Tapescripts
◆Module 1 Learn to Talk◆
Speaking
Mary: Hi！John！
John:Hi！Mary！
Mary:I'm heading for Broadway to buy a ticket of War Horse.As a matter of fact,I've seen it once,but the play is so interesting and touching that I want to see it again.By the way,have you seen it?
John:Regrettably,not yet.But I've heard of a movie of the same name directed by Steven Spielberg,which is about a story between a horse and a boy.
Mary:Yeah,and it is said that Spielberg was impressed and enlightened by this live theater deeply,so he made a film version.However,as far as I'm concerned,I prefer the live theater.
John:Oh,really?Why?
Mary:I think maybe because of the realistic effects on the stage,which is beyond the reach of a movie.Most of all,the leading role in the play is a horse,of course not a real one,but a horse⁃like puppet.
John:A horse⁃like puppet?Is that a puppet show?
Mary:Yeah,you can say so.You know,puppetry has a long history,and exists in many countries.Therefore,it has develops into various kinds.The puppets in this play,which are made by South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company,integrate many new elements.Meanwhile,it perfectly embodies the interaction between human beings and animals.And it won Tony Award in 2011 because of its extraordinary originality and grandeur.
John:Well,I know what attracts you so much.Now that you mention it,I want to know how the traditional form of drama develops in the contemporary era.Let's go to buy tickets,OK?
Mary:That's great！Let's go！
Listening
Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets.It is very ancient,and is believed to have originated 3000 years B.C.Puppetry takes many forms but they all share the process of animating inanimate performing objects.Puppetry is used in almost all human societies both as entertainment—in performance—and ceremonially in rituals and celebrations such as carnivals.Most puppetry involves storytelling.
China has a history of puppetry dating back 2000 years,originally in“Pi⁃ying Xi”,the“theatre of the lantern shadows”,or,as it is more commonly known today,Chinese shadow theatre.By the Song Dynasty（960 1279 A.D.）,puppets played to all social classes including the courts,yet puppeteers,as in Europe,were considered to be from a lower social stratum.In Taiwan province,Budai Xi puppet shows,somewhat similar to the Japanese Bunraku,occur with puppeteers working in the background or underground.Some very experienced puppeteers can make their puppets to perform various stunts,for example,somersaults in the air.
Puppetry developed throughout the twentieth century in a variety of ways.Supported by the parallel development of cinema,television and other filmed media,it now reaches a larger audience than ever.Another development,starting at the beginning of the century,was the belief that puppet theatre,despite its popular and folk roots,could speak to adult audiences with an adult and experimental voice,and reinvigorate the high art tradition of actors'theatre.In the world of theatre,puppetry continues to be influential.