Naoko Skala honored for outstanding article in Theatre Design & Technology journal

Naok0 Skala, assistant professor of theatre and dance at The College of Wooster, received the Herbert D. Greggs Merit Award of Outstanding Article from the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT).

The award, which promotes innovative, in-depth writing about theatre design and technology, recognized Skala’s article “Introducing Joruri Puppetry.” The article was published in the winter 2023 Theatre Design & Technology, the institute’s journal. Skala also presented her work at the USITT Conference in Seattle in March.

In the article, Skala reviewed the history of Joruri puppetry, “a Japanese theatre art form that uses a large wood curved-headed puppet (4 to 5 feet tall) manipulated by three puppeteers, rather than the Muppet or marionette-style puppets people tend to imagine when they hear ‘puppets.’” The article described the experience of seeing puppetry theatres in Japan in 2022. “The experience also called to mind an observation learned while teaching during the pandemic,” Skala wrote in the article. “Some students had difficulties understanding design in a space with scale and proportion because they had never been in the theatre space or on the stage.”

She had the idea to create a virtual 3D-virtual reality puppet theatre for experiential learning. The virtual reality creation enabled students to explore the timeless tradition of Joruri puppetry without visiting the venue.

“It is a great honor for me to receive this special award,” Skala said. “I appreciate The College of Wooster for giving me this excellent opportunity to do research and all my students and colleagues for making me a better researcher and educator.”

Posted in Faculty, News on May 10, 2024.