marionette control

Mark Saunders was a graduate of the Ontario College of Art. He first worked with Kay-Heddle Marionettes and, in 1940, entered into a partnership with
Violet and David Keogh. Following the Second World War, he used his veteran's allowance to start a doll business, and once again partnered with Violet Keogh. Despite the company's success, Saunders later sold it to start Puppet Playhouse. For the company's first performance, he chose Hamlet, which was presented at Toronto's Bessborough Hall in 1947 to rave reviews. The project also caused considerable controversy, as the Ontario Board of Education felt that a puppet production of Hamlet was not worthy of Shakespeare.

Adapted from Figuratively Speaking : Puppetry in Ontario by Ken McKay, copyright 1990. Courtesy of the Ontario Puppetry Association and Ken McKay.

(Alternate name: String Puppet)

This category of puppet is controlled from above using strings. Marionettes are usually fully articulated, with strings linking the different parts of the body - head, torso, arms, legs - to a hand-held "control". Several different types of controls exist, with various degrees of complexity (vertical, horizontal, angled). Marionettes can be made of a wide range of materials: wood, paper, fabric, foam rubber, etc.

Tandem Marionette

Marionette combining two characters - sometimes more - which are usually placed side by side and attached to the same control. This type of puppet is most often used when similar characters must make identical movements; e.g., a corps de ballet.

Trick Marionette

A marionette constructed and strung in a way that allows it to perform precise and intricate activities (e.g., juggling, performing complex manoeuvres on a trapeze), or to transform (e.g., when one character changes into another). In the latter case, it should be noted that the term "transformation marionette" can also be used.