After a not so successful trip to Buckingham Palace, we made our way over to the stunning Victoria and Albert Museum. The second the museum came into view, I was astonished by its beauty. The building itself is so intricate in its design, yet so timeless that it hardly needs the details it already possesses. However, I wasn’t aware of what was waiting for me on the inside: exhibits upon exhibits of the most gorgeous and unique pieces of history I’ve ever seen. From theatre and film, jewelry, sculptures, and paintings, I felt like I hadn’t scratched the surface of all there was to see by the end.
Because I’m a nerd when it comes to theatre and film, that was the exhibit that captured me the most. As I came across the section of the exhibit about puppetry, specifically the puppetry done in the show His Dark Materials, I couldn’t help but recall the show we saw last night, War Horse. A video was playing above the costumes portrayed in the show, speaking on the nature and intricacy of puppeteering. Of course, they were speaking about the puppeteering in the show, not a performance live on stage, yet many of the aspects I found to be quite similar and applicable to the stage as well. Though I don’t know much about the world of puppetry, I felt as though I gathered some insight into the horses I saw on stage last night.
One of the things that stuck with me that I heard in the museum was the fact that when puppeteering, the head of the puppet is the most important part. During War Horse, I noticed this. The head of the horse was moving at all times, whether it be the ears slightly twitching, the head yanking back when training to plow, or even its eyeline. These little details truly do make all the difference, and assist in the audience feeling a greater connection towards the puppet, due to its such lifelike characteristics. They also mentioned this fact in the exhibit, stating that puppets have such lifelike characteristics and even “quirks” that help the actors as well, which I do think is true in War Horse. I found the acting to be very natural and real, and I do think that if the puppets hadn’t been as lifelike and realistic, the acting wouldn’t have been as realistic either. Overall, I’m so grateful for the insight I gathered from the exhibit today; my curiosity is definitely spiked even more!
-Emmy
Theatre in London U of A 