Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. - The Philosophy of Puppets

The Philosophy of Puppets

Dec 15, 2011

All theatre majors at Concordia must complete a thesis in acting, design, direction or something related.

For Devin Hueffed '12, Missoula, Mont., the answer was obvious: turning the play "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett into a puppet production.

"I knew 'Waiting for Godot' would be a perfect candidate for adaptation. It combines entertainment with philosophical elements and, since philosophy is my other area of study, everything seemed to click," Hueffed says.

The tricky part was turning a play made for human actors into a puppet show.

"It is us, the human performers, that breathe life into the puppets," says Hueffed, taking a philosophical approach to the matter.

Because "Waiting for Godot" is a play that features two characters conversing, it was important for Hueffed to make sure the puppets had actions to do in order to make the show interesting. There were even a couple of times where the actors controlling the puppets jumped in front of the stage and acted parts out.

"Switching between puppets and live action just added to the hilarity of the show," says Erik Hatlestad '12, New London, Minn., who enjoyed the creativity and the laughter it provoked.

Combining philosophy with entertainment seems to be a strong point for Hueffed, as no one left the theatre without having laughed and wondered a bit about who Godot is and why the puppets were waiting for him.