Puppet Shows

 

Article from The New FCSN Times

Issue #22: October/November/December 2011

Stories by Marionette Puppets : by Christy Daniels


The chapel-theater of the New Hope Community Church filled up with the clients of FCSN. There was lots of juggling and jockeying of seats. A special interpreter’s lamp was set up so that hands of the interpreter could be seen by the deaf clients. Then the lights slowly dimmed, and all eyes turned to the front and focused on the unique puppet stage, reminiscent of the “Sound of Music”… and the magic began. Music, song and story filled the room and the audience was captivated into the marionette version of Grimm’s fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel”.

As in Grimm’s version brother and sister, Hansel and Gretel found themselves hungry and lost in the forest. They were beguiled by the candy cottage, dancing brooms and exploding oven, but through it all the two siblings faced and overcame their nemesis, the wicked witch. The sound track featured music from Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera and delightful jokes and fun repartee in the dialogue.

Hansel & Gretel in the woods

Hansel convinces Gretel to snack

on the gingerbread house

Laurie, Don, KO, Maureen and John Byron enjoyed the puppet show

The wicked witch caught Hansel & Gretel

In December, the same magic was re-created in the ever charming Christmas favorite, “Nutcracker”. Music, jokes, special effects and fun all had the FCSN audience mesmerized.

After the show our FCSN audience had the pleasure of being introduced to each marionette puppet and were shown how the puppets talked, walked and danced on the special strings ingeniously designed and crafted by Pastor Steve’s father. This puppet show is formally known as the “National Puppet Theatre” and is the creation and vision of Pastor Steve’s father since 1950.


As a child and throughout his youth, Steve Norman was trained, tutored and mentored by his father in the now fading art of marionette puppets. Instead of being out playing
or hanging out with his friends, he often found himself in the puppet workshop sanding or polishing a puppet. Each puppet was made unique for its role (only occasionally did a puppet moonlight into a different story). Music and story were very professionally recorded on the big-reel tapes and dialogue and choreography were rehearsed to perfection. One of Pastor Steve’s earliest memories as a young child is being put into an open puppet trunk and waking up with all the puppets packed around him in the trunk. As a youth Pastor Steve would travel with his father and family to perform

perform at various schools, fairs, theaters and even on television. Ingeniously constructed, the stage, puppets and music were quickly and easily set up and broken down to fit in their vehicle. Reaching out to the youth was a priority and often the older students from schools were invited to help set up the staging for the performance. Puppet jokes and camaraderie helped the students feel wanted and accepted as they

performed their service in setting up for the show. Early in 1990, as Pastor Steve’s father retired from performing, the puppets were retired as well. Years later in 2008 the puppets were given to one of Steve’s daughters as a wedding present. To bring the puppets out of retirement required lots of work. They had to be sanded and painted again, their parts and costumes restored and strings re-attached. The old tape reels needed to be restored by transcribing the dialog and the music and dialog re-recorded and digitalized. It was a lot of work, but there was great enjoyment as each set of puppet stories were restored and the performing began.


In 2008, when Pastor Steve’s daughter and husband went on a Christian Mission in Austria, the puppets were again temporarily retired. As a new Pastor at New Hope Community Church, Pastor Steve and his wife were searching for a way to reach out to the community and let them know they were there. In a moment of inspiration they turned to their family legacy and decided to reach out to the community through the charming marionette puppets. He now has been the Pastor for New Hope Community Church for three years. The puppet shows have become a connection to inviting people to come at the church. They are programs full of fun and interest for the whole family.

They now feature four marionette puppet shows: ”Hansel and Gretel”, “The Nutcracker”, “Peter and the Wolf “and another on the Circus. Pastor Steve has “tweaked” some of the story lines of the fairytales to make them less scary, or more morally appropriate for the learning and enjoyment of the audiences he performs to.

Fondly, Pastor Steve Norman stated his favorite audiences are the clients of FCSN! He loves to try out his shows on our FCSN audience because they get their jokes and laugh at the right places. He appreciates the manners of FCSN clients and….he sends his best greetings to all, along with his appreciation for FCSN being great guinea pigs and for letting him perform to an appreciative audience for dress rehearsals!

 

Pastor Steve & Raymond

Pastor Steve’s favorite audiences- FCSN students & teachers

For the Love of Puppets!

by Jennifer LeBrun

On Friday, October 28, 2011, the FCSN East Bay center enjoyed a puppet show right next door at New Hope Church. Pastor Steve Norman wowed the audience with the classic Hansel and Gretel. The show included several puppets with colorful backdrops and even special effects and lighting. The gingerbread cottage was intricately decorated which made it seem that much more real. The students were amazed and watched the show intently.


Pastor Steve began putting on puppet shows when he was just six years old with his family. Today, it is still a family affair. His wife has been joining in on the shows for the past year now. His daughter and son-in-law do all the dialogue including the singing which is prerecorded and played during the show.

After the show, Pastor Steve had a question-and-answer session where the students got to ask questions about the show and his puppets. One of the questions was how long i t takes Pastor Steve to make one puppet. His answer- at least 2 months! That is certainly a lot of dedication. We also learned that there are several different types of puppets including marionette, hand, and shadow puppets. Pastor Steve specializes in marionette puppeteering, such as Hansel and Gretel. Each puppet is controlled by 9 strings which allow the puppets to be moved more naturally. The puppets used during this play were just a Hansel fraction of Pastor Steve’s 200+ hand-made puppet collection.


On December 16th, FCSN was invited back to see Pastor Steve’s Christmas performance of The Nutcracker. We journeyed to the “land of sweets” to see dancers, mice, and ballerinas dance across the stage. When the Rat King uses his cannon which did actually work & created a tremendous noise! What a surprise treat!! The puppets were spectacular with vibrant colors and were brought to life by Pastor Steve’s expert puppetry. It was a great way to kick off the holiday season!

 

Excited FCSN students waiting to see the puppet show.

Clara

The Rat King uses his cannon.

FCSN students and staff are very grateful to Pastor Steve for inviting us to view both Hansel and Gretel and the Nutcracker. Thanks a lot, Pastor Steve!!









“Thanks a lot, Pastor Steve!!” FCSN students shouted!