Hello, friends!
Today I will talk about the Eurofurence Pawpet Show. It is a puppet theater and an integral part of Eurofurence, the largest German furry convention.
I first encountered Pawpet Show in 2022, when Eurofurence was still taking place in Berlin (it's since moved to Hamburg), and I found it to be the coolest thing I'd seen in years. Every year they write and produce a new play; the 2022 show was called The Signal, and I'll talk more about it because that's where it all started for me.
[Hereinafter the author of the photographs is Martini Snowfox (https://yerf.arcticfruitstore.com/)](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/pLxxJMUlUK5WY_HdMGb36uiqLpBJxy0NUs3e7XWNRsi7OuNDnGQusOyhmcaE3zzbIfClP3ZmtpYMFTDLW4THadk5rW0iQamzaDMSivGgzN7IBVBbf37ZFkcDQaII5oRvOPm52uZlBger9YOBH6uMYVPLmrZKnIQnCEA7tgJ_Y3nDOpyOZ3JIIpzSoMKWcw)
Hereinafter the author of the photographs is Martini Snowfox (https://yerf.arcticfruitstore.com/)
A distant post-apocalyptic future, the Earth is inhabited by intelligent animals (well, yes, we are at a furry convention after all :)).
A group of explorers venture into the polar ice, chasing the signal of a mysterious radio beacon. There are still artifacts of a long-dead human civilization left in the icy wastelands, and who knows what secrets they may be hiding.
Human weapons long outlived its makers
Human weapons long outlived its makers
The play lasted three hours, and it had everything you would expect from a good story: lively, multifaceted characters, a twisted plot with unexpected turns, cunning and ruthless villains, dramatic betrayals and a bright, life-affirming finale. Not even once from the opening curtain to the end credits did I want to look at my watch.
This is where the history of a new species once began
This is where the history of a new species once began
Consider the great soundtrack, composed specifically for the show, a very high technical level (sound, light, live special effects), and the result you could easily put on the big stage of a real theater.
I immediately knew that now I just have to join this thing, so after returning from the convention I reached out to the Pawpet Show crew and asked what can I do for them as a volunteer.
I learned that there are several options.
The permanent staff of PPS (I will use this abbreviation for brevity) has regular rehearsals in Dortmund. I live in Riga, so flying there and back every time would be too expensive. Luckily, live rehearsals are just the tip of the iceberg, and quite a lot of secondary work can be done remotely.
The first option offered to me was puppet building. The plays are set on a large stage, and stock puppets which you can buy (like those) would be very difficult to see from the back rows. They were still used in the early years of PPS, but now almost all puppets are custom-built.
Welcome to the backstage!
The fursuit manufacturing industry helps a lot here. The technology has long been worked out, we just need to scale it down a bit. I started to learn how fursuits are made these days, and almost drowned in the abundance of details.
The frame of the head is a 3D print, and often assembled from many moving elements (the puppet in the photo above can open and close eyes and mouth and can move her ears). The controls are hydraulics, servomotors or bicycle brake cables attached to moving elements. Fur pattern is the result of an exquisite workmanship on a sewing machine, plus cutting and dyeing. Selecting materials for the skeleton, paws and torso is a whole big science in itself, because the puppet should be as lightweight as possible. The actress holds her for several hours with short breaks between scenes, and every extra gram becomes critical.
[The Terminator in the process of assembly)) Author of the photo and the puppet itself https://twitter.com/runo_public/status/1564239366763036672](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/Vc4mVJHfaHpArRReh72LovzYnmH5XSc223_TkF-X4EanY5g9gE97O-L8CIlDsKwUd0oqw2qbvXUO93kFvNwrFozTU44Vye9rq18U7Gkm09jcqwIIjaqGNcY5mHMibkQ-DVY3xvtrbRZUMsSW4Le0hYvmrUJcxiJfJrZseWJBv8cfyYqYEQ7rD8vYjF5M7Q)
The Terminator in the process of assembly)) Author of the photo and the puppet itself https://twitter.com/runo_public/status/1564239366763036672
All in all, making puppets required complex skills, which, unfortunately, I did not have, so I asked what else I can do.