christmas Past and that puppet's manipulator. She additionally turns into the Ghost of Christmas Future. Third grader Geana plays the voice and puppet of both Tiny Tim and young Ebenezer.
Gandenberger reports that one of the biggest challenges has been learning how to control the puppets to make them look lifelike. "We started using paper puppets, which was very hard, as there is no weight to those to make them move realistically. As we have been adding to the puppets, it has been a bit easier to control them, as the added weight and structure have helped a lot."
Pratt explained that the puppets had to be designed and then created from scratch. Once they were crafted, they were tweaked to make them more serviceable and manageable. "The biggest challenge has been that no one has ever worked with Bunruku puppets before. And with a totally new experience, there is always a learning curve. However, I am drawn to the different and the new because I love learning. In fact, this play has enhanced my creativity since I have to talk differently to my cast and crew; it's like learning a new language. Besides that, and learning the history of Bunraku, I've had to learn how to adapt the puppetry process to the stage. Challenges like this stir the ambition. I've also had to turn over some of my creative license with this show, and that's a challenge for a control freak like me!"
Two other community members, Erica Smith and Maeve Guarasci will be serving as puppeteers but are not voicing any of the characters. Because they share puppeteering duties with other crew members, they aren't assigned to only one puppet.
According to Pratt, each puppet is run by three people who will bring the character to life. "In order for us to concentrate on the puppetry components of the show, we prerecorded all the vocals. I would have needed 36 people in order to voice the characters and manipulate the puppets exclusive from one another, and I only have 18. All of the cast will be dressed in black with only their faces exposed so that they essentially disappear into the background. But their facial expressions actually add an interesting dimension to the show! The scenery will be done with books, and the costumes will be phenomenal!"
Chinook resident, Ben Hall will have several roles in the performance, as well. The most familiar is Mr. Fezziwig, who appears early in the story during Scrooge's encounter with the Ghost of Christmas Past.
The Chinook area crew: Ben Hall, Bonnie Ortner, Kasie Gandenberger, Erica Smith, and Maeve Guarasci get acquainted with the Bunraku puppets. Here, Ebenezer Scrooge engages with Tiny Tim.
A final Blaine County resident, Bonnie Ortner will serve as both the narrator and as the ghost of Marley. Marley's presence in the story serves to provide a warning about Scrooge's miserliness and misanthropy and to act as a herald for the three Ghosts of Christmas who are to come.
Pratt plans to add what she is learning about puppetry to MAT's youth programs. "One of the technical lessons we're learning with this show is how the body works. The cast is having to think consciously about something that happens unconsciously."
According to Marketing Director for MAT, Andi Daniels, the play will open on Thursday, December 16 with additional evening performances scheduled for December 17-18 and December 21-23, as well as matinee performances on December 18 and 19 at 2:00 p.m.
When asked what she hopes to achieve with this production, Pratt responded: "I hope people will not be turned off by the notion of puppets. This is a creative show that will add another facet to MAT's repertoire. We have an amazing cast and crew, and I'm excited to see the results of our efforts."
