The voice of the puppet

Abstract

: The puppet as performing object invites vocalization that is different from the normal human voice. Choices to suit body size, stylized features, and the animated objects tendency toward extra-daily sound—song and music—reinforce the otherness of the performing object. Three major types of vocal concepts are presented: 1) the one person, many voices show, which can use different resonators, pitches, and speeds as exemplified in the wayang golek of West Java; 2) the two-voice show, where the puppeteer may speak with a voice modifier such as a swazzle and the dialogue interpreted by a more normative human voice, in traditional puppetry it will often be a musician or interlocutor/back chat who sits outside the booth; and 3) the multi-voice show where individual speakers are often used for each figure, while dialogue may pre-recorded, delivered from the side by appropriate voice actors, or by each of the individual manipulators who speak for their own figure.