Book - "Puppetry Stages"

Available from Creative Ministry Solutions (use to be called "One Way Street") a Christian puppet ministry website.

They also sell portable puppet stages, accessories, as well as puppets.

Blessings, Cathi

Doorway Puppet Theater

We used a puppet stage this month that worked well for us. We share space with a preschool, so our drama room is "in a box" that is put up each week.

The puppet stage involves a box, tension rods, a sheet and some dowel rods if you want to get fancy. It fits in a doorway.

It turned out to be a great workshop leader recruiting tool because we had the kids inside the room and the audience in the hallway. Whoever walked by coming in to church just had to stop and watch.

The kids even went down the hall with their puppets to beckon those adults who congregate in the hallway drinking coffee and not going to Sunday School classes to come and see their show.

I found this idea in a Family Fun magazine (sorry, I don't know which month, but it was this year 2001).

Puppet Stages using a Coat (Garment) Rack on Wheels

Our puppet stage was a wooden coat rack on wheels.

• We put some Masonite in the middle and covered it with boulder wallpaper and also use it as a prop in the drama room.
• Since it's on wheels it is real easy to move to different rooms or the sanctuary.

Added by Moderator 2017

Shadow Puppet stage - Here's another idea using a coat rack on wheels - see the Shadow Puppets Forum for details link

Kurt Hunter's - "Puppets, Kids and Christian Education"

Stella,

There is a book by Kurt Hunter titled, "Puppets, Kids and Christian Education." The publisher is Augsburg Fortress.  (Out of Print - try amazon.)

This guy is amazing! I saw him at the national Workshop Rotation Conference in Chicago - the things he can do with various forms of puppetry! Check out his website at http://www.huntermarionettes.com/rotation-model/

Anyway, he could probably help you with the puppet stage design, too. Email him at info@huntermarionettes.com

Good Luck!

P.S. Be sure to look into the handle-bag puppets he mentions at his site - they are too cool.  More info on these posted further down.

Annamarie

Kurt Hunter's church was one of the first Rotation churches in Minnesota (started by Ardys Sabin). Ardys told me that Kurt and his family "mysteriously appeared" in their church just as they were launching Rotation to offer their teaching help. Apparently Kurt and his wife are professional puppeteers.

I'll bet his book is GREAT. It was one of several "foundations of creative teaching methods" books Augsburg published back in 2001 all written by Rotation folks.

God certainly does provide.

PVC Puppet Theaters

Pictures and description of How-to build a puppet stage out of pvc and cloth can be found at many locations on the web.

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Portable PVC Puppet Stage Directions

Here is a great site with directions for a puppet stage using PVC pipe. I used it and it is very easy to do.

www.childrensministry.org/howto/howto5.htm

Really Easy Puppet Stage Ideas

Also be sure to think of simple, easily available puppet stages such as:

• popping up from behind a chair or a piano,
• using a box or a book, and lots more.

Small PVC Puppet Stage Directions

I just found a clipping from an OLD Better Homes and Gardens (June 1981 -- told you it was OLD). The clipping contains directions for a small puppet stage. While small, it would be great for a smaller room.

Materials: Three 20-foot lengths of 3/4 inch diameter PVC plastic pipe; 10 elbow fittings; 10 T fittings; 2 X fittings; 1/2 pint of PVC adhesive; 5 yards of nontransparent cloth; 1 pair of curtains (about 33 inches long) and valance; hacksaw; sandpaper.

Directions: The theater measures 60 inches high, 48 inches wide, and 36 inches deep. Following the diagram, cut pieces of pipe with a hacksaw and sand the edges smooth. Assemble all parts first to see that they fit and that all pieces are straight and level. Apply adhesive to the pipe ends, and slide the connective pipe pieces onto the ends of the pipe lengths.

Cut fabric for the lower theater curtains that will hang from the three-foot-high crosspieces. You can make or buy gthe upper cutains to hang from the higher crosspiece.

Moderator removed Photo link that no longer works.

Using shower curtains for backdrops

Posted by Phyllis Wezeman on 12/18/03:

Use shower curtain material for a backdrop:

We have painted on the muslin shower curtains with the paint that comes in the big gallons -- and I think that is a type of tempera paint.

If the shower curtain is plastic, permanent marker works well and they have a ton of colors in packs now.

Mic Stands, plastic pipe, and knit fabric

Posted By: Ken Scott Date: 8/18/99

We use four mike stands to hold up plastic pipe. The pipe is three of three parts. A six foot center section with a two foot section on each side connect with 45 degrees angle connector. We put hem on a double knit fabric that we hang from the plastic pipe. 

Moderator removed link - website no longer exits.

Mural Kits for backdrops

If you want your puppet stage to be more elaborate, Creative for Kids (formerly Painter on the Run) has some Stage & Props Kits with Biblical themes.

Flannel Graphs as Backdrops or Scenery

We have used our old flannelboard scenery and pinned it to the curtain of our puppet stage with good success.

Moderator adds:

To purchase flannel graph scenery or backgrounds check out  http://www.bettylukens.com/

Pictured are their: Water/Sky Background and Indoor Background, both 32" x 48" .

Simple Doorway Puppet Stage

Today for our puppet workshop I created a simple puppet stage by placing an extendable shower tension rod in a double doorway.  Threw a folded painter's sheet over it and use a clothespin at each side below the rod to hold the fabric in place. Quick to put up and take down.

Next time I'd like to add .....

A Background:

I will hang a painter's sheet from our drop ceiling (with large binder clips) a couple of feet back and slightly wider than the stage.  This will give us a clean background (hiding the furniture).  I would also sew a piece of Velcro on the side of the background facing the puppet stage.  I'm thinking height of Velcro would be maybe 2 feet above front stage height.

For background scenery changes:

One could paint scenes 2 feet high x width of your stage.  Then sew Velcro onto it so you have easily removable changes to attach to background.     

Stage Front:

Fold the painter's sheet double (so you can't see through it), cut away excess material. but leaving some extra material for seams.  Sew a seam across the top fold where you can slide the shower rod in and out.  Then hem the bottom.  Sew a piece of Velcro across the top front for scene changes.

Scene Foregrounds:

Example:  A table set with food.  Draw foreground onto painters sheet.  Attach Velco across back at top.   Can easily add or remove foreground scene changes.

Simple Puppet Stage that hangs from your Stage Curtain Track

Years ago, one of the woman in our church, created this wonderful puppet stage for us made from 2 pieces of fabric, 3 dowel rods, some cording, and two hooks.

To hang we simply place the hooks, over the curtain track, then close the curtains until they meet the sides of the puppet stage, voila!

Note: You could use a similar process for a doorway puppet stage, just replace the top dowel rod with a tension rod, in top rod pocket, eliminating the need for hooks, also adjust sizes of everything to fit your doorway.

Supplies:

Fabric sizes needed will depend on the distance from your curtain track to floor and how wide you want it, the measurements provided are from ours and I measured it laid out flat on the floor, so you'll need to add seam allowances.

• 2 pieces of fabric (width 6'8" - length 2.2)
• cord (45"), cut into 4 pieces: 2–9" and 2–36".
• 3 dowels rods (1" X 4')
• 2 hooks (big enough to hook over your stage curtain track and the opening (hole) on the other end large enough to run cord through.)
• drill

Directions:

1. Pre-drill holes, near both ends of all 3 dowel rods in same direction (holes must be big enough so you can run your cord through).
2. On top fabric piece sew a rod pocket across the top and another across the bottom, both wide enough to run a 1" dowel rod through them.
3. Bottom fabric piece sew a rod pocket along the top only, again wide enough to run a 1" dowel rod through it. Then sew a hem along the bottom, if required, our did not.
4. Push a dowel rod through each of the 3 rod pockets, gathering fabric as you go.
5. Take the 2 - 9" pieces of rope/cord and knot one end, thread up through top dowel rod and tie to hook, you may need to adjust so leave knot loose for now.
6. Next take the 2 - 15" cord pieces to connect the top fabric to the bottom fabric, push the cording through one dowel rod and then the other, do same for both sides, create distance between the two dowel rods as this is your opening for the puppets to perform, then knot the cords with one simple knot for now, until you've checked if it all sits level in step #7.
7. To adjust length of cords so your curtain hangs straight and will touch the stage floor, you need to be on your stage with a helper or two to adjust cord lengths and re-knot as needed.
   To do this, have two people on ladders and one person between them who will hand them each an attached hook. They will place their hook over the stage curtain track then adjust their knots, on each side, as needed, until the bottom fabric skims the stage floor. The extra helper can leave the stage and look to see if the opening is also level, if not those on ladder can adjust middle knots as well.
8. You now have a easy to hang and remove puppet stage.
9. To store ours: we roll it up, top to bottom, place in a garbage bag, roll the garbage bag around it and then tie the open end of the bag with an elastic.
   

Open your stage curtains and hang your puppet stage, using hooks to curtain track, then close your stage curtains until they meet the sides of your puppet stage.

Below photos of our puppet stage in use, second one is with blacklight, using Peeper Puppets.