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Third Annual Puppetry From There to HERE
by artists from the The Eugene O'Neill National Puppetry Conference
at HERE
New York, NY
Janurary 20, 2001
reviewed by Donald Devet

Look directly into a bright light. Now close your eyes. The light is still there, burned into your retina-- the famous latent image. If the image is strong and bright it will have made a lasting impression, like the impression made by these images from last year's O'Neill summer conference:

These images still remain burned on my memory after almost two months. Why? Granted, the imagery was strong, but the themes behind the images were even stronger: finding true love, maintaining balance, facing one's fears, and on and on. These are serious themes that were handled in a mature and intelligent manner by puppeteers who understand how to explore these themes using puppetry.

The O'Neill summer conference began three years ago, and this year's crop of skits represents the strongest yet. The conference provides two things that puppeteers in this country have needed for a long time: a nuturing environment, free of commercialism, in which ideas can incubate, and time for these ideas to mature. If you're looking to jump start your creative energies, consider spending part of your summer at the O'Neill and creating some latent images of your own.

Copyright © 2001 Donald Devet


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