Bloodthirsty fiends : an exploration of puppet fabrication and Beowulf

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dc.contributor.advisorGlavan, James
dc.creatorReid, Alison Jo
dc.date.accessioned2017-06-19T21:15:09Z
dc.date.available2017-06-19T21:15:09Z
dc.date.issued2017-05
dc.date.submittedMay 2017
dc.date.updated2017-06-19T21:15:09Z
dc.description.abstractThis Graduate Thesis in Costume Technology is an exploration of Beowulf through puppet technology. Working with a playwright and a team of composers and designers, I mounted an original play, “Bloodthirsty Fiends,” as part of the Cohen New Works Festival at the University of Texas at Austin in April 2017. For the production of “Bloodthirsty Fiends” I designed and constructed a twenty-two inch tall marionette of Beowulf, a four foot tall puppet of Grendel and a nine foot tall walk-around puppet of Grendel’s Mother. Additionally, I created shadow puppets using a laser cutter. By combining old construction methods, such as sculpting and molding, with new techniques, such as laser cutting, this project aimed to find a better way to create large and small scale puppets. “Bloodthirsty Fiends” reimagined the character of Beowulf by questioning the motives and heroism behind his quest for glory. This was accomplished by creating a new script with original music composed and performed by the string quartet, Invoke. This new script developed the motivation behind Grendel’s Mother’s quest for vengeance, giving her agency and character unseen in the original text of Beowulf. In this play, all monsters and men were presented as bloodthirsty fiends. This new interpretation of Beowulf culminated in a scarier and more sympathetic interpretation of Grendel’s Mother, as portrayed by a larger-than-life walk-around puppet.
dc.description.departmentTheatre and Dance
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifierdoi:10.15781/T2707WV0V
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2152/47273
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectCostume technology
dc.subjectCostumes
dc.subjectPuppet
dc.subjectMarionette
dc.subjectWalk-around
dc.subjectTheatre
dc.subjectTheater
dc.subjectLaser cutter
dc.subjectBeowulf
dc.subjectGrendel
dc.subjectGrendel's mother
dc.subjectPuppet technology
dc.subjectPuppet design
dc.subjectTheatre puppets
dc.subjectShadow puppets
dc.subjectLarger-than-life puppets
dc.titleBloodthirsty fiends : an exploration of puppet fabrication and Beowulf
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialtext
thesis.degree.departmentTheatre and Dance
thesis.degree.disciplineTheatre
thesis.degree.grantorThe University of Texas at Austin
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Fine Arts

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