No Strings Attached
December 2023
Role Team
Writer, Producer Annaliese Pfieffer (Director, Puppet Lead)
You’re invited...
As a part of the student theater festival on campus, I wroted and produced “No Strings Attached: A Puppet Murder Mystery,” which as the name suggests, was a 30 minute long play where 6 puppet dinner guests attended Mr. Puppet’s first (and last) dinner party. After mayhem and puppet related chaos, the audience was left to guess which puppet was pulling the strings.
Script Development
I love murder mysteries and I think they teach a valuable storytelling lesson of clarity and thruline. While writing the script, I prioritized a logical thruline – with the natural humor
(and choas) that puppets bring on stage, it was essential for the story to make sense for
the audience.
I went through about 3 drafts however the script wouldn’t be done until opening night. Actors (and puppets) brought an invaluable element of personality that I couldn’t capture. We encouraged improv and personalizing every part of the performance until opening!
The Final Show
After our week of rehearsal and several nights of creating props, costumes, and guiding technical conversations, “No Strings Attached: A Puppet Murder Myster” was put on! It was a real success!
Takeaways
Although it is hard to accept, most parts of a project are evergreen – they can always be further developed and refined. As a scriptwriter doubling as the producer of the play as well as an actor, I found it challenging to know when to fix something and when to leave it.
However, I think what made this challenge easier is prioritizing the audience’s point of view. When I felt like there was something to fix, I questioned: is this something that is in service of the audience’s understanding of the play? In instances where lighting wasn’t working, obviously this was a no, but when I noticed the smaller inconsistencies, unique to my position as a scriptwriter, I had to remember that the audience perspective is ultimately the only one that mattered.
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