B*TCH EAT DOG
UCONN PUPPET ARTS MFA
OVERVIEW
CORE CONCEPT
Puppety sketch show exploring the question of how we can ethically pursue our desires within the context of the patriarchy.​
CONTEXT​​​​
STRUCTURE
This piece will be made up of a collection of short stories. This format will allow me to explore the concept through multiple angles. It is also thematically important to me that, in a piece about the gendered pursuit of desire, I don’t create a linear story structure that parallels the male orgasm. I’d rather my piece parallel the female orgasm and contain multiple climaxes.
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MY ROLE
Writer, director, puppet builder, set builder, lighting designer, costume designer, (potentially) sound designer, performer, and producer.
PRODUCTION
​STAGE DESIGN
The stage will contain two puppet booths. One booth will be hand-puppet-style, the other will be kamishibai-style. There are two booths both because I am using a variety of puppets, some which will be easier to operate from above and some which will be easier to operate from below, and also because this may help with reducing dead space - something can be set up in one booth while the other booth is finishing a story. There will also be table that I will use for the IUD piece. ​
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LIGHTING
I want to be able to control the lighting myself. I do not want a full stage wash because I want to be able to control the stage picture/focus. I do not want to depend upon a lighting designer because I want the piece to be able to adapt to different venues. I’ve spoken the Mike Demmers about this plan and he approved of the idea and gave me some specific advice on what instruments to purchase. Birdies will be focused on each performance station (the two puppet booths and the space in between the booths), an LED strip will be placed inside the miniature proscenium of the kamishibai-style booth, and a light on a tripod will be placed behind for shadow work. Each lighting set up will be plugged into the same power strip, which the performers can turn on and off from the stage.
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COSTUMES
Adriana Gonzalez Hernandez has offered to be my costume designer. I’ve spoken to her about pulling inspiration from drag culture, bouffon clowning, and the body morphing of Michaela Stark. I’ve also spoken to her about adding practical elements to the costumes like lights, hooks, and pockets.
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SOUND
I will be hiring a musician/foley artist who will provide live sound. The details of the sound design will be somewhat up to their creative impulse, but the general vibe will be something that isn’t highly produced. It will serve to emphasize the genre of each short story and contribute to the emotion/humor of the piece.
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PERSONNEL
3 person show: Me, a second puppeteer, and a musician​​
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VENUE
I currently have performances booked at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, Cafe 9, and Witch Bitch Thrift.​
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INDIVIDUAL PIECES
TYPICAL STORY
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PLOT SYNOPSIS
​A knight kills ogres to rescue princess. Knight and princess kiss. Baby ogre comes in crying over their dead parent. Puppeteers realize that’s no good and reset the scene. This time princess kills ogre to rescue knight. Princesses and knight kiss. Baby ogre comes in crying over their dead parent. Puppeteers realize that’s no good and reset the scene. This time princess puts down sword. Ogre and princess make peace. Baby enters, stabs princess. Baby kisses prince. Puppeteers shrug.
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PUNCH AND JUDY
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PLOT SYNOPSIS
Punch takes to the sea to kill the albino crocodile that ate his leg. Judy and the baby are his crew and he’s bossing them about, smacking Judy around. Judy decides she’s fed up with being treated this way, and summons Mephistopheles. She makes a deal with the devil to get rid of Punch once and for all. Crocodile eats Punch and in the scuffle, also eats Judy’s leg. Judy decides to take her revenge on the crocodile, takes over the ship and is bossing the baby about, smacking it around. They find the crocodile and in the ensuing fight, Judy also gets eaten. Punch and Judy keep fighting within Crocodile’s belly as baby sails off into the sunset.​
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MORE INFO INSPIRATIONAL IMAGES​
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SHRILL O METER
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PLOT SYNOPSIS
Woman at a business meeting laying out what she believes would be the best course of action for the next quarter. Strange person enters while she’s talking and sets up a Shrill o Meter. Woman says “Excuse me, hi, can I help you?” The strange person replies “oh don’t mind me” So the woman keeps going with her presentation but every time she tries to speak the Shrill o Meter goes up, the strange person’s eyes get wide, and they start moaning. Eventually the woman gets so frustrated with this person interrupting her presentation that she tells them off which breaks the Shrill o Meter and makes the strange person’s head explode. The woman is fired and arrested for manslaughter.
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MORE INFO INSPIRATIONAL IMAGES
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MIDDLEMARCH
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PLOT SYNOPSIS
Excerpt from George Eliot's Middlemarch in which two sisters negotiate who inherits their mother's jewelry and the potential immorality of coveting material possessions.
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JELLYFISH & SHARK
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PLOT SYNOPSIS
We’re underwater. Legs kick into view – someone gently treading water. Then a jellyfish floats into view. We watch the jellyfish float closer, almost hit the legs and miss, almost hit the legs and miss, almost hit the legs and then a shark swims through and tears the legs off, leaving nothing but blood in their wake.​​
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R3AL EYES SEE PAST UR PASTUERLIES
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PLOT SYNOPSIS
Satirical piece, using unpasteurized milk as a
metaphor for the unsafe practices #tradwives
advise us to consume.
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SHRIMPIES!!
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PLOT SYNOPSIS
Shrimp family has a lovely domestic scene. Suddenly a large high heel stomps into view. A woman’s voice can be heard complaining about eating horrible sushi over a phone. The shoes come toward the shrimp. One shrimp throws its body in front of the other, to protect it. The shrimp is smashed under the shoe. The woman says “oh my god gross! There’s something on my shoe!” & then cries until the person on the other end of the call agrees to buy her new shoes. She leaves. The shrimp mourn their fallen loved one.
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CAN I BE FRANK?
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PLOT SYNOPSIS
Support group in heaven for hot dog buns that are tired of sausages being shoved in them without their consent. ​​
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MORE INFO OUTLINE SKETCH​​​
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THE BIG O​
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PLOT SYNOPSIS
Woman pursues orgasm in the style of an R-rated high school comedy.
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GRANDE AND THE MONSTER
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PLOT SYNOPSIS
Ariana Grande-like hot, talented, lovely girl goes over to her friend’s house expecting a fun hang. When she arrives, what she finds is an intervention. Not for drugs or alcohol, but for her to break up with her horrible boyfriend. Her friends try to tell her that she deserves more than this guy but she denies that there’s a problem and texts her boyfriend to pick her up. Her friends say, “He’s not good for you! He’s draining you!” She doesn’t think that’s true. Her friends say, “He’s so weird – he never hangs out with us – he doesn’t even go out in the daytime – he just stays in his dark room.” She says, “He’s an introvert!” Her friends, exasperated, say, “Look, Ari, you’re gorgeous, you’re kind, you’re talented, you’re funny – you’re a freakin catch! You could be with anyone. Do you really want to be with this guy?” Ari’s about to reply when her boyfriend arrives and it’s revealed that he is literally Nosferatu. They leave together. One friend says to the other, “Well, we tried your plan.” Pulls out wooden stake “Now it’s my turn”
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​SOME SLIGHT PRESSURE
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PLOT SYNOPSIS
Satirical piece about the pain of having an
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FAIRYTALE
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PLOT SYNOPSIS
Once upon a time there was a queen who was very worried about her subjects. This queen had a nervous habit of pulling out her hair and eating it. One day she pulled out a strand of hair and found a crying baby head attached to the end. The baby started making demands of the queen and she felt compelled to obey even though she knew the demands would hurt the kingdom. This went on until her daughter, the princess, figured out that they could lift the curse if the queen slowly ate the baby. The princess snuck a bit of baby into the queen's breakfast and suddenly the queen felt it was possible to say no to the creature’s demands. And so, for the rest of her days, the queen had a bit of baby with her breakfast. And they lived happily ever after.
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MORE INFO SCRIPT​​ SKETCH & INSPIRATION IMAGES​​​
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in between scenes
APOLOGETIC HOST
Man who didn’t think he’d be hosting this show tonight. Really doesn’t think it’s the right fit considering the feminist themes. Is very apologetic about the space he’s taking up but also very knowledgeable about feminism and the themes represented in the show.
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OYSTERS
I'm referencing Moby Dick in my Punch and Judy adaptation. My favorite quote from Moby Dick is
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"Methinks that in looking at things spiritual, we are too much like oysters observing the sun through the water, and thinking that thick water the thinnest of air."
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While Melville is clearly talking about religion, I feel like this quote can be applied to any number of phenomenon that quietly cloud the air we breath, including the patriarchy. I would like to establish this idea and then create a chorus of obtuse oysters (foot operated puppets) who comment on the pieces. ​​​
PERSONAL MOTIVATION
(cw: sexual assault)
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Artists and activists frequently talk about how achieving equal representation within the existing power structure isn’t enough, how we must dismantle the structure entirely. I’ve seen this argument presented on a macro level many times. What I haven’t seen much of, is what this means on a micro level – what this means for people making small, personal decisions. I think that this is worth exploring, both because it’s a hard question to answer and because these small decisions can have an enormous impact.
When I was in undergrad I was sexually assaulted by multiple men. Upon reflection, I have realized that a lack of self-care may have contributed to the circumstances that led to these violations. While the men who assaulted me saw their desire as their top priority, I tended to regard my own desires as unimportant. This is an aspect of rape culture that isn't widely discussed. People witness women allowing themselves to be used and blame women's lack of self-respect. What they don't talk about is how we've taught women that the best thing they can be is useful.
Once I noticed this pattern, I wanted to break it, but I found it difficult. I didn’t want to swing so far in the other direction that I became one of the men who assaulted me. I started discussing it with other women and discovered that this story isn't just mine. I realized that this pattern repeats itself across generations and circumstance. I decided that this was something worth sharing, but I wasn't sure how. I've been toying with this concept for the past 5 years. Now that I've found the right format, I am passionate about telling this story the best that I can. Hopefully, this dialogue will contribute to a chorus of feminist voices that will one day be strong enough to drown out the patriarchy.