WEBVTT 00:00:03.682 --> 00:00:04.446 - Everybody. 00:02:39.522 --> 00:02:46.479 - has introduced 14 years of a summer puppetry caravan for Appalachia. We're from Berea College, which 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:53.506 - is in Berea, Kentucky. And in those 14 years, 64 more, different puppeteers have worked in developing 00:02:53.506 --> 00:03:00.945 - the puppets, the stages, and various aspects of our program. We don't buy anything. We do it all ourselves. 00:03:00.945 --> 00:03:08.798 - So what you see here today is a sort of total of that at this point. Of course, we have 13 shows stored in Berea. 00:03:09.122 --> 00:03:14.905 - what we work with all the summer. We're very happy to be here, to be invited by the library. 00:03:14.905 --> 00:03:21.311 - And of course, you know that's your sponsor, Stone Hills Area Libraries organized the whole event. And 00:03:21.311 --> 00:03:27.716 - we have been traveling in Indiana all week, doing two shows a day in at least five different counties. 00:03:27.716 --> 00:03:34.121 - So we've covered lots of ground. This is our last day here. We're going to Bedford tonight, and that's 00:03:34.121 --> 00:03:37.790 - going to be our last performance. So let's start the show. 00:03:43.266 --> 00:03:49.494 - The entire performance lasts about an hour, slightly longer, or slightly less. We start out with some 00:03:49.494 --> 00:03:55.294 - special kinds of puppets, and we all wear black robes for this. So I've got to get in costume. 00:04:14.754 --> 00:04:22.983 - This style of puppetry we're working in first is called Bunraku. Now, Bunraku is a Japanese word. In 00:04:22.983 --> 00:04:31.212 - the Japanese Bunraku theater, the puppeteers wear black robes and are fully visible to the audience. 00:04:31.212 --> 00:04:39.441 - The puppets are life-size and usually represent both figures from Japanese culture. Now, the Bunraku 00:04:39.441 --> 00:04:43.678 - theater is a theater which is over 2,000 years old. 00:04:44.322 --> 00:04:53.561 - So before there were human actors, there were puppet actors. Now instead of doing Japanese folk figures, 00:04:53.561 --> 00:05:02.359 - we do folk figures from Kentucky. Ruben and Matilda Bledsoe. A week ago, actually two weeks ago, we 00:05:02.359 --> 00:05:11.158 - were driving through the town of Bledsoe, Kentucky. We knew it was somewhere on the map and we went 00:05:11.158 --> 00:05:12.830 - to the post office 00:05:13.058 --> 00:05:19.365 - I've got some pictures there. So we know where Ruben Matilda Hale from. Well, they're understood to 00:05:19.365 --> 00:05:25.799 - be about 70 years old, have spent most of their life in rural Kentucky. And maybe like the people who 00:05:25.799 --> 00:05:32.359 - spent their lives in rural parts of America anywhere, Ohio, Indiana, or Tennessee, or whatever, they've 00:05:32.359 --> 00:05:38.729 - been doing a lot of thinking and a lot of living, and they have a lot of ideas. So we had a Kentucky 00:05:38.729 --> 00:05:41.694 - playwright put these ideas into nine episodes. 00:05:41.954 --> 00:05:48.878 - which are called back porch talks. These back porch talks reflect on such things as old and young, a 00:05:48.878 --> 00:05:56.281 - cure for hiccups, farming and coal mining, and such things as that. The puppeteer in the front is operating 00:05:56.281 --> 00:06:03.274 - the head and the mouth, and his feet are attached to the puppet's feet by means of bell throat. If he 00:06:03.274 --> 00:06:10.677 - moves his foot, the puppet's foot then moves too. The second puppeteer is operating the hands and providing 00:06:10.677 --> 00:06:11.774 - those gestures. 00:06:13.186 --> 00:06:21.588 - Already? All right, then I'd like to present Ruben and Matilda Bledsoe in a five-minute episode, screaming 00:06:21.588 --> 00:06:27.870 - about being a lump of coal. Okay, that would help if you were quiet over there. 00:06:54.818 --> 00:07:07.102 - Well, when I can't I'll just stay a spell with you. What I got in the oven won't be done for a bit. 00:07:28.194 --> 00:07:51.102 - You know, sometimes I wish I was a lump of coal being taken all over the world. 00:07:51.682 --> 00:07:59.027 - if I had put my foot down and made you go farming instead of mining. Oh, I don't guess I went to farm 00:07:59.027 --> 00:08:06.372 - until you put your foot down. I did it because my granddaddy said, if I helped him farm, he'd give me 00:08:06.372 --> 00:08:13.573 - the land in his will. And he did. You know I put my foot down more than a little, so you all better 00:08:13.573 --> 00:08:21.566 - not put your foot down. What I can understand is why you're ever going to be a miner and earn the first place. 00:08:21.858 --> 00:08:29.700 - Well, when we started farming, we were hard up for money. Miners weren't making good pay for those days. 00:08:29.700 --> 00:08:37.243 - Maybe we didn't have much money, but we always had. Yeah, we had a whole bunch of kids to go to. Not 00:08:37.243 --> 00:08:44.786 - the whole can of things to get to, you wonder. Oh, nothing else really from our kids. Yeah, but look 00:08:44.786 --> 00:08:48.670 - at the pay the miners got. He could buy his fiddle. 00:08:49.026 --> 00:08:56.757 - Maybe even a little house and some land. My brothers were my brothers and they had a lot of head time. 00:08:56.757 --> 00:09:04.413 - But maybe I can remember they worked from this time to that because they did six and a half jobs with 00:09:04.413 --> 00:09:11.993 - gold and not paid 85 cents. Yeah, but then coffee was only 25 cents a pound, a loaf of bread crossed 00:09:11.993 --> 00:09:12.894 - the nickel, 00:09:13.410 --> 00:09:20.665 - And you could buy a pound of bacon for less than a quarter. Yeah, maybe so, but that ain't nothing good 00:09:20.665 --> 00:09:27.990 - by much else for their families. Well, with them unions moving in, mine has got better time. Oh, I don't 00:09:27.990 --> 00:09:35.175 - know about that. But I do know those must be the risks that I have to face today. And sir, if you want 00:09:35.175 --> 00:09:42.361 - money and hair, work for the meeting. Well, they've got them these days. Well, I hope so, but they do. 00:09:42.361 --> 00:09:43.198 - Bless hall. 00:09:44.610 --> 00:10:12.574 - Well, that was a good way to use up our surplus corn. 00:10:13.314 --> 00:10:20.723 - We grew the best white corn in the county. And Moonchild was a bread and a lot more cash than corn. 00:10:20.723 --> 00:10:28.354 - Oh, I got to say this. I didn't want to be a mander's wife and worry about you being buried alive. And 00:10:28.354 --> 00:10:36.208 - I didn't want to be a moonchild's wife and worry about you being shot 12 holes by a wrecking ball. Still, 00:10:36.208 --> 00:10:42.654 - Six Matilda, why did a playboy pick up the skill that no reverend knew its crew power? 00:10:43.554 --> 00:10:51.586 - And we came up in the woods and spring water was in a right fire. Well, if the revenue of winter found 00:10:51.586 --> 00:10:59.929 - you still, you'd probably have caught human ascending through jars of Joe's food. Now, I remember thinking 00:10:59.929 --> 00:11:07.961 - about that. What I was going to do was spill the jars with movie eyes, and then paint them all to look 00:11:07.961 --> 00:11:12.094 - like they had buttermilk in them. Wasn't near today. 00:11:12.930 --> 00:11:24.158 - Well, it's bad enough just thinking of him. The big guy had come over. He used to help himself to a 00:11:24.158 --> 00:11:35.385 - jar of buttermilk. Well, they used to say that he got in that boat to one of those painted jars and 00:11:35.385 --> 00:11:37.406 - took them inside. 00:11:37.538 --> 00:11:45.198 - I reckon he didn't want to surprise the cow that gave him the cream that made his buttermilk out of 00:11:45.198 --> 00:11:53.012 - a bit of bread. He told that to me that he ever speaks for us, the children. Now, the children, I did 00:11:53.012 --> 00:12:00.902 - what you want. I did become a miner, and I'm never with a loon gunner. A good thing, too, for I packed 00:12:00.902 --> 00:12:06.494 - up a list. And as somebody says, care has no theory like a little straw. 00:12:40.162 --> 00:12:48.959 - going away on that train is coming in for some baked handwraps for the beautiful backstage. With our 00:12:48.959 --> 00:12:52.094 - awkward travel around the world and 00:13:12.962 --> 00:13:19.917 - And now four, we've met Reuben and Matilda. We're ready for our next act. And we need two people who 00:13:19.917 --> 00:13:27.285 - are willing to fight. Up here, okay, you two guys, come on. Step up here, here. Now they're very trusting. 00:13:27.285 --> 00:13:34.309 - Now here, you can step up here. Come here. That's all right, barefoot is our answer. Good, excellent. 00:13:34.309 --> 00:13:41.402 - All right, what's your name? Jim. Jim and? Kyle. Do you know each other? So you've never fought before 00:13:41.402 --> 00:13:42.366 - together, so. 00:13:43.234 --> 00:13:50.612 - Really? Okay. What we want to do is, okay, Jim and Kyle, right? We're going to cheer for them, so we're 00:13:50.612 --> 00:13:58.060 - going to draw a line right down the middle. We want everybody on this side to cheer for Jim. Kyle. Kyle. 00:13:58.060 --> 00:14:05.154 - Cheer for Kyle. Okay, and the cheer is to clap your hands together and shout, bravo, bravo. So it's 00:14:05.154 --> 00:14:09.694 - just the people on this side. All right, let's try it for Kyle. 00:14:16.194 --> 00:14:23.085 - No clapping, but just the sound like a wild animal roaring. So let's give them a sample. When I count 00:14:23.085 --> 00:14:29.977 - to three, roar like a wild animal, like a real wild animal. Ready? One, two, three. Roar. Okay. Let's 00:14:29.977 --> 00:14:37.003 - give it back now. Roar. Let's hear it. One, two, three. Roar. Okay. Now, that's a good one. Okay. We're 00:14:37.003 --> 00:14:43.422 - going to have lots of noise like that. That will help you all to be encouraged, just like in a 00:14:43.874 --> 00:14:50.572 - baseball game, football game, or something like that, where the audience cheers. And what would you 00:14:50.572 --> 00:14:57.270 - like to fight with? Any ideas? He has no ideas. What about you, Kyle? No ideas. Well, that's great, 00:14:57.270 --> 00:15:04.303 - because I love to choose. And I'm going to choose puppets, because this is a puppet show. So let's bring 00:15:04.303 --> 00:15:11.001 - out the puppet that Kyle will use, please. Now, Dan Chapman, one of our puppeteers, has brought out 00:15:11.001 --> 00:15:12.542 - an Italian Flutertini. 00:15:12.866 --> 00:15:19.030 - And this style of puppet has a rod to the head, and a string to the sword, and one to the shield. And 00:15:19.030 --> 00:15:25.255 - all the other movements are made by moving the stick around. So Dan is your coach. He'll help you. And 00:15:25.255 --> 00:15:31.359 - he's your cheerleader. All right, let's bring out the puppet for the gentleman, please. OK, and Gina 00:15:31.359 --> 00:15:37.524 - Graham has brought out the puppet for the wild animal sound. It's also an Italian guarentini. And you 00:15:37.524 --> 00:15:42.238 - make that move by twisting the rods. And Gina is your coach. She'll help you. 00:15:42.338 --> 00:15:48.551 - And she's your cheerleader, and I'm the sportscaster. I'm going to tell you a story. Once upon a time, 00:15:48.551 --> 00:15:54.643 - a knight and a dragon were in Bloomington, Indiana. And if they were not, they were in line hurrying 00:15:54.643 --> 00:16:00.675 - on the stage. They bumped into each other, and they both fell down. The knight jumped up first, and 00:16:00.675 --> 00:16:02.846 - he began to stab the dragon. Bravo! 00:17:18.818 --> 00:17:26.172 - things with puppets, and different parts of the world. We didn't announce it. Poppy Tree is a puppet 00:17:26.172 --> 00:17:33.889 - that is based on a French or Italian counterpart from about 300 years ago. Of course, remember the tildes 00:17:33.889 --> 00:17:41.243 - are based on the Japanese style and the Italian bordertini you've just seen. Our next is based on an 00:17:41.243 --> 00:17:46.558 - English country dance figure from medieval times, perhaps the year 1200. 00:17:47.042 --> 00:17:53.154 - And though we added some surprises to it, it does follow the basic original idea. I don't want to tell 00:17:53.154 --> 00:17:59.207 - you too much because I want you to get all the surprise too. Are you ready, Professor? Yes, I am. All 00:17:59.207 --> 00:18:05.438 - right then, I'd like to welcome Ms. Hannah Greenberg and Professor Langhorne Hutney. Let's welcome them. 00:21:11.618 --> 00:21:18.699 - traditional English script, but the original Punch and Judy is over 500 years old. It began in Italy, 00:21:18.699 --> 00:21:25.710 - and the main character's name was Punchinello. Punchinello had a very good friend named Scaramouche, 00:21:25.710 --> 00:21:32.652 - and Scaramouche still appears in our show. You can tell because he has an Italian accent. He'll say 00:21:32.652 --> 00:21:39.038 - it for us later. Punch then traveled on through France and Germany, and finally to England. 00:21:39.650 --> 00:21:46.526 - where if you were in England today and you went to a park or perhaps to a marketplace or to the seashore, 00:21:46.526 --> 00:21:53.143 - there's a good chance that you could see a Punch and Judy show. Because in London alone, there are 40 00:21:53.143 --> 00:22:00.084 - different punchmen who make a full-time living doing Punch and Judy shows. But we're very happy to present 00:22:00.084 --> 00:22:05.598 - this for you today. And after that, we have two more acts for you, so don't go away. 00:22:06.050 --> 00:22:11.106 - All right, let's call Mr. Punch and see if he's at home. Let's just say, are you at home, Mr. Punch? 00:22:11.106 --> 00:22:16.362 - I'll count three, and I want you all to laugh. And you've got to make a lot of noise, otherwise he won't 00:22:16.362 --> 00:22:18.014 - be here. Ready? One, two, three. 00:35:06.658 --> 00:35:12.702 - Oh good, I said, do you know where that little master is? 00:35:51.298 --> 00:36:00.940 - I'll be right back. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. There is Mr. Punch. Oh, hey, check this out, folks. It looks 00:36:00.940 --> 00:36:11.441 - like macrame to me. Mr. Punch, there's a news. No news is good news. Mr. Punch, would you try this oversized, 00:36:11.441 --> 00:36:20.510 - please? Well, what do you want me to do? Stick your head in here, please. Stick my head where? 00:36:20.674 --> 00:36:28.751 - In here. Oh, in here? No, Mr. Punch, in here. Uh, in here? Mr. Punch, will you please cooperate? I don't 00:36:28.751 --> 00:36:36.290 - know how to do this. I've never been hanged before. Uh, kids, I need one of you to help me. Okay, 00:36:36.290 --> 00:36:43.982 - come on. Come on up. Whenever you're going to punch, you have to do this. You have to put the noose 00:36:43.982 --> 00:36:49.982 - around my neck. That's it, put it around my head, please. I think I'll do it. 00:36:51.362 --> 00:37:03.273 - I think I understand this, Jack. Then someone comes over here, right? And then they start to pull on 00:37:03.273 --> 00:37:09.406 - us. Go, like this, right, Jack? Mr. Putz. Mr. Putz. 00:41:54.370 --> 00:42:01.687 - So you need to pay attention, buddy. Come on. You might need to help him get in line. Okay. Put your 00:42:01.687 --> 00:42:08.569 - hands here and still facing in line. Hook up. Get in line in front of you. Hook up. Everybody, 00:42:08.569 --> 00:42:13.278 - hook up. Put your hands on the waist of the person ahead of you. 00:42:44.898 --> 00:42:52.250 - I want you to start pulling that way, okay? And don't break the chamber. Ready? One, two, three, 00:42:52.250 --> 00:43:00.057 - and pull. Come on. Come on. Very good, very good. Okay. All right, now come on back this way. And Gina 00:43:00.057 --> 00:43:07.789 - Graham is going to bring out a sack full of soft sculpture puppets. And you'll take one puppet out of 00:43:07.789 --> 00:43:14.686 - the sack and hold it up so everyone in the audience can see. And I want either you or they 00:43:14.946 --> 00:43:22.101 - Shout out the name of the animal, okay? Right here, we'll start right here. And you and your brother 00:43:22.101 --> 00:43:29.257 - are gonna be together. Okay, now you pick it out. And then tell us what kind of animal it is. If you 00:43:29.257 --> 00:43:36.766 - tell first, that's okay too. Okay, that's it, there it is. What is it? A lion! Okay, sit down right here. 00:44:50.978 --> 00:45:17.310 - Are you here, Dottie? Let's welcome our big friend Miss Dottie March. 00:45:54.754 --> 00:46:10.878 - I know an old lady who swallowed a fly. I know an old lady who swallowed a fly. 00:46:53.634 --> 00:47:08.446 - And no one obeyed who swallowed a bird. She calls her to swallow a bird. She swallowed the bird to catch 00:47:08.446 --> 00:47:15.358 - the spider that wiggled and jiggled and jiggled. 00:47:26.274 --> 00:47:41.985 - I know an old lady who swallowed a cat. Imagine that to swallow a cat. She swallowed the cat to catch 00:47:41.985 --> 00:47:50.302 - the bird. She swallowed the bird to catch the spider. 00:47:56.002 --> 00:48:16.599 - But I don't know why she swallowed the fly. Perhaps she'll die. I know an old lady who swallowed a dog. 00:48:16.599 --> 00:48:23.134 - What a big mom to swallow a dog. 00:48:26.690 --> 00:48:36.262 - to catch the bird, to swallow the bird, to catch the spider, that wriggled into the land. She swallowed 00:48:36.262 --> 00:48:45.649 - the spider to catch the fly, but I don't know why she swallowed the fly, for that's your line. I know 00:48:45.649 --> 00:48:48.318 - no lady who swallowed a fly. 00:49:04.450 --> 00:49:10.083 - She swallowed the dog to catch the cat. She swallowed the cat to catch the bird. She swallowed the bird 00:49:10.083 --> 00:49:15.608 - to catch the spider. That little little bird. Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! 00:49:15.608 --> 00:49:21.024 - Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! 00:49:21.024 --> 00:49:26.441 - Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! 00:49:26.441 --> 00:49:31.857 - Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! 00:49:31.857 --> 00:49:33.374 - Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! 00:49:42.146 --> 00:49:42.942 - Be careful. 00:50:17.474 --> 00:50:28.689 - To catch the bird, she swallowed the bird, to catch the spider. She swallowed the spider to catch the 00:50:28.689 --> 00:50:40.894 - fly. But I don't know why she swallowed the fly. Perhaps she'll die. I know an old lady who swallowed a horse. 00:51:33.858 --> 00:51:37.342 - I think we'll be able to do it. Ready? Okay, start pulling. 00:52:36.610 --> 00:52:51.372 - They're hand-printed sunscreen posters. We send them out each year for publicity. You've probably seen 00:52:51.372 --> 00:53:04.414 - this one around. This is this year's poster. Here's a poster that features Punch and Judy. 00:53:13.314 --> 00:53:36.314 - red. Here's the 1981 poster. It features Mr. Punch and the alligator, Toby. Here we go, this features 00:53:36.314 --> 00:53:41.726 - Mary Ann. This is 1977. 00:53:47.650 --> 00:53:59.785 - This is our 10th anniversary poster. It has a lot of nice, fine details on it. It's a really nice poster. 00:53:59.785 --> 00:54:11.463 - Well, this is the 77, and then pictures of Mary Ness. This is one of my favorites. The castle and the 00:54:11.463 --> 00:54:16.958 - archery stage. Kind of a romantic setting down. 00:54:17.730 --> 00:54:26.649 - And this is 1980. Okay, the large posters are $5, and we have some small posters that are like our new 00:54:26.649 --> 00:54:35.567 - posters, and those are $3. Okay, we have one more fabulous actor for you. She's a fabulous dancer, and 00:54:35.567 --> 00:54:44.226 - she's from Yugoslavia. She's very exotic. You're going to think she's very beautiful. Maya, are you 00:54:44.226 --> 00:54:46.910 - ready back there? She's ready. 00:54:47.298 --> 00:54:54.720 - My name is Kaya Savich Blascovich. She's very beautiful. Without any further ado, I'd like to introduce 00:54:54.720 --> 00:54:59.358 - you to Kaya Savich Blascovich and her dancing partner, Cornelia.