Just spent a really nice weekend at the Wolverhampton Show .
Michael Dixon from the Puppet Guild organises it , and has managed to get the Council to give us a big Marquee to perform in . Last year this was shelter from the rain , despite the mud bath under our feet , and this Year it provided some respite from the punishing Sun.
I have ben lucky enough to be on the Bill inside the "Big Puppet Tent" every year so far , along side of Michaels excellent Puppet Exhibition , Jim Morriss' puppet making Craft -Table and Ted Beresford and his Jig Dolls / Table Top show .
The other Act in the line up has been changed every year for Variety ...we have had Peter Charltons St George booth show and different marionette acts ...and this year it was none other than this boards very own Chris Sommerville doing his own unique mix of Magic and Marionettes .
All a great success and a highly enjoyable couple of days. But I digress .
Chris pointed out to me that in other threads here I have been referring to the "Drop Bag" in my Booth as a "Savante Bag" ...and he pointed out that this would translate as "Genius" Bag and that what I probably meant ( and my awful spelling got wrong) was Servante Bag.
A "Servante" is a hidden shelf on the back of a Magicians table , a place to secretly palm things from , and 'drop unwanted things onto'.
The fact that so many Punchfolk also do Magic might have created the term "Servante Bag" for the cloth bag that many have in their booths to drop puppets into quickly once they have performed their part in the show , rather than hanging them up again ( or dropping them on the floor !)
But this set me thinking ...where had I acquired this term from ??
I am not a Magician , and never really knew any growing up. And yet that drop bag ( which I had even in my first booth as a kid ) has always been a 'Servante' ...although in my head spelled "Savante'.
I must have learned it from somewhere , as I wouldn't have known the phrase to make it up.
.....................................
So in order to initiate some "Chat" here , I pose the Question ...how has the Term "Servante Bag" entered Punch linguistics ?...aside from its Magic Shelf derivation : who has popularised its usage ?
Is there a particular recent Proff ( alive or dead) who used the term?
Does one of the "How To" type Books use it ? ( Fraser / Edwards etc)
And do any of you guys call yours that ..assuming you are not one of the 'throw 'em on the floor ' brigade

I ask to satisfy my own curiosity.
And having spent two and a half days ( yep !! ) making a new Drop Bag for my heights booth with pockets for some props , loops to support my 'Long neck-Stick', slots for slapsticks , a divided compartment for my stunt punch on his sausages , a pocket for the fake punch legs , and shaped slots for the spinning Plates , plus of course a big section for dropping puppets into .......I think I might just continue to think of it as a "SAVANTE"
This pic wont do it justice ..it will need to be seen fitted into the Heights booth to see all the internal gubbins ...so more pics next week.

Best to all
Richard