Parsley is a character in puppet shows. Research project "folk puppet hero parsley"

Cheerful, cocky, reckless, savvy... It’s hard not to recognize this puppet character: for several centuries, Parsley has aroused almost universal love. He became an unspoken but recognizable symbol of Russian puppet theater, and his name is still used to this day as a common noun, and also as a term describing a whole group of theatrical puppets.

Character Parsley

Petrushka is the leading character of the folk puppet theater, a mass entertainer and a farce hero. The character is provocative, bold and arrogant towards all the characters on stage, often Petrushka challenges the authorities, for example, the gendarme (policeman in Tsarist Russia), and also ridicules characters from both ordinary and upper classes. At the end of eloquent conversational actions he is able to use his baton, a frequent attribute of his performances. The character became very popular with his courage and assertiveness. to the common people, who came to the holiday fairs and at the same time watch the performance of the farce theater.

Appearance in the Russian folk theater

No matter who they say, Petrushka was and remains an original Russian puppet character. Let him be compared with the Italian Pulcinella, the French Polichinelle, the English Punch, sorting out all the similar character traits - the recognition of Parsley and people's love It's not a hindrance to him.

(Parsley's wedding scene)

Of course, no serious historical research has been carried out on the pedigree of Parsley. First official description This doll was given by the famous German scientist-researcher Adam Olearius, who made two long journeys through the mysterious Muscovy in 1633–1634 and 1635–1639.

Presumably, the creators of Petrushka were Russian buffoons - wandering actors who stage street performances. The buffoon subculture existed in Rus' from the 11th to the 18th centuries, later giving way to booths and districts, which continued to preserve the traditions of buffoonery, and then transferred them to puppet theaters.

And it was precisely the 16th century that turned out to be the most difficult for buffoons: they were subjected to severe persecution by state and church authorities. During this period, the highest decrees categorically prohibiting buffoonery were issued twice. In response to pressure from above, live actors in street performances were replaced by puppets, the brightest of which was Petrushka. By the way, all his foreign “colleagues” appeared around the same time.

A collective image loved by the people

(Images of Parsley on modern scene:1) visiting worker 2) policeman)

Features are harmoniously intertwined in the image of Parsley national character. In fact, it is the quintessence of the Russian mentality. Resourceful, sharp-tongued, fearless, helping justice to prevail, bringing good and defeating evil - this is how one can characterize the image of this puppet character.

(Scenes: 3) Russian wife 4) African bride)

Parsley's appearance has undergone several changes over the decades. However, it carried some of its features through the centuries almost unchanged. So, for example, Petrushka remained a riding puppet, and not a puppet - his puppeteer is located below the action unfolding on stage. Long hooked nose, malicious smile, high voice, a bright clownish outfit - these attributes have also passed through the centuries.

Over time, the character's character began to change, and in modern puppet theater, from a champion of justice, a successful fighter against evil and a recklessly cheerful joker, Petrushka turns into a bright and charismatic leading entertainer of children's puppet shows.

Today there is not a single person to whom it would be a wonder glove puppet. In modern ones, almost all the characters in the production are made using this principle: bears and monkeys, cows and people. However, the description of the parsley doll is often vague and incomplete.

Traditional glove puppet

The main distinguishing feature of this type of theatrical characters is the fact that the toy is put on the hand, like a glove. The role of the neck is performed by one hand or paw - a large one. The middle finger has the task of representing the second hand or paw, and the ring and little fingers are simply pressed against the palm.

However, the description of the parsley doll is changed in some productions. Some puppeteers prefer the option when all four limbs of their character “work.”

Parsley, run by several people

There are productions where large characters participate. A trivial description of a parsley doll is not suitable here, because you can no longer put them on your hand. In order to set such a character in motion, it takes not one, but several people. Some people put the doll's head on their hand, while others play the role of hands. And sometimes even a third person takes care of the character’s legs. Indeed, this is no longer the well-known traditional parsley glove puppet.

Although, if you imagine a giant man with huge hands... And his fingers should be the size of a hand ordinary person! But anything can happen in fairy tales. Maybe that's why they are also called parsley? Or because, after all, their roots also go back to glove puppets? After reading this description parsley dolls, which are controlled by several people, we can also conclude: they are made using the same methods as traditional “glove” artists. But the patterns for them need to be enlarged many times.

History of parsley

Dolls worn on the hand appeared in Russia later than in other countries. And the “pioneer” was a farcical character in a cap with a tassel, dressed in a red shirt and wide canvas pants. The amusing man, wit and jester immediately fell in love with the representatives of the people. And the Russian people decided that Petrushka was a real peasant from their own tribe.

But art historians believe that the first to appear were the Frenchman Polichinelle, the Neapolitan Pulcinella, the Englishman Punch, the Turk Karagöz, the Germans Kasperle and Hanswust, the Spaniard Don Cristobal and some others. True, all these characters are similar to our Petrushka only in face, attire and habits. After all, they were controlled using threads. Our Petrushka was not originally a puppet.

But Guignol, who appeared in Lyon at the beginning of the nineteenth century, was closest to him. In terms of manufacturing and management technology, he was the only one suitable as a “brother” to our Petrushka. But the Russian people stubbornly consider this character to come from among our people, not wanting to share this right with anyone else.

Today, all dolls that are placed on the hand are called parsley or glove dolls. Children love to watch performances with their participation. And at home, playing with such a toy that can hug and is so alive and warm to the touch is also very pleasant.

Master class on making a parsley doll

It is very important for a master to obtain not only theory, but also practical advice. Therefore, material is published here for those who are interested in knowing how to make a parsley - a doll that is put on the hand.

The next step will be making the head. There are several ways:

• You can use the head from an old toy.
• You can make it from papier-mâché by pasting paper scraps over a template molded from plasticine. An egg shell from which the contents are blown out through a small hole can also be used as a template. The nose, cheeks and other bulges can be molded using plasticine.
• Animal heads crocheted from yarn look beautiful.
• You can sew the head of the future “prima” of a homemade puppet theater from fabric.
• Polymer clay is an excellent material for doll makers.
• For a doll depicting a person, the best option is to make a head made of padding polyester filling.

2. The second step is to sew or knit an outfit for the doll from yarn. Before starting work, you need to make a pattern for the product. To do this, place a palm with spread fingers on the fabric and place marks near the first phalanx of the middle (points A and B), index (C and D) and thumb (D and E) fingers on both sides. The letters near the dots are arranged clockwise.

Then, concave arcs connect points B and C, D and E. From points A and E, lines are drawn down, sometimes with an extension - for a flared style outfit. Symmetrical points near the phalanges are connected by straight lines. This option assumes the presence of “hands” of the character, which are cut in the form of miniature mittens, stuffed with filler and sewn to the outer bells intended for the doll’s hands.

If a robe is cut for an animal, then curved arcs are used instead of straight ones.

The outfit is sewn together by folding the parts right sides inward, then turning them inside out. The head is attached to the middle bell.

The finished parsley doll can be used to play theatrical production, or you can simply use it as a toy for children.

The ProDetki editors love to visit cultural places and discover new heroes and characters. For example, we became interested in the hero Petrushka in the puppet world.

The Petrushka Theater is a unique performance whose history goes back to the 17th century. At first it was a popular entertainment for ordinary people, and then it gained popularity among high society.

Doll Parsley

Parsley is a printed doll dressed in pants and a red shirt, distinctive feature This character had a pointed cap and a huge red nose.

History of the Petrushka Theater

The Petrushka Theater is one of the oldest entertainments in Rus', which has survived to this day and has not lost its relevance. . Many perceive it as a folk creation, but in reality its prototypes Russian folk theater Parsley has in many countries such as France, Germany, Italy and Türkiye.

The first appearance of the Petrushka Theater in Rus' was recorded back in the 17th century, but it gained its main popularity only in the 19th century. Despite the fact that there were several types of puppet theater in Rus', Petrushka's performances were the most popular.

Character Parsley

It is not surprising that Petrushka is the main character of the puppet theater, which is named after him. Let's take a closer look at what it is. As you can see from the history of the creation of the theater, it came to Russian lands from other countries, therefore Russian Petrushka has collected many in his appearance distinctive features different nationalities . For example, his head and arms were incredibly large, and his eyes were almond-shaped, his skin color was dark, and his nose had a large hump. Thanks to all this, he was very similar to his Italian prototype - Pulcinella.

Parsley Although he put his main character at the head of the presentation, he did not limit himself to this. For example, Petrushka’s constant partner in the plot was a bear, with whom he acted out the main scenes .

Russian theater Petrushka and its plots

The plots of theatrical performances were always based on banal and philistine themes of that time: soldier's service, treatment, acquisition of a horse and its testing, as well as Petrushka's dating and wedding.

All scenes had their own order and were shown strictly one after another:

— The first scene was always based on Petrushka’s purchase of a horse. He bargained with a gypsy salesman, who did not want to give in, then Petrushka got tired of it, for which he hit the merchant. This was the end of the first performance.

— The second scene was a demonstration of how Petrushka climbs onto a horse, but it does not want to obey him and throws off the main character, and then leaves after the gypsy.

— In the third scene, as at the beginning of the performance, Petrushka is not distinguished by a calm disposition, and, having visited the doctor, beats him because the doctor finds many ailments in the main character.

— Last scene there are also fights. When the policeman appears to find out why Petrushka killed the doctor, main character without thinking twice, he does the same with the quarterly. But justice is personified by the dog, which barks and growls at the main character, and then, not succumbing to any cajoling and begging of Petrushka, who grabbed him by the nose, drags him away from the impromptu stage.

This is where the show ends. Interestingly, the duration of the performance depends on how interesting scenes are played out, because it lasts as long as there are spectators on the street who have honored it with their attention.

Russian folk theater Petrushka is not limited to just four main scenes in its performance . When there are a lot of onlookers on the streets and the audience is ready to watch as much as they want - to watch a puppet theater, the story continues with others interesting stories. One of them is “Parsley’s Wedding”. The script for this performance was so rude and frivolous that parents did not allow their children to watch such a scene.

In all performances, Petrushka acted as a rogue, a swindler and a rude man. Nand his facewas depicteddeven not a sweet smile, as many may think, but a rude grin.

Street theater Petrushka

Traditional Petrushka - puppet theater one actor, the scene of which was always street fairs and shopping areas . The very first performances were shown without a screen, since the only actor-puppeteer simply wore a special skirt with a hoop on his belt. By lifting this ring, the puppeteer disappeared from the view of the audience, giving them the opportunity to enjoy the performance. At the same time, he could calmly move and work with both hands to control two characters at once.

Already at the beginning of the 19th century, such a costume for an actor was replaced by a screen , a prototype of the one in use today. It was installed directly on the ground, hiding the puppeteer and all his props.

Only men were puppeteers, but in order to give their voices additional squeakiness, a specialized squeak was used. It was inserted directly into the larynx. This gave the puppeteer the opportunity to speak louder.

Contemporary Petrushka Theater

Thanks to many artists who make every effort to preserve the traditions of puppet theater, we have the opportunity to enjoy interesting performances today. Nowadays, of course, these are not only nomadic fair performances, but also street puppeteers.

Most often, Petrushka’s performances can be seen in children’s puppet theaters, for example, “Firebird”, “Albatross”, “Fairytale” and many others.

People's Theater Petrushka on this moment is an opportunity to introduce children and adults to history, as well as to instill younger generation love and interest in literature.

It is believed that the birthplace of modern puppet theater is India and Ancient China. Later, this type of democratic art was brought by wandering artists, possibly gypsies, to Ancient Greece, and from there spread throughout Europe. It is not known for certain when puppeteers appeared in our country, but the Russian folk theater of Petrushka enjoyed enormous popularity among people of all ages and classes for about three centuries.

Background

Researchers believe that there were 3 species in Russia:

• puppetry, in which the dolls were controlled using strings;
• the Petrushka Theater - with figurines of characters placed on the fingers of the puppeteer;
• nativity scene - a theater in which dolls were fixed motionless on rods and moved along slots made in a special box.

The latter option was popular only in southern regions countries and in Siberia, and until the end of the 19th century, puppets, due to the complexity of the execution of the figures, were used quite rarely. Thus, when talking about Russian pre-revolutionary puppet shows, they most often refer to Petrushki. It got its name from the name of the main character of funny performances performed right on the street.

Who is Parsley

This nickname was given to the glove puppet, which was usually dressed in a red shirt, canvas pants and a pointed cap with a tassel. It is still not entirely clear why her physiognomy was traditionally given “non-Russian” features. In particular, he has an overly large head and hands, a dark face, huge almond-shaped eyes and Most likely, Petrushka’s appearance is due to the fact that he was created in the image and likeness of the Italian Pulcinella.

As for the character’s character, he is also a fraudster for whom no laws are written.

The appearance of Parsley

In Russia, a glove puppet with strange facial features and the name Ivan Ratyutyu appeared in the 17th century. However, it received its greatest distribution and its final name only 200 years later. By the way, Petrushka himself introduced himself as Pyotr Ivanovich (sometimes Petrovich) Uksusov.

Description of the theater at an early stage

In the 17th century, performances were performed without a screen. More precisely, traditional theater Petrushki assumed the participation of only one actor, who tied a skirt to his belt. A hoop was sewn to its hem, and when lifted, the puppeteer found himself hidden from prying eyes. He could freely move his arms and imagine scenes involving two characters. At the same time, the comedian almost always worked in tandem with the bear leader and also performed the functions of a clown.

Description of the theater after the mid-19th century

From the 1840s, the screen began to be used. It consisted of three frames, which were fastened with staples and covered with chintz. It was placed directly on the ground, and it hid the puppeteer. A mandatory attribute, without which it was impossible to imagine the Parsley Theater, was a barrel organ. Its sounds invited the audience, and behind the screen the comedian communicated with the audience through a special whistle. During the performance, he could run out to the audience in long nose and in a red cap. At the same time, the organ grinder became his partner, and together they acted out comic scenes.

Puppeteers

The Petrushka Theater, the history of which has not been fully studied, was considered purely masculine. To make the puppeteer's voice more squeaky and loud, a special squeaker whistle was used, which was inserted into the larynx. In addition, the puppeteer tried to speak very quickly and laugh disgustingly at every joke he made.

Subjects

The theater plays (Petrushka was their main, but not the only hero) were rather monotonous. Main plots: treatment and training for soldier service, a date with the bride, buying and testing a horse. The scenes followed one after another in a certain order. At the same time, the duration of the performance depended on how long the audience deigned to pay attention to this street performance.

The action took place in the following sequence:

• Petrushka decides to buy a horse from a gypsy horse dealer. He haggles with the seller for a long time. Then he gets tired of this activity, and he hits the gypsy, who runs away.
• Petrushka tries to climb onto the horse, but it throws him off and goes after the dealer, leaving the cunning one lying motionless.
• The doctor arrives. He asks Petrushka about his illness. It turns out that he has a thousand diseases. The doctor and Petrushka fight because the patient calls the doctor ignorant. The bully hits the medic hard on the head with his baton.
• The policeman appears and asks Petrushka why he killed the doctor. The rogue replies that he “doesn’t know his science well.” Then Petrushka hits the policeman with a baton and kills him. The dog comes running. Parsley turns to the public and asks for their help. Then he tries to appease the dog and promises to feed her cat meat. The dog grabs Petrusha by the nose and drags him away. At this point the performance ended and the audience dispersed.

"Petrushka's wedding"

Sometimes, usually during Maslenitsa and others folk festivals, the performance, at the request of the public, could last even longer. Then they acted out the scene “Petrushka’s Wedding”. Her plot was crude and frivolous. A bride was brought to Parsley, whom he examined as if she were a horse. After he agreed to marry, long persuasions began for the bride to “sacrifice herself” before the wedding. From this point on the performance, the spectators left, taking the children away. The remaining men listened with delight. greasy jokes Parsley.

There was also a scene with a priest or clerk. However, due to censorship reasons, it was not included in any of the collections where the texts of the performances with Petrushka were recorded.

"Death"

Among the characters in the Parsley Theater there was one most sinister one, who defeated the main character. It was Death, who, after a verbal spat, took Petrushka with him. However, the hero was soon resurrected in another place. This circumstance became the reason that some researchers began to find a connection between Parsley and pagan deities, who endlessly died and were reborn here and there.

Puppet theaters in Moscow

Before October revolution such permanent cultural institutions did not exist, and performances were staged by single artists on the streets or in booths, or they were invited to private homes to entertain guests. The first real ones puppet theaters Moscow appeared in the early 1930s. The most famous of them eventually became the largest in the world. This is the theater. S. Obraztsova. It is located at: st. Sadovaya-Samotechnaya, 3. In addition, around the same time, the Moscow Puppet Theater appeared in the capital, originally created to popularize children's literature. He toured the country and introduced viewers to new works by Soviet authors, written specifically for the younger generation.

Later, other puppet theaters in Moscow appeared: “Albatross”, “Firebird”, “Fairytale”, “Chamber” and others. Here you can watch not only children's performances, but also productions specially created for adults.

To preserve the traditions of Russian street performances for children and adults, Andrei Shavel and artist Valentina Smirnova organized a new creative team. It was called the Russian folk theater "Petrushka" and debuted in 1989 in the city of Fresino.

The theater puts on 30-minute performances right on the street and tries not to deviate from the traditional scenarios of farcical performances.

The emergence of the Petrushka Theater is connected with the desire of its creators to preserve the best that was in the street mass art past centuries.

Performances are also performed indoors. In such cases, the audience is also introduced to the history of Petrushka and the Russian farce theater. In their work, actors use props that are an exact copy screens and puppets that their predecessors had, entertaining the public on the streets Russian cities 150-200 years ago.

Now you know how the Russian folk puppet theater arose. Parsley still arouses interest among children today, so be sure to take them to some show in a farce style.