Teacher’s Guide

for
Icarus Puppet Company
programs

The Crane Daughter

Written by: Rosemary Tyrrell
 A Teacher’s Guide
To
Icarus Puppet Company

Written by: Rosemary Tyrrell

This program is funded in part by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, the Organizational
Support Program of the California Arts Council, a State Agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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 Introduction
Icarus Puppet Company presents The Crane Daughter, a play with puppets. This performance is an original
play based on a Japanese legend performed in a Japanese Bunraku inspired style. Time permitting, students
will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about puppetry after the performance.

About Icarus Puppet Company

Icarus Puppet Company is dedicated to enriching the lives of children and adults by providing exciting cultural
and educational programs. All original plays celebrate the power of the individual and explore universal values.
Icarus Puppet Company embraces puppetry as a form of serious theatre and invites the audience to join in the
experience. We blend many forms to create programs that are dynamic and theatrical.

Icarus Puppet Company believes that arts are: an integral part of a total community; the building blocks of a
complete education; and a critical component of a well-rounded person. In all its programs, Icarus Puppet
Company strives to broaden the perspective of the individual served and to cultivate a life-long appreciation of
the arts.

As San Diego’s only non-profit professional puppet company, Icarus Puppet Company does over 200 programs
a year in area schools and arts centers. In additional to theatrical plays with puppets, Icarus Puppet Company
teaches numerous classes and workshops, and presents exciting guest artists each season.

About Bunraku
Bunraku is the classic puppet theatre of Japan. Although other forms
of puppetry have existed alongside it, Bunraku has been the most
commonly known. Japan's greatest playwright Chikamatsu
Monzaemon wrote the most famous puppet plays in the 17th century,
which are still performed today. The live theatre style of Kabuki
borrowed stories, music and movement styles from the Bunraku
puppet theatre.

Bunraku puppets are three to four feet tall. The head, hands and feet
are carved from cherry wood. A wooden plate supports the head, and
is padded with loofa sponges to form the shoulders. The rest of the
body is mostly shaped by the costume, usually an elaborate kimono, or
robe; or if the character is a warrior, full armor.

In traditional Bunraku each puppet is performed by three puppeteers:

the principal puppeteer manipulates the puppet's head and right arm;
the first assistant controls the left hand of the puppet; and the second
assistant, usually an apprentice, is responsible for the movement of the
feet. The lead puppeteer is dressed in a special kimono. The
assistants are dressed in black, and wear a hood. This custom is said to have inspired the costume of the Ninja;
and it is common around the world for puppeteers to wear black.

In traditional Bunraku, the narration and dialogue are all spoken by a joruri, or storyteller, who sits on a
platform at the side of the stage. He speaks for all the puppets using different voices and explains the action as
it takes place. Behind him are several samisen players who accompany the performance with their music.
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A Bunraku stage has various levels and sliding screens to represent different locales in the world of the play.
Our stage has on the first level, and the screens we use do not move. The screens were patterned after a
traditional Japanese form of three paneled screen. The screens were painted by a theatre artist in Los Angeles.

A typical Bunraku puppet troupe is mostly male. Each member of the troupe is a specialist: there are
puppeteers; the joruri; the samisen players; the head carvers; the body makers; the wigmakers; the costumers;
the prop men; etc. Each person has his specific job, which he begins learning as a young man, and he does that
job for the rest of his career as a puppeteer, which customarily will be the rest of his life.

Puppets for The Crane Daughter

The puppets used in The Crane Daughter are a bit different
from traditional Bunraku puppets. First, there are only two
performers in the entire show, so each puppet has one
puppeteer, and the puppets must be very lightweight. In
order to accomplish this, we made the puppets' heads from
papier maché, an ancient invention of the Chinese. The
faces were sculpted in clay after traditional Bunraku
characters; then the clay was covered in liquid rubber and
cheesecloth to make an exact mold of the sculpture. This
was then cut in two pieces and covered in plaster to help the
flexible rubber mold keep its shape.

After we removed the mold from the clay we covered the

inside with layers of paper strips dipped in glue. The two
halves of the papier maché head were then joined, dried for
several days, and painted.

Another difference is the bodies of our puppets were carved

from polyfoam, a modern material often used for puppets.
By doing this, the puppet's body keeps the costume from
collapsing, and there are arms and legs to help the puppet's
movements seem more real.

The costumes for our puppets are traditional. Each puppet wears two kimonos: the Old Woman's were made
from actual kimonos imported from Japan; the Daughter's were patterned after a child's kimono, and crane
decorations were cut from another kimono and appliquéd to the puppet's kimono. The costumes were designed
and created by a professional costumer.

The puppeteers are visible to the audience and dressed in black. Using this style of puppetry, the puppeteer’s
face is visible. The emotions being felt by the puppets are reflected by the expression on the performer’s face.
Most audiences find the addition of performer’s face increases the emotional impact of the play.

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About The Crane Daughter
The Crane Daughter is an ancient legend, a favorite of the children of Japan. An old woman gathering kindling
to sell in the village comes upon a wounded crane caught in a trap, probably set by a poacher, or even the
Shogun. Risking her own safety, the old woman frees the crane. As the bird flies away, the old woman returns
to her labor with a light heart.

Later, a blizzard swirls up, covering the land with high snow drifts. Trudging through the storm, a young girl
stumbles onto the same old woman's cottage, and asks for shelter. The old woman agrees, and they settle in to
wait out the storm. For several days, the weather spirits keep blowing, and the old woman cannot go out to
gather her kindling. She fears she will run out of food; but each day there is exactly enough rice for the meal!

After the storm breaks, the young girl thanks the old woman and asks if she
can repay her kindness by weaving cloth the old woman can sell in the village.
The girl must work behind a screen, and warns the old woman never to look
behind the screen. The old woman promises not to look, and the girl begins to
weave a beautiful piece of brocade fabric, which she then gives to the old
woman to sell. The local Daimyo, the head of the village, eagerly buys the
fabric for a very generous sum, and the woman rushes home again with food
and more thread. A second time, the girl weaves, and this time the fabric is
even more beautiful. The Daimyo pays generously for the fabric, and the old
woman rushes home with gifts and bounty.

As they celebrate their new fortune, the girl says she has come to love the
woman, asks if she can become her daughter. The old woman has wished for
a daughter, and as they have come to love each other, a new family is made.

That night, as the daughter weaves again behind the screen, the old woman
finds she can no longer restrain her curiosity. Forgetting her promise to her
daughter, she peeks behind the screen -- but what she sees is so surprising she knocks the screen over -- and a
magnificent crane is revealed, weaving its own feathers into the fabric on the loom! The old woman, realizing
she has broken her promise, fears the crane. But the crane is the very one the old woman saved from the trap.
The crane tells her, however, that she must now leave, and flies away, leaving the old woman with final piece of
fabric, a magnificent brocade, which the old woman keeps in remembrance of the daughter she loved.

Each year the old woman returns to the nesting site of the cranes. She destroys any trap she finds so the cranes
will be safe ever after.

Tancho, the Red Crowned Crane

Tancho is the name for the red crowned crane which lives on various islands of Japan. The crane is a
symbol for many aspects of life, including longevity, fidelity, good luck, peace, and good fortune.
There is a legend in Japan that if one wishes for something, and then folds 1,000 cranes in the
traditional paper folding style of origami, the wish will come true. It was long considered bad luck to
kill one of the magnificent creatures; only the Shogun dared to hunt them.

Tancho mate for life, and return each year to the same nesting grounds. One of the areas to which the
cranes return each year is a wooded mountainside on the island of Hokkaido, near the village of Kuchiro.
Each winter as the snow covers the ground, the mated pairs of cranes fly away from the icy rivers and
snowy mountainsides. This is the setting for our performance.
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Preparing Students for the Play
Many students may be seeing live theatre for the first time. This is an excellent opportunity to learn appropriate
audience behavior. In our video driven society many children have not yet learned how an audience is
supposed to behave at a live performance. (Sometimes adults in the audience seem to have forgotten, too!)
Just like the classroom, respect is a key component of being a good audience member. In order for everyone to
get the best show possible, the children must show respect for other audience members and for the performers.
Noise and restlessness can destroy the funniest line, the most engaging scene, or the best visual moment.

Please prepare the students for the performance by teaching them a few simple things about good audience
manners:
1. The audience has an important job. It’s the job of the audience to sit quietly and to respond at the
appropriate time and in the appropriate manner.
2. It’s not okay to talk during the show. When you talk during the play others can’t hear. More
importantly, we can hear you! While the people on TV can’t hear you when you talk, we can and it
distracts the performers.
3. Give your attention to the play. You’ll enjoy the play more if you pay attention and save your
questions for after the performance.

Sometimes the students can become over prepared. Don’t allow a long list of “don’ts” take all the fun out of the
event. Remember, the students will always model the teachers’ behavior. If the teachers give the show their
full attention, the students will follow their example.

Links to the California Performing Arts Standards for Theatre

Artistic Perception Component
This production meets Goal #2 in allowing students to observe the production and respond to it. Consider
asking students to reflect on the types of puppet used, how the puppets were used to tell the story, and how the
actors interacted with the puppets.

Historical and Cultural Context Component

This production also meets Goal #7 in allowing students to investigate major themes and styles of theatre in
different cultures. Discuss Japanese theatre forms and traditions.

Aesthetic Valuing Component

The production also meets Goal #8 in allowing students to develop and use criteria for judging and evaluating
formal productions. Ask students to share their favorite scenes and explain why they liked them.

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 Meeting the State Arts Standards
Icarus Puppet Company Programs meet the State Arts Standards for
Theatre in the following ways:
Artistic Perception:
o Icarus Puppet Company productions provide students an opportunity to observe a theatrical production.
o Students can identify animate or inanimate objects, observe and describe the traits of character, and
analyze character motive.
o Students can discuss the work they have seen using the vocabulary of theatre such as imagination,
puppetry, actor, character, audience, set, and play.

Creative Expression:
o Icarus Puppet Company performances incorporate theatre, music, and visual arts.
o Productions utilize a dynamic art form for expression and to dramatize works of literature.
o Students experience professional performers who are demonstrating skills in acting, directing, and script
writing.
o Productions include a wide range of puppetry styles, which all have specific technical requirements. In
addition, productions may include lighting, sound effects, and special effects.
o The Teacher’s Guide to Programs provides lesson materials to help students create their own puppets
and puppet plays.

Historical and Cultural Context:

o Plays are based on world literature wherein the country of origin is researched not only for subject
matter, but for design concepts and elements as well.
o The Teacher’s Guide to Programs provides an historic and cultural context for all productions and
includes lesson materials on the culture of origin from the production.
o Icarus Puppet Company productions explore folklore and literature from many cultures, including:
Japan, China, Haiti, Africa, Ireland, and Mexico.
o Students can identify universal themes from stories from different cultures.

Aesthetic Valuing:
o A performance by Icarus Puppet Company allows students to describe, analyze, interpret and derive
meaning from the production they have seen.
o Performances include a question and answer period where students can learn more about the art form,
the production and ask critical questions about what they have seen.
o Teachers are provided with guides that allow them to lead students in discussions, write about the
experience, and derive meaning from what they have seen.
o Students can judge the quality of the performance, costumes, scenery, and puppets.
o Students are given the opportunity to respond with appropriate audience behavior.
o Student can identify the message or moral of the production.

Connections, Relations, Applications:

o Productions explore a wide variety of themes that can be used to connect to other subject matters, such
as: recovering from loss, nonviolent conflict resolution and keeping promises.
o The Teacher’s Guide to Programs provides many opportunities to link the program to other subject areas
such as geography, vocabulary, reading, and writing.
o Students may demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively by exhibiting appropriate audience
behavior.

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 Glossary of Terms
appliqué - decorations sewn onto the surface of a garment

brocade - rich fabric woven with a raised design

Bunraku - traditional Japanese puppet theatre

Daimyo - lord of a region of Japan, vassal to the Shogun

Hokkaido - one of the islands of Japan, noted for tancho nesting areas
on the north end

joruri - narrator of Bunraku performances

Kabuki - stylistic Japanese theatre, inspired by Bunraku

kimono - Japanese robe, often made up of several layers

kodo - Japanese lute, similar to samisen

Kuchiro - fishing village on the island of Hokkaido, near tancho

nesting grounds

Kyogen - Japanese dance theatre form

loofa - sponge made from dried gourd; used to build up shoulders on Bunraku puppets

Ninja - "invisible" warriors of the Shogun; their black costume was borrowed from Bunraku theatre

Nó - Japanese theatre form, performed with masks and dance

origami - traditional art of paper folding; taught to Japanese children before school age

papier maché - ancient art of sculpture with paper and glue; probably invented by the Chinese

samisen - traditional, 3 stringed Japanese lute; samisen orchestras accompany Bunraku performances

Samurai - ancient tradition of the warrior; Samurai were the ruling class in medieval Japan; the Shogun was
chosen from their ranks

Shogun - Emperor of Japan in medieval times

tancho - Japanese name for the red crowned crane of Asia; Japanese species are unique to the islands of that
country

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Recommended Resources
Adachi, Barbara, Backstage at the Bunraku.

Baird, Bil, The Art of the Puppet.

Batchelder, Marjorie, The Puppet Theatre Handbook.

Batchelder, Marjorie and Virginia Lee Comer, Puppets & Plays.

Currell, David, Learning With Puppets.

Currell, David, The Complete Book of Puppetry.

Davis, Jed and Mary Jane Larson Watkins, Children's Theatre.

Engler, Larry and Carol Fijan, Making Puppets Come Alive.

Fettig, Hansjürgen (English version by Susanne Forster and John Wright), Glove and Rod Puppets.

Fettig, Hansjürgen (English version by Rene Baker), Rod Puppets and

Table-Top Puppets.

Finch, Christopher and Justine Strasberg, Jim Henson, The Works.

Fluegelman, Andrew, The New Games Book.

Fluegelman, More New Games.

Keene, Donald, Bunraku: The Art of the Japanese Puppet Theatre.

Lasky, Kathryn, Puppeteer!

Spolin, Viola, Improvisation for the Theatre.

Stalberg, Roberta Helmer, China’s Puppets.

Wright, John, Rod, Shadow and Glove.

Internet Resources:

Bunraku Japanese Puppetry Theatre – trackstar.hprtec.org/main/display.php3?option=text&track_id=4812

(a long, complicated name – but well worth a look!)

How to make a puppet – mahoroba.ne.jp/~bunraku/seisa-e.htm

Musee Suisse de la Marionette – mcnet.ch/marionettes/welcome.htm

The Puppetry Home Page – sagecraft.com/puppetry/

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Classroom Activities
Puppet Day – Children enjoy bringing their own puppets to school to share with others. You can use this
opportunity to discuss the many different kinds of puppets. A few common types of puppets are:
- Hand or glove puppet. This is the best known kind of puppet, worn on the hand.
- Marionette or string puppet. This is also a well-known puppet, with strings attached to specific
places to move the marionette. The best-known marionette is Pinocchio.
- Hand and mouth puppet. This is the kind of puppet with a moving mouth popularized in this
country by Jim Henson. A well-known mouth puppet is Kermit the Frog.
- Rod puppet. This puppet is held up with a rod, which attaches to the head. Often there are also
rods attached to the hands.
- Shadow puppet. This is basically a flat rod puppet, which is operated on a screen with a light
behind. The audience sees only the shadow of the puppet. Puppeteers also sometimes use 3-D
objects, people in masks, and even their hands to create shadows during a show.
- Body puppet. These are the large “walk around” type puppets seen in amusement parks. The
puppeteer is enclosed entirely in the body of the puppet. A well-known body puppet is Big Bird.
- Finger puppet. This is a small puppet worn on one finger.

Explore the Show – After the performance, a discussion of the play helps illuminate the experience. Students
can be asked to share a variety of ideas:
- Favorite moments. Explain why they enjoyed them.
- Confusing moments. Ask questions about segments they may not have completely understood.
- Special effects. Analyze how a special effect was achieved. Perhaps even recreate the effect!

Draw the Experience –Allow children to draw their favorite scenes immediately after viewing the performance.
The immediacy of the experience can be captured in this way and details can be recalled. This can also
lead to a discussion of the play. Children can also draw pictures of their favorite character or puppet.

Rewrite the Ending – Ask students to rewrite the ending of the play to suit themselves. This can lead to a
discussion of the moral of the story and gives the opportunity to explore why the play ended as it did.

Explore Cultural Links - Fold an origami crane or other creature. Read about the art forms of Japan, including
Bunraku, origami, kodo and samisen, Nó, Kabuki, Kyogen, etc. Listen to traditional Japanese music.

Make Puppets - Make puppets of different kinds. Give your puppet a name and decide what its voice sounds
like, how it moves (Does it walk, run dance, hop, crawl? Is it slow or fast? etc.), what it does (Does it
go to school or work? etc.). Experiment with your puppet.

Play with Feelings – Puppets can help children explore feelings and emotions. Sometimes sharing feelings is
too threatening to children, but puppets can do it for them! Explore all the things a puppet can do:
- Puppets can use another voice.
- Puppets can be bigger, stronger, braver, smarter, funnier, and sillier than we are.
- Puppets can view the world from a different point of view.
- Puppets can replay something that happened.
- Puppets can help work out problems.
- Puppets can help us improvise things from our own experience.

Create Your Own Puppet Play – Act out a favorite story with puppets you make. Improvise a story, using your
bodies, voices and puppets. Paste up a picture of two people talking. Have student imagine what they
are talking about. Use this as the beginning of scene building.
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 Making a Scarf Marionette

1. Fold over 1/3 of square scarf.

2. Push the Center of the Fold
through the hold in a 1¾“ – 2¼“
object (wooden balls are
illustrated), which will be the head
of the puppet.
3. Approximately 2” from corner of
scarf, push fabric through a 1”–
¼“ object, which will be puppet’s
hand. Repeat for other hand.
4. Push the bottom corner of the
fabric through a 1” – 1 ¼ “ object,
which will be the puppet’s foot.
Repeat for the other foot.
5. Using tiny brads, or pin heads,
place the side-of-the-head tying
post on the vertical axis, slightly
above the horizontal axis. Repeat
on the opposite side.
6. Using tiny brads, or pin heads,
place the back-of-the-head tying
post on the vertical axis, slightly
below the horizontal axis.
7. The control bar is made from ¼”
dowels: 12” – 15” x 9” – 11”.
Drill a 1/16” hole through the
front end (A) parallel to the floor.
8. Tie strings to the head posts and
then to points B, C and D on
control bar. Then tie a long string
to one hand. Pass it through hole
at point A and tie it to the other
hand. When the control bar is
held parallel to floor the puppet’s
hands should be slightly raised.

When construction is completed, put on some music and begin to explore the puppet’s potentials. Do
consider the fact that a marionette is a pendulum. It works with gravity, not against it.

Albrecht Roser, renowned as one of the world’s finest marionettists, designed this simple marionette.

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