Puppet Technology: Online Video Course

Do you want to get a deep understanding of wooden marionettes? Do you want to learn how a professional marionette builder creates professional-quality joints and technology? Then this is the workshop for you! Join Mirek Trejtnar, author of the acclaimed new book, Puppet Technology, and make a fully-carved wooden marionette using techniques that have been developed over centuries. The course is structured with new videos that go with the book AND regular consultations with Mirek on Zoom. Following the chapters in Mirek's book, you will go through the entire process of design, technical drawings, making puppet joints, carving, assembly and stringing. You will transform your designs into expressive, highly functional marionettes. At the end, you will know the secrets of excellent craftsmanship. At the beginning of each month from October - April, you will get access to pre-recorded videos made in Mirek's workshop that will give you close-up views of all techniques and allow you to work at your own pace. These will be complemented by bi-weekly Zoom consultations. The consultations with Mirek will be offered at different times to accommodate all time zones. The course will preserve the individual, personal approach that Puppets in Prague is well known for, while the pre-recorded videos will make the course accessible to people around the world. By the end of the course, you will have the skills to continue to develop your work in this magical, centuries-old art form. Students will need to have access to chisels, wood, and basic woodworking tools. This will be explained in our free introductory course on September 15. This is an excellent class for designers, woodcarvers , and anyone interested in puppetry design. Students should be comfortable working on their own and have some experience working with wood. If you have any questions, please email us at puppetsinprague@gmail.com.