This is BLOG post Vol.II on NC based puppeteer Hobey Ford. For additional info please check also the previous post, “Visit with master puppeteer Hobey Ford – Vol. I”
Hobey told me his mother was a bird-watcher, that explains a lot.
If you have never seen this video yet (or a live show of these birds!), do so now:
Hobey Ford flying a realistic eagle puppet
More bird puppets here:
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford with heron puppet” (2018)
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford with second heron puppet” (2018)
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford with Sanderling puppet” (2018)
Puppet festivals are excellent for also for networking. Some (our of plenty of) noticeable puppet performance posters in Hobey’s studio:
Figures Of Speech Theatre – Anerca
http://www.figures.org/perform.html
The famous BOUDROUGANA from Georgia:
BOUDROUGANA / Gela Kandelaki – Georgian hand shadow theatre
“… Hand Shadow Theater “Budrugana” was founded in Tbilisi, in 1982. Author of the Idea is a Georgian director – Gela Kandelaki. First Idea was to create a puppet theater and the company of actors wanted to travel around regions of Georgia to perform for kids. First group of actors was represented by young people with different profession.
In 1980s, because of a lack of funding, buying puppets was impossible. With the advise from puppeteer Karlo Sulakauri, actors started practicing by using only hand shadows.
It took almost 9 years of hardworking, before the premiere. …”
http://budrugana.com/en/history/
This miniature ballerina marionette is a copy from a Georgian puppeteer named “Baschi”… (*I’m investigating, if I come up with more information I will update…) So far what I found out is the address on the sketch is a stone throw away from a very famous Georgian puppet theatre in Tbilisi, the Rezo Gabriadze Theatre, brain child of Revaz “Rezo” Gabriadze, so is it too daring to assume the puppeteer was from that theatre?
More info on it here:
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford’s marionette cross of ballerina marionette, copy of Georgian puppeteer Baschi” (2018)
[*Baschi’s name and address are on the sketch]
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford ballerina marionette, copy of Georgian puppeteer Baschi’s puppet” (2018)
These are shadow puppets for an incredible music video THE AVETT BROTHERS / “Bring Your Love To Me”:
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford with bird shadow puppet” (2018)
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford fledgling puppet for music video The Avett Brothers – Bring Your Love To Me” (2018)
If you have never seen it before you can do so here and now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ2dRFy5BmQ
… and if you liked that, perhaps you will also enjoy this one:
(it doesn’t come as a surprise to learn that Sallie Ford is Hobey Ford’s daughter…)
It turns out, Hobey’s direct family history is full of most interesting people and incidents. This puppet represents Hobey Ford’s mother’s grandmother Caroline Louisa Sullivant “Kitty”, the play is called “Kitty Sullivant’s Journal”. It revolves around Kitty’s actual diary, which Hobey owns, describing meeting Swedish opera star Christine Nilsson.
Christine Nilsson (1843 – 1921)
Her father was botanist William Starling Sullivant,
William Starling Sullivant (1864)
she later married entomologist Edward Burgess and on their honeymoon visited Charles Darwin on July 10th in 1877.
Charles Robert Darwin (1809 – 1882)
From the journal of Caroline Louisa Sullivant Tuesday July 10th 1877:
“The pleasantest day we have spent in England! At a quarter before 11 Ned and I went to Charing Cross Station and took the train for Orpington, where we took a fly for Mr. Darwin’s place.
The day was a perfect one!- an almost cloudless sky with a soft delicious air filled with the perfume of new-mown hay. We drove along a road bordered by hedges of English may with ahead and alongside glimpes of lovely green slopes of Kent dotted with beautiful old trees. We drove through a very fine place which we found afterward belonged to Sir John Lubbock, the entymologist- a man whom Ned once told me he would like to change places with if———-!
The Darwin’s place “down” is just beyond the little village of Beckingham, which is a quaint enough little place with an old stone church, an ancient graveyard and a few small houses that look as if they were built centuries ago. The Darwin’s house presents rather a flat square exterior viewed from the entrance, but at the back one sees some delightful irregularities. One part is bowed out ands covered with a luxuriant vine. We found Mr. and Mrs. Darwin with their daughter in a charming room with sunlight pouring in at the open windows.
Mr. Darwin looks quite like his pictures- somewhat older perhaps. He has a very bright smile and his manner is very genial. Mrs Darwin is a very nice old lady with a soft pleasant voice- kind of person one would imagine who had not a thought beyond her own home life. Miss Darwin is very plain- like the ordinary suppressed English girl, nice mannered and quiet. Presently the eldest son came in a sad-faced man about 35. He had rather intellectual face with eyes of a poet. Then George, the second son, with a frank jolly face and looking possessed of no end of good humour. He is a resident fellow at Cambridge- Prof. of Mathematics.
I noticed that Mr. Darwin had singularly small hands and that he took snuff! At lunch he had many questions to ask Ned about American scientists, and I could see that he was very much pleased and interested in what he said. As for Ned, I doubt if he were ever happier in his life – to be actually interrogated by the great Darwin!— to have his opinion asked!—and to hear him talk was a pleasure indeed!
It was rendered still greater, after lunch, when Mr. Darwin carried him off to the greenhouse to see some of his latest experiments. Mr. F. Darwin had lately lost his wife and his little baby-boy was brought out for us to see. I coaxed him away from his grandmamma and gave him my vinaigrette to play with. Such a nice healthy brown and red little child! and so good! His sad-eyed father told me his name was Bernard – his voice trembed as he spoke the name, and I fancied it called up some sad memories.
When Mr. Darwin had gone to take his afternoon siesta, Ned the two sons, Miss D. and I walked through the garden and through two fields of flowers – wild convululous, poppies, buttercups, and many other flowers whose names I did not know. On our way back I could not resist the temptation of running down a hill on the ridge of which we were strolling. It was quite stubby and in my headlong race I frightened some partridges who rose from a bushy fir tree in great fright. We had coffee on the lawn later, the baby being still in great demand and making funny noises with his mouth which his grandpapa pretended to fear very much.
I shall never forget the picture of the cooing baby in his father’s arms and the old white bearded man, with laughing eyes under his broad brimmed straw hat, making feeble runs with help of his stout stick! At leaving Mr. Darwin gave me a bunch of roses and as we drove off to the station we looked…”
Here some impressions from the stage set and the lovely puppet Kitty:
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford – Kitty Sullivant puppet” (2018)
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford – set and puppet from: Kitty Sullivant’s Journal” (2018)
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford – set and puppet from Kitty Sullivant’s Journal – close-up” (2018)
a pioneer family:
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford studio: crying baby puppet 1” (2018)
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford studio: crying baby puppet 2” (2018)
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford studio: Pioneer puppet family” (2018)
sketch for a shadow puppet:
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford puppet sketches” (2018)
a miniature faun rod puppet:
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford with faun rod puppet” (2018)
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford with faun puppet” (2018)
a collection of characters…
Josiane Keller “puppeteer’s hand – Hobey Ford” (2018)
and finally this delightful guy, “Ooray” a miniature elf rod puppet:
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford’s miniature elf Ooray running 2” (2018)
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford’s miniature elf Ooray running” (2018)
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford’s miniature elf Ooray looking out” (2018)
and if you want even more action, check this clip: Ooray the Elf
Josiane Keller “straw weaving in the atelier” (2018)
finally this guy, Hobey Ford’s Peepers puppet – probably the most simple puppet concept, next to a handkerchief: Hobey created these because his kids refused to have their hair washed in the tub – brilliant idea:
Josiane Keller “Hobey Ford’s Peepers puppet” (2018)
And here a show-reel of Hobey Ford’s classics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvfRSII7iwo
Hobey Ford is regularly performing, probably best way to check for information as long as his site is down is on facebook:
Hobey Ford’s “ANIMALIA” at Ashburn Library on July 26th @ 7pm
With much gratitude for the hospitality and generosity to meet me and let me snoop around in his studio, thank you so much, Hobey Ford!