Sunday Inspiration: Ronnie Burkett

If ever there was sunday sermons done by Ronnie Burkett, I would be a devote acolyte and crusader of the faith. The master of puppetry would convert the world and expose the beautiful ugliness of life with morality tales attached with strings. In fact, the very word 'marionette' or little Mary, comes from medieval puppet plays, where they would reenact scene of the Passion. I was able to see Ronnie's play, Provenance, earlier this year and was converted by this intimate look at the nature of beauty. As art history is concerned, I liked the discussion of art and beauty as he humanized subjectivity instead of being something academic and scholarly. As animation goes, character design, voice, costume, gesture and theatrics all come together as you can see Ronnie literally breathe life into his characters on stage. Innovative in his techniques, expressive and passionate in his delivery, his world is fleshed out while set on the solid structure of a mature, insightful story. His newest play will be touring next year, 10 Days on Earth. You have to see him live as there is no watered down dvd version that you can buy. Here is an old but good interview with him. Also, you can buy books of his acclaimed series, the Memory Dress trilogy, here. And an additional stocking stuffer for those freakish puppet lovers, you can pick up this new book by Eileen Blumenthal.