Feedback and Reviews
Beowulf
From L. of Sheffield, on November 2011 performance at Hartington Hall Youth Hostel:
I was a little sceptical about how well a puppet show would be recieved at a 40th birthday party with a mixture of adults and children. It would seem that the answer is 'exceptionally well!' Chris had to re-run the show three times to make sure that everyone who wanted to see it could do so. The last showing was the 'adult version' - sadly I can't comment on this as I coudn't actually fit into the room, it was already packed out, including with many of the adults who had seen show 1 or 2 with children (ages from baby to young teen) and came back to watch the 'adult version' again!
While there is some implied gore the children seemed to be enthralled by the shadow puppets and the show in general, they gasped / laughed and cheered in all the right places and asked lots of questions afterwards.
Chris was extremely professional, the stage clearly customised to match the theme of the show, the story was engaging and well told - ironically with minimum dialogue while the puppets were allowed to be the stars of the show.
My only 'negative' point is perhaps the show's greatest praise - I now have 3 wanna-be puppeteers in my house nagging for me to come and see their shows!
From B (age 7):
I liked the voices of the characters and I liked the special effects like the changing colour lights. I liked the way the viking killed the monster and his mother. I really liked the dragon!
From T (age 2 1/2):
"Wow! Is Fabyluss!"
From J. of Ripon, taken from a longer review of shows at the Waxbaby Living Room Theatre, August 2011:
The final performance was based on Beowulf. Arguing amicably about the spelling- and also berating myself silently for my lack of classical education, we took our seats in expectation. I had already seen a performance by this puppeteer and my hopes were high. I wasn't disappointed. The piece was visually brilliant from the moment a cleverly articulated main character took his seat behind the silk screen. I hadn't a clue who he was but I did realise that the much smaller character who was batting away at him and trying to clamber on his knee and that together with the father and son (?) we were witnessing some terrible ogre at work. There was effective use of black and red to simulate fights and injuries- and at some point severed limbs were proudly waved and borne off. There were no words- just a neolithic range of grunts which were actually very effective in producing understanding and effect in the audience. The piece was both powerful and terrifying at some points- all of which I would expect from shadow puppetry! An abrupt end surprised us into applause.
We left, blinking, and asked for some time to write up our feelings before the actors joined us. I felt this last performance was more professional than the others- in the way the timing and manual synchronisation seemed to fuse perfectly-but then what did I know about handling a mechanical structure and how to judge the visual effect on the audience. I wondered if such skills can be taught or are they inherent, like a sense of timing when we sing or recite a poem.
I was a little sceptical about how well a puppet show would be recieved at a 40th birthday party with a mixture of adults and children. It would seem that the answer is 'exceptionally well!' Chris had to re-run the show three times to make sure that everyone who wanted to see it could do so. The last showing was the 'adult version' - sadly I can't comment on this as I coudn't actually fit into the room, it was already packed out, including with many of the adults who had seen show 1 or 2 with children (ages from baby to young teen) and came back to watch the 'adult version' again!
While there is some implied gore the children seemed to be enthralled by the shadow puppets and the show in general, they gasped / laughed and cheered in all the right places and asked lots of questions afterwards.
Chris was extremely professional, the stage clearly customised to match the theme of the show, the story was engaging and well told - ironically with minimum dialogue while the puppets were allowed to be the stars of the show.
My only 'negative' point is perhaps the show's greatest praise - I now have 3 wanna-be puppeteers in my house nagging for me to come and see their shows!
From B (age 7):
I liked the voices of the characters and I liked the special effects like the changing colour lights. I liked the way the viking killed the monster and his mother. I really liked the dragon!
From T (age 2 1/2):
"Wow! Is Fabyluss!"
From J. of Ripon, taken from a longer review of shows at the Waxbaby Living Room Theatre, August 2011:
The final performance was based on Beowulf. Arguing amicably about the spelling- and also berating myself silently for my lack of classical education, we took our seats in expectation. I had already seen a performance by this puppeteer and my hopes were high. I wasn't disappointed. The piece was visually brilliant from the moment a cleverly articulated main character took his seat behind the silk screen. I hadn't a clue who he was but I did realise that the much smaller character who was batting away at him and trying to clamber on his knee and that together with the father and son (?) we were witnessing some terrible ogre at work. There was effective use of black and red to simulate fights and injuries- and at some point severed limbs were proudly waved and borne off. There were no words- just a neolithic range of grunts which were actually very effective in producing understanding and effect in the audience. The piece was both powerful and terrifying at some points- all of which I would expect from shadow puppetry! An abrupt end surprised us into applause.
We left, blinking, and asked for some time to write up our feelings before the actors joined us. I felt this last performance was more professional than the others- in the way the timing and manual synchronisation seemed to fuse perfectly-but then what did I know about handling a mechanical structure and how to judge the visual effect on the audience. I wondered if such skills can be taught or are they inherent, like a sense of timing when we sing or recite a poem.
"Enchanted" at the Ripon Storytelling Festival, July 2011
With puppeteers Caroline Astell-Burt and Kay Yasugi (Pupperoos).
From J. of Ripon:
Enchanted. The Curious Room, Ripon. Saturday 9th July 2011 2pm performance
Venue - Intriguing and small enough to be intimate yet there was distance between us and the puppets- we could be observers unless either the audience or the puppet decided to interact.
Music - created peaceful spiritual atmosphere when music box switched on.
Movement - mesmeric at the beginning. Watching the puppet walk slowed the audience down and drew them in.
Puppets - different ones appealed to different age groups- I like them all but the singing harp was a favourite and also the dragon. He was amazing. The baby was the favourite of the 13 year old girl. The boys liked the harp and the spilled beans!
Storyline - as it kept more or less to fairytale rules i.e. journey, hero, problem, rescuer, resolution- in an universal time and space there was a breathless expectation - and we were not disappointed. The princess did find her prince-or, I wish, her princess! I thought the kissing of the paper orb and the shadow frog/princess was a really clever mechanism. The use of props throughout was innovative and often very funny. We all solemnly held up our plastic spoons and we BELIEVED they were dwarfs! There was an element of wicked adult humour throughout the performance which meant the grown ups felt included - so it worked on several levels. I also liked the interaction between the puppeteers - as if we had been taken into their confidence. The chemistry between the puppeteers and between them and the puppets was magic. The length of the show was just right - no one lost interest and it was lovely to mingle with the puppets and puppeteers afterwards. As we left there was an air of euphoria in our party-and for me it lasted for some time! Enchanted I was!
From J. of Ripon:
Enchanted. The Curious Room, Ripon. Saturday 9th July 2011 2pm performance
Venue - Intriguing and small enough to be intimate yet there was distance between us and the puppets- we could be observers unless either the audience or the puppet decided to interact.
Music - created peaceful spiritual atmosphere when music box switched on.
Movement - mesmeric at the beginning. Watching the puppet walk slowed the audience down and drew them in.
Puppets - different ones appealed to different age groups- I like them all but the singing harp was a favourite and also the dragon. He was amazing. The baby was the favourite of the 13 year old girl. The boys liked the harp and the spilled beans!
Storyline - as it kept more or less to fairytale rules i.e. journey, hero, problem, rescuer, resolution- in an universal time and space there was a breathless expectation - and we were not disappointed. The princess did find her prince-or, I wish, her princess! I thought the kissing of the paper orb and the shadow frog/princess was a really clever mechanism. The use of props throughout was innovative and often very funny. We all solemnly held up our plastic spoons and we BELIEVED they were dwarfs! There was an element of wicked adult humour throughout the performance which meant the grown ups felt included - so it worked on several levels. I also liked the interaction between the puppeteers - as if we had been taken into their confidence. The chemistry between the puppeteers and between them and the puppets was magic. The length of the show was just right - no one lost interest and it was lovely to mingle with the puppets and puppeteers afterwards. As we left there was an air of euphoria in our party-and for me it lasted for some time! Enchanted I was!
Spinmaster 3000
Various anonymous feedback comments from Waxbaby Living Room Theatre, July 2011:
"Spinmaster – brilliant. I loved the story, the puppet, and the narrative. My favourite."
"Good story line. Would have liked more use of the marionette. Puppeteer was the strongest character."
"Very entertaining."
"Very professional patter, convincing plot line. Simple but effective story. Element of surprise. Highly entertaining."
"Marionette beautifully carved. However I thought it might have had a bigger part – it did not do as much as I thought it could. Story amusing. Technical – and it seemed to come off. On the whole, did not develop its potential, but it still worked as a piece."
"Love Spinmaster face. Amusing. Beautifully made puppet. Very original."
"Clever idea. Enjoying."
"Fantastic! Very funny, talented – spot on! This guy really has talent and should have do a TV/Show success. Rumplestiltskin very cleverly carved."
"What a comedian! You could do stand up. Liked the dour expression on Rumplestiltskin, the antithesis of the cheery presenter."
"Spinmaster – brilliant. I loved the story, the puppet, and the narrative. My favourite."
"Good story line. Would have liked more use of the marionette. Puppeteer was the strongest character."
"Very entertaining."
"Very professional patter, convincing plot line. Simple but effective story. Element of surprise. Highly entertaining."
"Marionette beautifully carved. However I thought it might have had a bigger part – it did not do as much as I thought it could. Story amusing. Technical – and it seemed to come off. On the whole, did not develop its potential, but it still worked as a piece."
"Love Spinmaster face. Amusing. Beautifully made puppet. Very original."
"Clever idea. Enjoying."
"Fantastic! Very funny, talented – spot on! This guy really has talent and should have do a TV/Show success. Rumplestiltskin very cleverly carved."
"What a comedian! You could do stand up. Liked the dour expression on Rumplestiltskin, the antithesis of the cheery presenter."
Workshops
D. Cambridge, Heswall YF:
"We had the pleasure of Chris Wylie's company at a youth group residential for 14 to 18 year-olds in Conway in October 2011 and he delivered a couple of top notch workshops on Shadow Puppetry as part of the Saturday morning workshop programme. Opening with his delightful shadow show Beowulf, a gruesome silent movie version of the ancient tale, Chris demonstrated his puppets and puppet-making, giving us a clear idea of the kinds of things we would be able to achieve. The theme of our residential was Superheroes, and so the shadow puppet workshop followed suit. We were given straightforward demonstrations, tips and advice by Chris, who is articulate, entertaining and takes an endearingly childlike delight in his work. The time allotted for the workshop was fairly short (because of other activities scheduled for the day) so there was little time to create a coherent performance, but Chris' portable shadow theatre was put to use at the end to showcase our puppets, and with a longer workshop I am sure we would have been able to create our own entertaining show using the diverse set of characters that we had made. This workshop was entertaining, engaging and surprisingly accessible, leaving us with an end product we could take home and play with!"
Feedback from Lip Synch Puppet Making Workshop Run In Conjunction with London School of Puppetry, August 2012:
Z. Dryden, Primary Teacher -
"Your workshop was great from my beginners perspective - you explained the steps clearly, were generous with your materials and offered lots of encouragement. I've gone from knowing very little about puppet construction to feeling confident enough to pick up patterns & have a go, a massive and very liberating leap. I'm making some blank heads to take to school so the kids can decorate them and we can have a go at staring up a puppet choir (make assemblies a bit more exciting!)"
L. Hopkins, Theatre Practitioner and Puppeteer -
"1. Brilliant knowledge of tools and materials. As someone who has a very limited knowledge I found it really useful and was confident that you would be able to answer any questions I had about it.
2. The activity was well-timed for the four hour slot. I think everyone would have liked it if we could have had more time to decorate the face and add a body but I feel happy that I can now go ahead and do that on my own.
3. Loved the fact that we could take the templates away with us at the end but maybe if you were to repeat this session you could provide a step by step handout sheet to go with the templates so we would have some instructions to take away as well as there wasn't lots of time to make notes.
4. I think you explained everything really well and came across as confident, and skilled in the area."
Feedback About Custom Puppet Work and Operating Workshops from Staff and Pupils of West Kirby Grammar School, October 2012:
· Brilliant opportunity for the students.
· Incredibly reasonable.
· Wouldn’t hesitate in recommending or using Puppetuity in the future.
· It’s clear that you are committed to crafting puppets of a high quality with excellent attention to detail.
· We found your passion for puppetry particularly inspirational.
· Puppetuity went above and beyond our expectations.
· Reliable and dedicated.
· Communicated well, shared artistic vision, updated regularly.
· Very approachable, gentle and caring approach towards students which inspired confidence.
"We had the pleasure of Chris Wylie's company at a youth group residential for 14 to 18 year-olds in Conway in October 2011 and he delivered a couple of top notch workshops on Shadow Puppetry as part of the Saturday morning workshop programme. Opening with his delightful shadow show Beowulf, a gruesome silent movie version of the ancient tale, Chris demonstrated his puppets and puppet-making, giving us a clear idea of the kinds of things we would be able to achieve. The theme of our residential was Superheroes, and so the shadow puppet workshop followed suit. We were given straightforward demonstrations, tips and advice by Chris, who is articulate, entertaining and takes an endearingly childlike delight in his work. The time allotted for the workshop was fairly short (because of other activities scheduled for the day) so there was little time to create a coherent performance, but Chris' portable shadow theatre was put to use at the end to showcase our puppets, and with a longer workshop I am sure we would have been able to create our own entertaining show using the diverse set of characters that we had made. This workshop was entertaining, engaging and surprisingly accessible, leaving us with an end product we could take home and play with!"
Feedback from Lip Synch Puppet Making Workshop Run In Conjunction with London School of Puppetry, August 2012:
Z. Dryden, Primary Teacher -
"Your workshop was great from my beginners perspective - you explained the steps clearly, were generous with your materials and offered lots of encouragement. I've gone from knowing very little about puppet construction to feeling confident enough to pick up patterns & have a go, a massive and very liberating leap. I'm making some blank heads to take to school so the kids can decorate them and we can have a go at staring up a puppet choir (make assemblies a bit more exciting!)"
L. Hopkins, Theatre Practitioner and Puppeteer -
"1. Brilliant knowledge of tools and materials. As someone who has a very limited knowledge I found it really useful and was confident that you would be able to answer any questions I had about it.
2. The activity was well-timed for the four hour slot. I think everyone would have liked it if we could have had more time to decorate the face and add a body but I feel happy that I can now go ahead and do that on my own.
3. Loved the fact that we could take the templates away with us at the end but maybe if you were to repeat this session you could provide a step by step handout sheet to go with the templates so we would have some instructions to take away as well as there wasn't lots of time to make notes.
4. I think you explained everything really well and came across as confident, and skilled in the area."
Feedback About Custom Puppet Work and Operating Workshops from Staff and Pupils of West Kirby Grammar School, October 2012:
· Brilliant opportunity for the students.
· Incredibly reasonable.
· Wouldn’t hesitate in recommending or using Puppetuity in the future.
· It’s clear that you are committed to crafting puppets of a high quality with excellent attention to detail.
· We found your passion for puppetry particularly inspirational.
· Puppetuity went above and beyond our expectations.
· Reliable and dedicated.
· Communicated well, shared artistic vision, updated regularly.
· Very approachable, gentle and caring approach towards students which inspired confidence.