"The Puppeteer within you will enhance your life" (Penny Francis 2009)

After a bad day at school I wasn't looking forward to yet another lecture/demonstration. However as soon as Penny Francis entered the room my spirits lifted. She literally had a a twinkle in her eye. She was Mary Poppins-esque. She talked about her trade as if she was talking about an old friend. How long they had known each other, the experiences they'd had together, the high lights and low lights of their friendship and all with the care and respect that an old friend would deserve. It was bloody fantastic.

I have always been interested in Puppetry. I have dabbled in the past.. But Penny Francis reminded me of what a full time art Puppetry is. The skill involved is obvious. A true Puppeteer is almost invisible - all of their life and being is projected into the puppet. So, in that way all the work, effort and skill can be overlooked and outshone by the puppet. I couldn't wait to get stuck in. Penny's love and devotion made me want to..

"...Dance with your coat stand, chat to your old teddy, flirt with your best overcoat or curse the devil in your computer." (Penny Francis 2009)

A Puppeteer can create life. A Puppeteer can bring an object to life in a second. The possibilities are endless, and exciting. After the lecture demonstration I went home feeling like I was a eight years old again when my closest friend was a toy dog called Bun. I remembered Bun tap dancing. He often used to tap dance, I don't know why but that's just what he used to do. His feet were made of plastic compared to his soft toy body so they used to make a satisfactory noise on my bedroom floor. The object's material and existence informs it's character and personality. He was also French, again I am not sure why, there just must be some French in his stuffing. He was bought for 10p from a car boot sale, so he must of had a bit of a past. Maybe a sordid French romance? Who knows. When I got home and I was unwinding in front of the T.V I spotted my housemates toy monkey. A present from an ex-boyfriend the monkey had little monkey boxer shorts on and a dirty expression. After years of silence dirty monkey told my housemate exactly what he thought of him. He was obviously still loyal to the ex-boyfriend.