The stage adaptation of Life of Pi features a lifelike Bengal tiger, Richard Parker, performed by a specially crafted puppet. Designed by Nick Barnes and directed in puppetry by Finn Caldwell, the puppet uses a wooden skeleton and Plasto-Zote (a lightweight, elastic polyethylene material) skin with bungee-jump rope joints, weighing about 15 kg to allow dynamic, realistic movement. Three puppeteers operate the tiger together—one controls the gaze, one the breathing/torso, and one the legs/weight—requiring careful warm-ups, strength training, and teamwork. Other animal puppets (zebras, hyenas, orangutans) are also operated by two or three performers, while schools of fish are created by many actors each carrying small fish puppets in synchronized choreography. The actor playing Pi acts as a “fourth puppeteer” through imaginative interaction, helping audiences accept the puppet as a living animal. Performances run through March 2 in Seoul’s GS Art Center.
