how to do effective puppet shows
DESCRIPTION
A short overview of conducting an effective puppetshowTRANSCRIPT
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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