Whilst immersed in the magical land of Pinterest, I came across this theatrical production called CAWS AND EFFECT. The performance discusses the relationship and similarities between crows and humans,
When I read that the performance used shadow puppetry, I expected a small puppet theatre, with little crow models. I was surprised to see that the shadows are actually formed by the actors themselves on stage. The actors perform as birds not just through their hands or through a puppet, but through their entire body. They are the puppets.
It's an atypical form of shadow theatre and something I've never come across before. It's actually quite unnerving to see the crows at such a large scale, like Hitchcock's 'The Birds'.
The costumes are so very simple, which is what makes them effective.
The masks used don't cover the human faces allowing the actors to emote without relying on the movement of a hindering mask. The masks sit on top of the head, so when the neck is bent over, the tip forms a beak.
The actors have obviously spent time studying the movements of crows. The costumes require the actors to bend their back, mimicking the curved shape of the corvidae.
http://thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/local-arts/a-show-to-crow-about-caws-effect-uses-non-traditional-shadow-puppetry-to-tell-story
When I read that the performance used shadow puppetry, I expected a small puppet theatre, with little crow models. I was surprised to see that the shadows are actually formed by the actors themselves on stage. The actors perform as birds not just through their hands or through a puppet, but through their entire body. They are the puppets.
It's an atypical form of shadow theatre and something I've never come across before. It's actually quite unnerving to see the crows at such a large scale, like Hitchcock's 'The Birds'.
http://wpmedia.thestarphoenix.com/2016/07/chloe-ziner-and-jessica-gabriel-star-in-the-fringe-show-caws.jpeg?quality=60&strip=all&w=840&h=630&crop=1
The costumes are so very simple, which is what makes them effective.
The masks used don't cover the human faces allowing the actors to emote without relying on the movement of a hindering mask. The masks sit on top of the head, so when the neck is bent over, the tip forms a beak.
The actors have obviously spent time studying the movements of crows. The costumes require the actors to bend their back, mimicking the curved shape of the corvidae.
http://thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/local-arts/a-show-to-crow-about-caws-effect-uses-non-traditional-shadow-puppetry-to-tell-story
I had a dream after watching this that there was a human-sized Raven in my front garden, but it was also someone I knew. I couldn't establish whether the beak was a costume or part of their anatomy.
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