Reviews
Rapid River
Article: by Peter Carver
Asheville’s Arts and Culture Monthly
August 2003The Anatomy of Melancholy
Unusual Adult Puppetry Show
Promises to be a scenic feast.In its heart of hearts, theatre seeks to transfer honesty from the performer to the audience. That connection, in its many thousands of forms, is the backbone of a craft that dates back to ancient ritual. Trying to harness this elusive energy, this science, can drive an artist mad. Theatre thinkers around the globe wake up every day searching for the best way to share human essence with their audience. A great artist taps into the vein with the best connection and pulls.
In what could very well be the definitive work of her career, Pamella O’Connor has uncovered a unique audience/performer relationship. Her Anatomy of Melancholy is adult puppet theatre. In it, the bunraku-esque puppeteer is dressed in standard black and handling the puppet, but is unashamedly unmasked, adding an intercessor to the audience/actor tango.
The puppet is unassuming and primitive, and as he moves, he demands attention. All the nuts and bolts are showing. The movement is so simple and necessary that at times it can be as transfixing as watching a colt take to feet. This is not a puppet that O’Connor creates, but one she assists. This Everyman leads the audience to many deep wells of melancholy, both happy and sad, and becomes an unlikely hero. And the audience walks away with an identifiable friend.
How O’Connor crystallized this tasty scenario is more than anyone’s guess, but no one can deny that her vision emerged from varied experience. When she looks back at the trail that has led her to “the Anatomy of Melancholy,” she almost sees a circle. “Life is strange, where it takes you,” she admits.
Her roundabout tightrope-walk through the theatre world and into adult puppetry confirms that if anything, artists must follow their heart and respect intuition. Her career took off as an Equity actor in the Atlanta theatre scene of the late 70’s. She worked at the Alliance Theatre and popped around regionally as well, performing at Indiana Rep, Arkansas Rep and Santa Barbara Repertory Theatre. After mincing her valuable experiences as an actor, O’Connor turned to directing, and finally, producing.
As a producer, she left her mark on Atlanta Theatre with such popular and artistic successes as Rocky Horror, Live, Megan’s Moving Sale, and Tommy, the Rock Opera. The succession from actor to director to producer happened naturally enough, and she did not question the progression. Still, it left her feeling dissatisfied and hungry for something more. “I never hide,” she says.
Much has been documented on O’Connor’s beginnings in puppet theatre and her six formative years working with Janie Geiser and the Jottay Theatre, here and in Europe. Geiser introduced O’Connor to puppetry, and she worked first as a voice for a puppet, then as a puppeteer. O’Connor fell in love with the craft and went on to work with such internationally respected puppetry artist as Ping Chong and Eno Podehl. She performed in productions at the Henson International Puppetry Festival, the Kennedy Center and Spoleto USA.
In 1996, Asheville lured O’Connor with its diverse arts scene and its undeniable spirituality. She helped found the Asheville Puppetry Alliance and led workshops throughout the region. Partly as a means to develop her income, she turned to children’s puppetry and created productions of Rapunzel and Vasalisa! The Russian Cinderella and toured them throughout the region. The work was healthy and successful; both productions showed at the Piccolo Spoleto Theatre Series. Over time, her work with children re-energized her adult efforts. “All puppetry is memories worn down to the essence, like poetry” she explains.
The Aug. 14-16 performances of “the Anatomy of Melancholy” at the Diana Wortham Theatre represent the culmination of a three-year process. Fellow Atlanta transplant Jessica Klarp joined the process early on and penned the script for “Anatomy”. O’Connor went on to cast puppeteers and assemble a design team. Last summer p.o’connor puppets presented a work-in-progress version of “Anatomy,” and admittedly, a lot has changed since. The script has undergone some tightening, some new puppeteers have joined the company, and some technical elements have been re-imagined.
As an active member of the Asheville arts scene, O’Connor is smart enough to surround herself with talent, and this production features some of the best in the area. Perhaps the most interesting new energy in this fully-realized production comes from media artists David McConville and Nicole Tuggle, who have designed video projections for “Anatomy.” McConville is a partner in the Black Box Studio, a full-service multi-media collective, and, as much as anyone in the area, he knows the potential and mysticism of video projection. He is also a catalyst of the efforts of the Multi-media Arts center in downtown Asheville, which would serve the entire region as a hub for Public Access Television production and multi-media resources.” Coupled with a versatile and abstract set four 12 foot steel towers designed by steel artist John Payne, “Anatomy” promises to be a scenic feast.
Representatives from the Jim Henson Foundation, the North Carolina Arts Council and the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta will be in the audience. If adult puppetry insiders are taking notice, it seems natural that local audiences will follow. Adult puppetry has a strong legion of supporters in Europe, but has yet to receive popular acclaim in America. Even so, Asheville audiences tend to defy art trends. Besides, the show is so unusual that its three-day run should brim with energy on both sides of the curtain. You’ll want to witness this fresh actor/audience dynamic for yourself.
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