Free Marionette Instructions

Roundabout: What's happening

Music & more

Frontiers performs at Brick Street Live tonight — Gates open 6 p.m., tonight, June 23: live music with Journey tribute band; reserve seating tickets $25, general admission $5. 704-637-5363, www.brickstreetlive.com.

Dylan Gilbert & The Over Easy Breakfast Machine atThe Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St., NoDa Arts District, Charlotte — 10:30 p.m., Friday, June 24, $6, with Evan P. Donohue. 704-372-1000, www.theeveningmuse.com.

Sue McHugh, Archrivals at Looking Glass Artist Collective — 8 p.m., Friday, June 24: Opening, Me and the Boys featuring Sue McHugh, followed by Archrivals. $5. Hear The Archrivals: www.myspace. com/chuckandthearchrivals. Black box theater, LGAC, 405 N. Lee St.

The Small Combo of the Salisbury Swing Band — 8 p.m, Saturday, June 25: at The Wine Room at Afton Village, 5401 Village Drive, Concord. www.salisburyswingband.com.

Piedmont Choral Society’s 8th annual Patriotic Benefit Concert — 3 p.m., Sunday, June 26: A concert consisting entirely of patriotic music. Forest Hill United Methodist Church, 265 Union St. N., Concord. 704-699-6053.

Morgan Ridge Vineyards — 7 p.m., Tuesday, June 28: Music with The Salisbury Swing Band. 486 John Morgan Road, Gold Hill, morganridgevineyards.com.

Home and garden

Salisbury Symphony’s Festival of Summer Gardens — June 25 -26, tickets $12 in advance, $15 tour days. Perennial tour of eight country gardens, three historic gardens. Music by Salisbury Symphony Children’s Strings and local musicians. Sunday: Learn the art of planting in container gardens, learn from master gardeners and watch Plein Air artists at work. Lunch at Carolina Lily, $16, must be pre-ordered. Reserved tickets at Visitors Bureau, 704-638-3100, www.salisburysymphony. org, 704-603-4652 or 704-645-8300.

This & That

Salisbury Ghost Walk and investigation — Friday, June 24, 7 p.m. East Square Walk and Investigation, $15 per person. Original Ghost Walk 7:30 p.m., adults $10, students $5. Reservations/information: boo@salisburyghostwalk or 704-642-1734.

CSA Sanctioned shag contest — June 24-25: Second annual Salisbury Shag Club’s shag contest, open to all, first time competitors are welcome •8 p.m., Friday, June 24: Newcomers Division, followed by Amateur Division • 2 p.m. Saturday, June 25: Junior Divisions I and II, followed by special performance by Crazy Eight Dance Team •8 p.m.: Novice Division, followed by Pro Division •Deejay Butch Metcalf, emcee. $10 cover each night. High Rock Boat & Ski Club, 2675 Providence Church Road, www.theboatandskiclub.com.

The myth of the online marionette pattern

Over the last six months or so, my site has been getting more and more (and more) about making marionettes. This may be a combination in the rise of articles on my site in google search results (it’s cyclical: the more people who click on the link, the more likely google will think the article is popular; the more popular it is, the higher it appears in the results; the higher it appears, the more likely people will click on it), as well as reflecting a possible rise in interest in these type of puppets.

However, I don’t actually believe that’s true. Pretending that the rate of interest in marionettes has stayed the same for as long as I’ve been blogging about puppetry, and considering the fact that the ‘how to’ on marionettes on my site has remained #2 in google results for 3-4 months now, I’m starting to think it’s something else.

Why then do so many people want to learn about making marionettes? I think it’s actually more to do with internet usage itself. In a number of my other articles, I discuss (well, mention) that a lot of puppeteers aren’t online; those that are sell mostly, and I’d bet 90% of free patterns and other information are offered by parents, teachers or random members of the public. Therefore, there’s not much info out there about marionettes, especially in terms of making professional ones. (Granted, sites like Expert Village, etc. are catching up)

So this rise in hits is more likely to be from people who want to learn about making marionettes, but can’t seem to find a lot of info online. Because muppet-type puppets are heavily discussed, it’s easier to find. Likewise with glove or finger puppets , with much of the online info being directed at making stuff for/with kids. But marionettes… why is it so hard to find info on that?

And here begins the myth part of this article. My educated guess is that there’s not so much about making marionettes (especially with detailed patterns and instructions) is because they are just so darn complicated to make. It’s very easy to make a ’scarf’ marionette - quite literally a scarf with strings attached - but to make a wooden, carved marionette, with full-blown controller and strings, is just not something you could easily describe or make a pattern out of, and then offer it for free. (Myths of free patterns is discussed in more detail here ) Most marionettes sell from several hundred dollars upwards: you’re not paying for materials, you’re paying for labour . In that sense, it’s natural that you won’t find free information all over the net on making marionettes.

Making and manipulating marionettes

Building moral communities through educational drama

Dramatic Bibliography

Theatre and Allied Arts

The art and technique of marionette making, Vol. 1