No Strings Intl. Workshop in Bangladesh- Nov 2023
I was asked to facilitate the Puppetry component of the No Strings Intl. Workshop in Bangladesh Nov 2023 supported by CRS and Caritas.
I have facilated puppet workshops for No Strings Intl. in conjunction with the programs to disseminate the No Strings Films . These were in Cambodia, Kenya, The Philippines and Indonesia.
It has been awhile since I have conducted an overseas puppet workshop so I am excited to be a part of this.
The first phase is preparation for the workshop. In this case I wanted to make 15 new puppets for the workshop which were variations on my practice puppet pattern. In this case, turning them into frogs.
I revised my pattern and began sewing fleece. Eventually I had to enlist the help of some friends who graciously came over for a weekend and we sewed out on my patio.
The workshop starts with a lot of coordinating, planning and proposals…but for me my work starts with making puppets. Weeks before the workshop I began to pattern and fabricate the “frog” puppets that we would be using in the workshop.
Travel to Bangladesh
On Nov 11 we went out shopping to gather more supplies for the workshop and to meet with the tailor who would me making more of the frog hand puppets based on the patterns I made.
Puppetry Training-Using Frog Puppets in Excercies
Puppets and training used by the Participants in the Rohingya youth center.
Our goal was to train the aid workers who regulary work with the youths and children in the Rohingya Camps near Ukhia, Bangladesh.
In these photos the Particpants of the training are using what they have learned to pass on the training to the Rohingya children. I was impressed by the excellent skills of the aid workers but also amazed by the children’s ability to pick up the puppets and almost immediately begin to show expression and pay attention to the concepts that make puppetry come to life.
Each day our trainers had a few hours to work with the children.
They started with some simple puppet excercises. Then the group watched the No Strings Film entitled “The Corner Frog” which is all about a Rohingya boy dealing with his emotions and coming to terms with his past and his new life.
The Trainer would then lead a discussion about the film and some of the themes of friendship and dealing with challenging emotions. Then the puppets would be used again in a roleplay to express some of these ideas.
