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Husband-and-wife team "Papa and Live" to perform a puppet drama for the integration of the disabled and the healthy: Recruiting new troops for the theater by leading by example

2022-06-20T00:17:18.903Z


The American classic children's show "Sesame Street" has gained popularity among the people. Hong Kong also has a puppet show "Neighborhood Kid" which has been performed in schools and community centers for 27 years. vivid


The American classic children's show "Sesame Street" has gained popularity among the people. Hong Kong also has a puppet show "Neighborhood Kid" which has been performed in schools and community centers for 27 years.

Behind the vivid puppets, thanks to the skillful hands of the puppet master and his varied words, the audience can see it. One of the middle-aged couples has been a volunteer puppet master for more than ten years. They are not only performing He held up several pounds of puppets and props for half an hour without wavering, and even tried to ask the boss for leave to perform without pay in order to accommodate the school performance.

Compared with other volunteers who sell flags or charity events, the puppeteer cannot be absent from the "No show" on the day of the performance. Even if faced with any problems, they must rise to the challenge. The couple pointed out that they have benefited a lot from participating in the process, and hope to be able to help manpower during the epidemic. The tight theater attracts new forces "When you are interested, it is not difficult."


There are 22 characters in the puppet theater. The puppeteer needs to keep in mind the family background and personality

"Sister, this friend asked me to explain that we are twin brothers. I don't need a wheelchair and you want both?" There were a pair of puppets on the stage, one was wearing a wheelchair and wearing a helmet, the other was normal. Standing, the puppeteer in all-black costumes pulls it with a bracket, and makes a voice in a childish tone of voice behind him.

"Because Mommy told me that when I was born...because...the lack of oxygen when I was born made my brain...the lack of oxygen caused me to be in a wheelchair with cerebral palsy when I was born." The puppets sing and dance to the sound of music. Sometimes the performance venue is located in the school hall, sometimes in the community center, or even on the open lawn of the Government House.

The 60-year-old Liu Cuilian (Sandy) was sweating profusely when she took off her black hood after the performance. "It's going to be a city every day, there is no air-conditioning in the school room." "It's miserable when there is sunshine, because this black shirt absorbs heat."

There are a total of 22 puppets in the theater, each with a set character, and the puppeteer often knows it well, such as Anya who suffers from ADHD (Attention Disorder/Hyperactivity Disorder), Wemack, who has cerebral palsy and muscle development disorder, and his able-bodied. The twin brother Wei Migao, Vietnamese immigrant Wu Yinan, Xiaobi who often sings out of tune, Hongda who is ambly sighted, Minyi who is hearing impaired, and Zhili whose father was a police officer but was sentenced to probation for a crime, all gathered together. Like a microcosm of a society.

When the puppeteer performs the theme play, he must avoid forgetting the lines and dialogues of each character, and he must continue to lift several pounds of puppets and props for half an hour during the entire performance to ensure that the puppets maintain a specific body shape, but Sometimes I get knocked down by the creative questioning of kindergarten or elementary and junior high school students, "A child asked to solve a doll without teeth, and the solution got 4 fingers. At first, it was not easy to deal with. I have to answer next time. Actually, each of us looks different, tall, short, fat and thin. It seems that I (the puppet of the lead actor) have special learning difficulties. I took the opportunity to talk to hear that there are people in this world who are not the same as us, it is necessary People help, thereby encouraging them to help each other," Sandy said.

Sick student bravely faces illness after watching puppet show

Sandy, who was originally a housewife, said that she was attracted by the concept of puppet theater in "The Neighborhood Boy". She joined the theater in her early years to train as a volunteer puppet master. She has been doing it for 17 years, during which her husband was also affected by her. She joined as a volunteer about 11 years ago. They often enter kindergartens or elementary schools to perform in kindergartens or elementary schools. Other members also include trade unionists, nurses, teachers, newspaper illustrators and other industries. Sometimes, in order to accommodate school hours, in-service volunteers have to ask their bosses for leave to participate in the performance. Husbands with full-time jobs are no exception. At present, it is only for students to understand what disability and disability integration is, and to be considerate and accepting of different people in the society.

As the two couples enter retirement age and their daughter has grown up, the two have more time to devote to volunteer work. Compared with other elderly people who like to go hiking and play around, the two couples prefer to perform live puppet shows.

"The most impressive thing is that a student admitted that he had the same situation as the protagonist in the play. For example, he would write "mirror words" when talking about special learning difficulties. Some classmates raised their hands and said that I was all right. I wrote wrong words a lot of times, and then asked The situation will help him, he will take the initiative to learn, it will be an inspiration to us." The two couples did not have any reason to step down from the front line to set a deadline, but instead hoped to encourage more volunteers to join through their own experience.

"When you went to the site to do it, you saw the reactions of many students, which made you improve, so I hope you can continue to do it. When many people know that the voluntary activities of the organization are very meaningful, I encourage students to promote the atmosphere of peace and harmony. better."

Theaters are severely understaffed during the pandemic

Guo Jiatong, the project manager of the puppet theater project of "Neighborhood Kid", said that before the epidemic, there were as many as 270 Chinese and English play performances every year, free performances for 150 schools including primary and secondary schools and kindergartens. After the epidemic, some people failed to pass the vaccine pass or other personal problems, and the number of volunteers was halved to 8 to 9. With the gradual resumption of schools, the performances are expected to return to normal in the second half of this year, so the theater needs to recruit again. Manpower, this time is another open recruitment of volunteer puppet masters after 2016. There is no age limit. However, compared with other volunteers in flag sales or charity activities, puppet masters cannot be absent without reason on the day of the performance. Therefore, responsible members of the society are required to participate. It is hoped that The theater can continue the tradition of 95 years, continue to perform in the school, and develop more repertoires after the expansion of the manpower if the plan is successful.

Those who are interested can visit the official website of Neighborhood Kid Puppet Theater or fill in the form to join the ranks of volunteers.

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Source: hk1

All news articles on 2022-06-20

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