Teenagers, Shadows, and Midwinter in Huonville

Shadow puppetry and troubled teens may not seem to go together like strawberries and cream, but, after some workshops in Huonville, i think we could call them avocado and honey - a mix you don't often hear about round here, but is surprisingly well suited. Working with a small mixed class of 15-18 year olds who had dropped out of school, then re-entered the education system via the HuonLINK program, we weren't at all sure what to expect. We went in with a 'mini film clip' workshop plan, figuring that music could be a good and unthreatening way to bring shadow-puppetry into the participants context.

Most got enthusiastic about choosing a song and photo they liked, with some relationship in either mood or content. Then came the hardest part - getting these teens (most with incredibly low self-esteem) to come up with their concept. Having mostly worked with creatively interested kids, where you are fighting off the floods of ideas, I was a bit shocked at how much encouragement and support these 15-18 year olds needed.

With limited time, we got them behind the screen, and it's always so great seeing the different ways people approach it. Some had carefully planned all entrances, exits and inbetweens, while others just went nuts experimenting with their puppets possibilities. It was also wonderful seeing how the groups worked together when behind the screen, and watching an awareness of placement, speed and distance grew. While often associated with children, shadow puppetry is actually quite cerebral, so, when put in a contemporary environment (through music\imagery), can be challenging and engaging to many age groups.