Day 4

What a productive day after the lazy one yesterday. Out to supermarket and back to buy brekky supplies, then into town, but stopping to take photos whenever I felt inspired. Saw a marionette exhibition (not really my thing I admit), then bumped into Perth puppeteer Karen Hethey as I sat at the central fountain people-watching. She has just finished 6 shows of 'The Arrival', so now can relax and enjoy the Festival. Then 15mins later I saw the director Philip Mitchell of Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, and he gave me the stats for The Arrival season: 6 shows, 450 seat capacity, all sold out except one. Pretty good hey? Triple encores, and foot stamping even! Karen was too humble to tell me that stuff.

Two shows today: 'Pierre au Bois de Terre' by German 'Helios Theatre'. 2 men, one a musician with a looping trumpet, the other with a huge square of solid earth. It was a delight to watch him flick it across the floor at the audience, then transform it into hills, then an armchair, a pregnant belly, a home and so on. Very charming, aimed at 1 year olds and up, and certainly had the front row of toddlers completely engaged.

Second show was very interesting/challenging: from Quebec, 'Marcelle Hudon'. She started well, with a camera operator offering live feed and interesting angles on a very small rod puppet reading the paper, then being shot. But soon it launched into a series of layered projected images with shadow puppetry and live interactions- lovely tricky stuff, but somehow very confusing. A couple determinedly walked out, clip-clopping down the bank of seats. Others followed slowly. The man behind me began to ask loud questions to those around him as to what was going on. And to tap his foot sharply on my chair leg. Hmmmmm.

Afterwards a few of us tried to dissect the content as we wandered away. A post-modern comment on transexuality? A nightmare? An expression of an experienced state of madness? A woman channelling spiritual messages we are not yet ready to understand? Yes, all this and more! With a free set of steak knives if you order before midnight.

Random photos of architecture and puppetry creativity, starting with my favourite black and white Festival show poster ; just trying to pass on the vibe :o)