What sources were your inspiration for the new

Norwich Puppet Theatre Tinderbox show?

The original story by Hans Christian Andersen was the primary source of inspiration:

As this was a devised script we referred to the original text throughout the development

and rehearsal period.

Hans Christian Andersen was a master storyteller and very unusual for his time in

that he used ordinary language, which made the stories accessible to everybody.

We used elements of the translation by Diana Crone Frank and Jeffery Frank in the

final script.

Inspiration also came from the objects and materials that we used during a research

and development phase. As director I had gathered together some found objects

and materials that I thought would be good to use as starting points in developing

a new interpretation of the Tinderbox.

Because this story has lots of reference to money ­ copper, silver and gold coins

I wanted to incorporate metal objects and metallic finishes into the set and

puppet design. All the puppets and masks have metal objects on their heads

­ the soldier has a an old half pint measuring cup which looks just like a helmet

and the princess has the top of a sugar shaker, which makes her look like she

is wearing a crown and the King and the Queen are wearing salt and pepper

cellars as crowns also. Metal objects are used in the construction of the

city and form the buildings in the animated city. If you look carefully

at the pictures you can see that the buildings are actually metal pots,

jugs, there’s a cheese crater and real clock!

I was keen to incorporate other natural materials such as wood

­ the soldier, the princess and the littlest dog Russell are made from

wood and form a set. This was because at the end of the story the soldier

and the princess finally meet and runaway together carried by the dog on

his back.

Russell is the first of the three dogs to carry

the princess to the soldier every night in her

sleep.

The revolving table which we use as part of

the set is also made from wood and there is a

real willow tree in the middle.

The tree is used throughout the story ­ the soldier starts his journey being

lowered down on a rope into the tree, by the witch to fetch the tinderbox,

we use the tree to support the soldiers house in the city, the princess uses a

rope swing in the tree and finally it becomes the gallows prepared for the

soldiers execution.

A short interview with Norwich Puppet Theatre

director Joy Haynes about her new production

of The Tinderbox

The Tinderbox

In the performance the witch draws in the salt on a light box to summon the soldier to the forest. She

returns to the light box throughout the story drawing the city and finally creating the little house made of

twigs that is to be the soldier and princess’s home in the end.

Alison Harvey and Suzie Hanna the Animators also used salt to create many of the animations. The two

dogs Flicker and Shudder were drawn into salt using a feather, in the same way that the witch does in the

show, and then slowly animated frame by frame to develop the beautiful moving sequences that you see.

We were interested in exploring how to integrate two dimensional animated sequences with live

puppetry and performance aspects. This show is unusual in that we use projections throughout. The

animated sequences were developed from a story board, which grew out of the initial research and

development phase and presents the woodland and city scenes and the soldiers journey from one to the

other and some of the magical dogs. In our interpretation, the Tinderbox dogs (Russell, Flicker and

Shudder) have a connection with the witch and all the elements we use to tell the story so they appear in

a variety of ways. The challenge for us was to give the illusion of magic as they appear and to translate

the different scale of each of them: Russell has eyes as big as saucers and is a puppet made from wooden

kitchen utensils and metal objects ­ a key for a tail and metal ears and of course saucer eyes, Flicker with

eyes as big as pinwheels and Shudder with eyes as big as the Round Tower of Copenhagen are presented

using traditional shadow puppetry through to fully animated sequences using the salt.

As part of the process of design I am interested in the way objects

and materials can be used in multiple ways to convey different

ideas.

The witches head is made from an old flint that we found in the Theatre, the flint has a hole

in it making it look just like a face.

When designing the set, puppets and animations for Tinderbox we were

influenced by references in the Hans Andersen story to the enormous

round eyes of the dogs and the circular copper, silver and gold coins and

used this shape for the screens, the revolving table top and used the drum

both as a stage and projection screen. I also wanted to convey a sense that

the soldiers destiny was being guided by the witch and that it is she that

sends him on an adventure full of action, opulence and extravagance and

extremes and then brings him back full circle to a simple life at the end,

when he and the princess share the little house made of twigs together.

The Hans Christian Andersen story is not a moral tale the soldier is not

punished for chopping off the head of the witch or enjoying being rich, but is also not presented as

selfish ­ he gives money away and his generosity is ultimately the reason why he loses everything. He is

very human ­ easily beguiled by riches and beauty, straightforward and without malice.

The Tinderbox production moves from the muted greens, gold and browns of the woodland to the

mad brightly coloured city environment. When thinking about how to approach the colours and shapes

for this production I was inspired by the work of Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser

who was an Austrian artist born in 1928. He had an original and unruly artistic vision which expressed

itself in pictorial art, environmentalism, philosophy, architecture and the design of coins, postage stamps

and flags. The common themes in his work utilised bright colours, organic

forms, a reconciliation of humans with nature, and a strong individualism,

rejecting straight lines.

Critical to the success of any performance is the skill, commitment and vision

of the people involved ­ maybe most particularly in a devised piece when

there is no set script to begin with. Seonaid Goody and Paul Preston Mills are

the puppeteers and were very inspirational and fundamental to the

development of The Tinderbox.

As a Director I think it is vitally important that the performances are truthful and that the performers

feel some sense of ownership, which will enable them to go on developing and enjoying the performance

long after the rehearsals have finished.

What was the start point for you in devising

the Tinderbox show?

We started with a period of research and development with all the people that

were involved in creating the production including the puppeteers, animators and

composer Phil Archer. We started with the objects and materials and spent 3 days playing with

things to develop the narrative and design ideas. We discovered things like the flint witch head and

decided to interpret the original story a little differently giving the witch a more significant role. In the

Hans Christian Andersen tale she is beheaded and dies, but we felt that she provided the opportunity

for the soldier to start his new adventure. We wanted to give her an important magical presence

throughout the performance ­ so her head reattaches to the puppet body and she guides the soldier

on his way using the salt to draw maps and pictures.

Can you outline the process that you went through

as a director to create this show?

­Consideration of the text

­Bringing together a creative team to include the puppeteers in Tinderbox

there are two performers, the animators, composer, puppet and set makers

and production manager

­Collecting together relevant objects and materials and researching ideas and

themes

­Research and development week ­ a practical exploration of how the objects

and materials could be used to tell the story and developing the design and

the style of the performance

­Developing the story board and liaising with the animators and the

composer

­Designing and building the puppets and the set with makers

­Rehearsal to develop the script and the action

­Integration of all the technical aspects including lighting sound and projected

animated sequences

What is your favourite part of the process?

The design, building and rehearsal. I like things when they are unfinished and in process, when things

are changing and being developed.

What is your least favourite part or the most difficult part of the

process?

I don’t have a least favourite ­ I enjoy it all, but I do get nervous about first performances. Every aspect

can be challenging, although I really enjoyed making Tinderbox with the rest of the team. It takes me a

long time to refine ideas to express things to an audience in as simple and straightforward a way as

possible.

What is your favourite part of the show?The little shadow people in the rain when the soldier has lost everything in the city.

Are there any things that you would like to do differently or bits

about the show that you would like to change?

Of course

­ I think creating a new show is a bit like starting a journey. Shows I have created in the past I have

gone on working with and making changes to for many years. It is difficult in a short time frame and

under pressure to make your best work. Things will always occur to you later and it is good to go back

­ it keeps the performance fresh.

I would like Tinderbox to have a long life and to be able to refine it, go on finding new surprising

things and changing elements working with the artists involved.