I started building the hairy creature that appears at the end of ZAGAZOO this week. He starts out around 8ft and grows to 10ft. The other puppets in the show are made mostly of paper, so I'm using a technique inspired by the paper sculptures of Irving Harper, a noted 20th century industrial designer. The photo in the center is an example of one of his many incredible creatures and animals . The gallery below documents the first steps of the process. There's still a lot to do, so please check back for more photos and updates of the completed puppet.

I've also been inspired by pagan ritual costumes like the one from below photographed by Charles Fréger. Check out more at:  http://www.boredpanda.org/wilder-mann-charles-freger/

I know I said I was going to work on the elephant or the warthog this weekend, but instead I took a slight detour and ended up in the world of origami and Sketch Up. Both require lots of patience and time, but with a little focus can produce incredible results!

ORIGAMI
With the help of a video from a YouTube Channel called, Jeremy Shaffer Origami, I learned how to make a flapping bat. The bat we need for Zagazoo has to be large, so I used a piece of paper 35" x 35" (more than three times the size of the paper used in the video below). I was a little skeptical about how it would work with roofing paper instead of traditional origami papperr, but I'm pretty pleased with the results. The extra weight gives the wings a graceful flapping motion that is going to look great on stage. Now I just have to paint it. Thanks,  Jeremy! Shafer!

SKETCH UP
Sketch Up is a 3D drawing program. I tired it a a few years ago and gave up out of frustration, but thanks to a few online video tutorials, I was able to use it to start visualizing the set for the show. Here are two renderings I did to get a better sense of how much space we'll have on and off stage.

Here are a couple of watercolor character sketches I made inspired by the original illustrations. From here I'll break each character into shapes/moving parts and determine the best way to construct each creature. I'm going to work on the elephant or the warthog this weekend. Check back soon for more photos!  -Park

This November, I am directing  ZAGAZOO for Mammoth Lakes Repertory Theatre, as part of their programming for family audiences.

The stage adaptation by Mike Kenny of the classic children's book by Quentin Blake (known for illustrating Matilda and The BFG  and other works by Roald Dahl). In addition to directing, I am design and building puppets based on the original watercolor illustrations. I couldn't be more excited to jump in to the design process!

This week, I started working on a mock up of a dragon character who appears and causes havoc with his fiery breath.  
Below are some snap shots I took between steps. During this part of the process, I'll decide how large the puppets need to be, what they need to do in each scene, and what materials to use. I'll continue to post more photos as I move forward in the process, so please check back soon!

-Park