FRINGE - Trobadour's Tale

In the summer of 2011 Pete Buffery took on a challenge – two weeks to create a show for the Barnstaple UK’s Fringe TheatreFest. Fourteen days, one messy bedroom and a few thousand photos later he had created The Troubadour’s Tale – a modern take on Chaucerʼs The Knight’s Tale. The success of the piece at the Fringe and the buzz it created led him to develop the project further. The new version premiered at the Improvisation and Digital Arts Festival in London UK, exactly a month before Pete follows in his father’s footsteps and heads for Fringe Festival Praha.  His father, Bill Buffery of multi story theatre company, performed three times at Fringe Festival Praha and was full of excitement about the riches that both Prague and the Fringe Festival have to offer.   Pete simply couldn’t resist and can’t wait to make his international debut at Fringe Festival Praha at the beginning of June.

The Troubadour’s Tale is a contemporary take on a timeless story of love and adventure.  Quirky animation is juxtaposed with soulful singing and instrumental virtuosity in a show that will amuse and move you in equal measure.

The images are created with stop-motion animation. Five puppets were made from a wire frame, built up with foam and coated with a latex layer to create the skin texture. Magnets on their feet aid them when standing and they have individual hair and clothing styles.  A photo is taken of a puppet in front of a bright green screen.  Then the puppet is moved the slightest bit and another photo is taken. This process is repeated multiple times until when scrolling through the photos the puppets come to life. The green is turned transparent and the puppets are placed on computer-generated settings. The music and songs express the emotional landscapes that the characters journey through.

There is a taster clip via this html www.petebuffery.co.uk/Troubadour.htm

Information about Pete Buffery

Pete Buffery is a musician based somewhere between the bustle of London and the calm of the Devon countryside. As well as being an acoustic singer/songwriter, Pete works in studio composition.   At university he explored ways of incorporating his skills into multimedia performances, including animation, film, music and drama.

Before developing his interest in audio visuals, Pete Buffery toured, recorded and composed with the musical duo ʻPickpockets and Skyrocketsʼ. This electronic/acoustic duo sing hushed lyrics about friendship and youth with a blissful and innocent optimism.  Accompanied by soft electronica, this music is best saved for those sunny days.