Controlling a puppet has a certain magic about it, said Jerry Williams, who until last year was the puppet teacher in the University’s theater department.
“It’s a kind of human phenomenon,” he said, “to play with an imaginary world.”
Williams also said that we all have played with puppets at some time. Even children’s dolls and action figures are types of puppets.
“They are a kind of virtual reality for kids,” he said.
For puppeteer Gabriel Ponti, playing with toys never stopped. His fascination with the cartoons of his childhood from the 1940s is his inspiration for the show he will be performing Saturday in the Robinson Theatre.
Ponti has performed this show, “Cartoon,” since he created it in 1994. This performance will be a sort of homecoming for Ponti. He has spent the majority of the last 19 years out of the country performing, teaching and creating. But Ponti spent time studying at the University, and from 1978 to 1980, he lived in Eugene.
Joseph Gilg, development director for the University Theatre, arranged this performance with Ponti during the last year.
“Something we like to do in the department is to spotlight students who have gone out and made a career in the theater,” Gilg said.
To help students benefit more from Ponti’s experience, he will host an open workshop Friday at 4 p.m. in Villard Hall’s Pocket Playhouse.
Williams said that playing with puppets is more than just playing.
“Speaking through a puppet is a way of accessing one’s self,” he said.
In last year’s movie “Being John Malkovich,” some of these underlying themes were explored.
“‘Malkovich’ can tell you how the puppeteer can be a little like God,” Williams said.
People attending the performance should not expect the level of complexity displayed in the movie. Williams said that most of those scenes involved more than one puppeteer, and at times the addition of computer graphics.
But Gilg maintains that Ponti’s art isn’t any less entertaining.
“It’s kind of magical because it’s so simple,” he said. “You’re so intrigued to find out what’s happening.”
Sparky Roberts, founder of the NewMime Circus, has worked with Ponti and has developed a continued correspondence with him during his stay in Europe.
“What strikes me about his work is how original it is,” Roberts said.
As testament to his originality, all of Ponti’s creations are made of recycled materials. Ponti does not only make puppets, but also experiments with masks and various other types of costumes.
“He’s unconstrained by any normal notions of puppetry,” Roberts said.
“Cartoon” will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday at Robinson Theatre. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in the EMU ticket office or on the day of the performance at the theater box office.