Peter Scriven

Peter Scriven MBE [ [http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?breif=true&page=1&search_type=advanced Peter Scriven honour] ] (born 1930-died 1998) was the founding Artistic Director of the Marionette Theatre of Australia [Logan, D, "Puppetry", p.13] .

Background and Legacy

Scriven played a huge role in establishing puppetry as a serious artform in Australia.His "Tintookies" and "Little Fella Bindi" toured all over Australasia. The Tintookies, from an Aboriginal word meaning 'little people who come from the sandhills', was an elaborate marionette musical first staged by creator Peter Scriven at the Elizabethan Theatre in Sydney in 1956. After the success of this production, Tintookie [ Billington, M, "Performing Arts: A Guide To Practice And Appreciation", p.161] by became the generic name for any of the puppets used by the Marionette Theatre of Australia, formed by Scriven under the auspices of the Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1965. The board was chaired by Sir Howard Beale, president of the Arts Council, and included Dr H.C. Coombs, Dorothy Helmrich and Scriven, who was also artistic director. Apart from commissioning and presenting original Australian puppet works, the Marionette Theatre of Australia was to establish a training school, encourage the development of other groups, and import overseas companies. [ [http://www.binaryblue.com.au/LPA/peterscriven3.html Peter Scriven 3 ] ]

The Marionette Theatre of Australia produced innovative large-scale puppet shows with an overtly Australian content for children for more than 20 years, including the landmark productions 'LittleFella Bindi' (1958) and Norman Lindsay's 'The Magic Pudding' (1960). "Bindi", the aboriginal boy lead in "LittleFella Bindi" was manipulated by Scriven. He was supported by a team of five young puppeteers supervised by Igor Hyczka, a stage manager, a sound technician and a tour manager, Tony Gould (later to head the Queensland Performing Arts Centre). [ [http://www.binaryblue.com.au/LPA/peterscriven3.html Peter Scriven 3 ] ] Later productions included "The Explorers" (telling the story of Australian explorers, Burke and Wills) and "The Water Babies". A film version of "The Explorers" was produced in 1968 by Scriven for Film World Pty. Ltd. [ [http://www.burkeandwills.net.au/Bibliography/Movies/films.htm Films ] ]

Scriven was highly dedicated even as a boy to marionettes. According to his teacher, William Dalziel Nicol, Scriven was one of the first students examined in puppetry after a course conducted by the Education Department in 1943 in Victoria, Australia. [ [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A150555b.htm Nicol, William Dalziel (Bill) (1907 - 1978) Biographical Entry - Australian Dictionary of Biography Online ] ]

Scriven was a remarkable entrepeneuer [ Tredinnick, D, "Tintookie Man, the Last of His Tribe: A Story of Peter Scriven Puppetry", (Australasian Drama Studies - October 1, 2007"] and used his own funds to establish his marionette company. His legacy lives on the marionettes of the Marionette Theatre Company which a central part of the archives of the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, Australia.

References

Books and Articles

*cite book
last = Billington
first = Michael
authorlink = Michael Billington
coauthors =
title = Performing Arts: A Guide To Practice And Appreciation
publisher = New Burlington Books
date= 1988
location = London
id= ISBN 1-85348-115-7
*cite book
last = Logan
first = David
authorlink = David Logan
coauthors =
title = Puppetry
publisher = Brisbane Dramatic Arts Company
date= 2007
location = Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
id= ISBN 9780980456301
*cite book
last = Tredinnick
first = David
authorlink = David Tredinnick
coauthors =
title = Tintookie Man, the Last of His Tribe: A Story of Peter Scriven Puppetry
publisher = Australasian Drama Studies
date= 2007
location = Sydney, Australia
id=

External links

* [http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=163387 Peter Scriven and the Sydney Powerhouse Museum collection]
* [http://www.pictureaustralia.org/apps/pictureaustralia?action=PASearch&mode=search&complete1=true&attribute1=subject&term1=Tintookies. Peter Scriven "Tintookies" marionettes in the collection of the State Library of Victoria and the National Archives, Australia]
* [http://www.nida.edu.au/NIDA-Archives/default.aspx Marionette Theatre of Australia Puppet Collection (Peter Scriven) - National Institute of Dramatic Arts Archive]
* [http://www.binaryblue.com.au/LPA/peterscriven3.html Peter Scriven biography]