1st Edition
A Galaxy of Things The Power of Puppets and Masks in Star Wars and Beyond
1. The Things in the Galaxy 2. Distance, Distillation, and Duality 3. Powerful, Puppetry is: How two Yodas make meaning 4. I Find Your Lack of Face Disturbing: The mask performance of Darth Vader (and friends) 5. Climbing Out of the Sarlacc Pitt: The problematic side of material character powers
Biography
Colette Searls is an Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), USA, where she teaches acting, directing, and puppetry. She is an award-winning puppetry artist and has received grants from the Jim Henson Foundation and Puppeteers of America for her original works in object theatre.
Winner of the Nancy Staub Publications Award 2024!
"Colette Searls is here to remind us of how much puppets and performing objects shape and make the world of Star Wars, and what a fun, fascinating and insightful reminder it is. Her analysis of the use of puppets, masks, and performing objects in the eleven Star Wars films and related live-action streaming series is both spot on and useful for thinking about how this franchise uses physical objects to make the stories more “real.” [...] Perhaps the highest praise I can heap on Searls’ wonderful, brief volume is, as a life-long Star Wars scholar/fan, I learned a good deal from it, and it made me want to go back and rewatch the films and series through these new eyes. And, if I am honest, I have started to do so. Searls is another scholar/fan, clearly deeply knowledgeable about the franchise and unafraid to scrutinize and critique that which she loves. Plus, in conclusion, A Galaxy of Things is just fun, well-written reading."
Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr., Loyola Marymount University, USA, in Puppetry International Research, Vol. 1(2)
“Colette Searl’s A Glaxy of Things is revelatory and game-changing in this respect through its analysis of the epic film universe of Star Wars. Rather than avoiding the complications of understanding masks, puppets, suit characters, automata, stop-motion and digital animation central to blockbuster series, Searls leaps into the complex fray of object performance methods used in the films with a deep understanding of how such techniques work, how they are related to each other, and how exactly such essential material performances produce meaning. […] Searls, a puppeteer and puppet scholar, brings her deep understanding of puppets, masks and objects to bear in her look at the highly developed world of Star Wars.”
John Bell in Puppetry International, Vol. 54
“Even reading the preface to Colette Searl’s new book awakens a force within me. Her consideration of the Star Wars epic promises to be rigorous, thorough, and informative.”
Andrew Periale in Puppetry Journal, Vol. 74(3)
