how to do effective puppet shows

Puppets Galore

Fundamentals ofEffective

Puppet Shows

http://puppetsgalore.wordpress.comGlenn McKnight

Topics

Part Two­Logistics

­Staging

­Extra Staging

­Special Effects

­Electrical and Lighting

­Music

●Part One–Scripts

–Characters

–Protagonist

–Plot

–Humour

–Rehersals

–Having Fun

Scripts

Know your audience and know what you can or cannot write about. If your skit will be put on in a church, make your skit about Biblical principles and so forth.

If your skit will be put on in front of an organization run by the government or in a government building you may not be allowed to use religious beliefs in your skit.

Characters

Know the characters that will be in your play. Look at what you have to work with and write your script around that.

Pick a main character (protagonist) from among the puppets you have in your selection.

Characters: Antagonist

Choose a bad guy (an antagonist) who will make life hard for your hero.

When choosing this character, which can be a boy, girl or animal, make sure it is one that is believable in appearance.

For example, don't choose a sweet looking little boy to be your villain.

Plot

Come up with a plot. Along with who your character is, you need to know what your play is about, where it is happening and what is wrong.

Your character must desire something, but is unable to get it for some reason.

Humour

Come up with some humour. Children love slapstick humor and lots of animation.

Make it fun and exaggerate everything to the hilt

Rehersals

Practice your skit with your puppets. Check out their expressions as you go through the play which will give you inspiration.

Use improvisation as you go and write down any new ideas or dialogue that comes to you in this process.

Have Fun

Try to avoid preachy language or longwinded dialogue.

Make your skit full of action and try not to let the scenes in your script be stagnate. The most important rule in creating a puppet skit is to make it fun and enjoyable.

Logistics

If you have alot of stuff, ask for suitable truck size parking near unloading doors­Ice/snow free path­Access to ramps/elevators

Adult assistance if equipment must be carried up/down stairs

Staging

Shape: A stage is a triangle

Size: 14' wide x 7'deep x 9'high.

Pathway: A path 3'wide must be left on all sides.

Location: The stage is most often set in a corner of the room with diagonal seating.

Height: The puppets' playing floor is 6' off the actual floor - we do not need or want a raised stage.

Viewing: From chairs are set back ten feet

Viewing: From the floor are set back fifteen feet .

Extra Staging Video screen & projector

(placed to the SL side)

Picture props are place in the front of the stage

Mood and spot lighing attached on the frame or at the

Special Effects

Dramatic effects to showcase the action including: Use of "smoke"/fog machines to create a mood for scary 

or compelling stories

Video projection Projection of pictures, videos and on location cameras to 

enhance the storyOthers

­micro pyrotechnics­bubbles­"snow"

Electrical and Lighting

Standard electrical outlets

CSA rated Extension cords

2 separate circuits preferred

LED lighting

Strobe light/Kaleidoscope light

Spot lighting on stage

Music

Music enhances the performance Select free music from Internet Archives.  

Http://www.archive.org   Songs can be saved as a MP3 file or Wav format 

and played during the performance If you have any musical volunteers or performers 

have them be creative and provide music interludes or character music forms ie. Peter and the Wolf

Thank you

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