It's been a bad year for puppetry. Another influential elder of UK puppetry has passed — Bea Woods.
I hadn't come across Bea before I read her obituary,but I knew Puppet Space's work well. It was there I discovered her work and how much she'd enriched the artform. She was a founder of Puppet Space in Bristol, started four years before I was even born. A talented practitioner who helped build a community — a whole collective of like-minded people around her. Since her passing and also Monty, I become increasingly concerned about the future of puppetry.
There are people online who post the odd video of themselves working with their latest creations. Sadly, I've done it too. It gets the work out to the masses within seconds. But it does make you question why not live. I guess you can re-record something five times before it ever reaches a stage. You can hide behind a screen. You can't hear the ridicule. I dread the day Rusty the tax dodger works his way onto every newsletter.
Since losing Monty and Bea, I felt compelled to ring Larry.
He answered in his usual way — "Hello Perry, how are you?" I'd been scared he might not pick up. Morbid, I know, but that's how I felt. It was good to hear his voice down the line. He'd already heard about Monty. The news travels fast.
Turns out he's rolling around on a mobility scooter these days, his wife helping him get about. The puppetry's done and dusted, or so he says. I'm guessing the swinger parties are off the cards too, but I didn't like to pry.
He always liked it when I sent him progress shots of my latest projects in the post. I've never been sure how good he is with technology. I've sent him photos and videos by email before, and he'd reply not quite sure whether he'd seen them or not. Never got an acknowledgement either way.
RIP Bea Woods.