Puppeteer
Also known as: voice artist and puppeteer, ventriloquist, puppet designer and puppeteer, voice artist & puppeteer, puppeteer and actress, puppeteer & voice actress
About this occupation
Puppeteers perform shows by manipulating puppets such as hand puppets or marionettes. Their performance is based on a script and the movements of the puppets have to be synchronised with the speech and music. Puppeteers may write their own scripts and design and create their own puppets.
A specialisation of performance artist.
Essential skills and knowledge
- adapt to different roles
- engage the audience emotionally
- develop puppet shows
- declaim
- accept feedback on artistic performance
- perform live
- manipulate puppets
- interact with an audience
- interpret performance concepts in the creative process
- cope with stage fright
- study relationships between characters
- memorise lines
Typical tasks and preparation
From the related US occupation profile Actors (O*NET 27-2011.00). Linked by an official crosswalk: related, not identical; details vary by country.
- Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles.
- Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role.
- Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences.
- Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed.
- Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble.
- Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations.
- Preparation
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Interests
- Artistic, Social, Enterprising
Top skills: Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Coordination
Subjects this work relies on
How important each subject's knowledge is in the job itself, rated by people doing it (1 to 5).
- English or Literature in EnglishO*NET: English LanguageVery important (4.4)
- Fine Art or Music or Drama and TheatreO*NET: Fine ArtsVery important (4.0)
- Media StudiesO*NET: Communications and MediaVery important (3.7)
- PsychologyO*NET: PsychologyImportant (3.0)
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Preparation needed
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Related occupations
Occupations O*NET links to this one by similar work, skills and knowledge.
- Musicians and Singers
- Talent Directors
- Choreographers
- Music Directors and Composers
- Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers
- Producers and Directors
- Dancers
- Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary
- Writers and Authors
- Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.