MASKS from design to performance

Puppetry and mask master teaches January course by ANNA-MARIA GOOSSENS January term courses have the reputation of being, shall we say, of the non-strenuous ilk. Ha! is what we say to that. This January, a dedicated handful theater students - graduate, undergrad, and Five College - gathered in our scene shop to learn puppetry and mask-making from one of the acknowledged masters in the field, Sebastian Roser. Roser, who is German, is the son of Albrecht Roser, considered preeminent in the field of puppetry in the 20th century. The younger Roser is carrying on in his father's tradition and is making name of his own as well. He has taught and performed puppetry, as well as exhibited his creations internationally. Last spring, Professor Miguel Romero used his sabbatical to study puppet and mask techniques around the world. Along the way, he took a course Roser and his father offered at the University of Connecticut at Storrs, and liked it so much that he decided to bring Roser to UMass for the three-week, seven-hours-a-day intensive course. Under Roser's guidance, Romero and the students who enrolled explored several different styles of puppetry and mask-making. Roser showed them how to make masks/puppets heads from paper, cut and folded into impish gargoyle faces. Once shaped, these whimsical-looking paper puppets are treated to make them tougher and decorated with textured material. The group also worked on portait masks, with sudents sculpting their own faces, then using those sculptures to create masks. The final products beautiful and ranged from fanciful Mardi Gras-inspired shapes to starker faces or even creepy forms. The students displayed thier work on the last day of the class, but those who missed it needn't worry. Roser's influence is visible in the puppets Romero and his students created for Archipelago of Delight, the new musical with puppetry that closes out the Department of Theater's 2000-2001 seasen. Also featuring music by Springfield College's Christopher Haynes and lyrics by our own Professor Harley Erdman, the musical is set to play April 26 to 28 and May 3 to 5 at 8 p.m. in the Rand Theater. (STAGES - The Universitty of Massachusetts Department of Theater Alumni Newsletter - Spring 2001)