The Secret Life of Suitcases

The Secret Life of suitcases is a puppet show that was performed on BYU campus just a week ago. The puppet show was catered to a younger audience but employed elements that engaged an older audience as well. While watching, I paid special attention to the use of lighting. Through the lighting, the puppeteers were able to draw attention to the parts of the set that needed to be seen and were able to leave the other parts of the set in darkness. This enabled them to prepare the next scene without the eyes of the entire audience. This allowed them to bring special attention to certain characters and help the audience member to follow the storyline. For example, there was a scene in the story when the protagonist, Lary, a potato-headed puppet, found himself in a location outside of space and time. He was greeted by Gorgs (the universes helpers). To give this scene an otherworldly feel, the lights were dimmed in the back and brightened in the front. Then small lights were shone in a star-like pattern on the backdrop. This was disorienting at first but made the set feel as if it were no longer on earth.

A second detail to note about the play was the use of costume. In the beginning of the play, the puppeteers wore a similar outfit as Lary. Everyone was dressed in suits. This alluded to the idea that puppeteers would mirror the thoughts and emotions of Lary. By doing this, they were also able to help the audience feel more connected to the anthropomorphic puppet. As Lary's ideas and mood changed, so did the shirts of the puppeteers. As in the picture above, when Lary went out to sea, so did the shirts of the puppeteers. This was a constant pattern throughout the play.
Overall, the play was very well done. It was entertaining and enchanting. The elements of lighting and costume transported the audience into the magical world of Lary.