The Universe dwells in the heart of all beings, oh Ardjuna;
the Universe dwells in your heart.
And the power of wonder moves all things:
puppets in a play of shadows,
moving them onwards in the Stream of Time.

-- from the Bhagavad Gita, ancient Hindu text

I'm all for technology, and for technological entertainment. On any given evening, you can usually find me, glassy-eyed and twitchy-fingered, shooting pixels at computer-generated baddies, or slumped lethargically in front of that evil instigator of Couch Potatoism, the TV. Those flickering phosphors are mindlessly beguiling. I love 'em.

On the other hand, I'm a puppeteer, and I know that no electron-generated scenario can compete with the fascination of a live puppet performance. I've seen children entranced by puppets so many times, that at this point I just take it for granted. No matter how sophisticated audiences are, the ancient art of puppetry enthralls them every time.

I'll have to admit, though, that I'm occasionally surprised by the power of the puppet. For example: last month my home was invaded for 10 hours by a production crew from "Collectible Treasures," a television show that airs on the Home and Garden TV network. They were there to film my gaggle of puppets, both those I've made and those I've collected (particularly my Indonesian collection).

They arrived at 7:45 am, a crew of five, and dragged in several truckloads of complicated equipment -- cameras, microphones, lights, etc. Being a nosy sort, I asked how much some of that equipment cost. A LOT! The mike I wore in our interview cost about 20 times more than the mike I use in my puppet show. And each of their cameras was worth about 70 times as much as my own video camera.

So these were sophisticated television people surrounded by expensive, high tech equipment, and you might think they would be unimpressed by a thing as untechnological as a puppet. Wrong! As the day wore on, I began to realize that something marvelous was happening; these seasoned professionals were getting hooked on puppets! The producer enthusiasticlly asked me for the name of a puppet importer, so she could begin collecting her own Indonesian shadow puppets. The camera operator became obssessed with perfecting his shot of an Indonesian rod puppet. "Her smile is so enigmatic!" he gushed. "If I get this shot just right, maybe I'll figure out what she's thinking." And the host/star of the show was so absorbed in making an Indonesian clown puppet act silly, that she missed her lines and had to start over several times.

They were like happy little kids, and it was a pleasure to witness. And sure, it will be fun to have my 15 minutes of fame on national TV. But the real joy of that experience was watching an unlikely group of people discover the power of wonder. That's the power of the puppet.

Copyright 1999 Freshwater Pearls Puppetry