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Puppetry Health Hazards

YOU PICKS UP A PUPPET, YOU TAKES YOUR CHANCES.
October 16, 2006
Well, everything in life has some risks, doesn't it? Even just having a nice meal means the possibility of cutting yourself with a knife; poking yourself with a fork; choking on a lovely bit of stew; even falling off a chair. Puppetry is no exception. But in addition to the gruesome potential of taking an arm rod in the eye or kneeling on a sharp piece of something, there are a few very real health risks associated with puppetry.

Obviously, loads of equipment can easily find its way into any random puppet presentation. Sets, props, stage, lighting equipment, sound systems all have use and often become a part of the pre and post show nightmare called set up and take down. If your programs call for substantial equipment usage, be sure to use common sense when lugging about those invitations to hurt yourself. Here are a few tips:

* Always lift with your legs and not your back. Use your hands, too. They are useful for grabbing onto the stuff you're lifting.
* Stop showing off and get a friend to help with the really heavy stuff. Everybody knows how manly you are.
* Spread the heaviest pieces out in separate boxes/tubs instead of concentrating them all into one. Not quite as organized but lots easier to lift.
* Think about adding a hand truck or dolly to your equipment. Think about it hard. Then get one.

Many people nowadays are becoming acquainted with a malady know as CTS or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. It is pain or numbness in the hand/wrist and/or arm caused by repetitive hand/wrist and/or arm tasks. Generally CTS is most closely associated with computer activities like data entry or graphics design requiring heavy mouse use. But puppeteers are prone to the aggravation and discomfort as well. Holding one's arm in the air and dropping the thumb over and over and over again is about as repetitive as it gets. The writer of this article has been forced to severely limit his time with a puppet owing to the onset of CTS.

What can you do about it? You mean apart from giving up puppetry, right? Well, while there is no way to ensure immunity, there are a few things you can do to help yourself (or the puppeteers you direct).

* TAKE BREAKS. As often as possible during a rehearsal or show, take your hand out of the puppet and do non-repetitive movements. It is also beneficial to rest it completely on a flat surface or with a backward angle to the wrist. And ask someone to peel you a grape while you're at it.
* Learn to use your non-dominant hand. If you can trade arms at will, you can share the repetitive activity. And if you can actually trade arms, you may have a career awaiting you in a carnival sideshow.
* Volunteer for non-"star" roles or non-performance assistance from time to time. Give your wrist a break, showoff.

So, while an elbow to the forehead during a scene change is worthy of mention as a puppetry hazard, it is more or less an understood risk. After all, you knew the job was dangerous when you took it. But back injury and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome are very real, and often overlooked, potential dangers lurking in the dark alley of complacency just waiting to jump you and steal your wallet.

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