By Nikki Shaffeeullah
On Thursday,
October 6, the CCTC sat down with Ronnie
Burkett for what proved to be a dynamic and engaging Lunchbox Chat. Kim McCaw publicly interviewed the
internationally renowned puppeteer and theatre maker, with attendees from the
University of Alberta Drama Department and the Edmonton community gathering
both to listen to and ask their own questions of the Alberta-born creator.
The conversation spanned a range of topics, including the
role of puppetry in the theatre, the role of marionettes in the puppet theatre,
arts funding in Canada, life as an independent artist, and of course, Burkett’s
unique brand of theatre creation.
This year is the 25th anniversary of Burkett’s Theatre of Marionettes, which debuted
right here in Edmonton at the 1986 Fringe Festival with his first full-length
show, Fool’s Gold. Of these early
days, Burkett reflected: “When I was a kid, self-created work wasn’t something
theatre knew.” He remarked fondly that the Fringe served as a space where “all
the freaks” could do their shows.
As the “freaks” that practice performer-driven creation are
slowly but surely becoming a norm on the Canadian stage, their process has
become a focal point of many contemporary theatrical discussions. With a
veteran creator working in an unusual form as the featured guest, this Lunchbox Chat was no
exception. On his writing process, Burkett disclosed that he begins the
creation of each piece by shaping three key elements: “A title, an opening
image, and a closing image.” As other elements are negotiated, these three
pieces remain the pillars
of his process.
Burkett also revealed his approaches to some of the unique
creation challenges that present themselves to a puppeteer. For example, when building marionettes, he is not merely constructing props but rather he is creating
the actors he will later direct and
the characters he will eventually
play. He noted that when building a puppet, he tries to identify the
character’s voice in his own. If he cannot, he will go back to the
construction stage, rework the Plasticine, and search again for the sound until
at last the puppet’s body and voice harmonize.
It is this very experience of bringing the puppet creations
to life, giving them character, that kept Burkett working in this niche. He
described how a brief stint in acting school led him to realize that as an
actor, he would be destined to play only male characters within a few years of
his own age. As a puppeteer, however, he could play any age, gender, or even
species that he wanted: “Why would I want to be just an actor? That’s so
limiting!”
Burkett was in town for the world premiere of his new show, Penny Plain, which closed last weekend
after a successful run at the Citadel Theatre. It plays next in Calgary.
