Starting a Puppet Team
We have been using puppets for decades at my church. Two years ago I decided to start a puppet team. We began with three teenage boys who were on the team with myself. Last year we grew to eight boys and girls. On this page I will layout what resources we used and are using, how we got started and what we're learning. Please understand, I am no expert (and I don't play one on TV!) All I know is what we are doing or trying. If you are serious about starting a team, check out a regional puppetry festival or at the very least rent a couple of Muppet movies.
Start up Resources
One Way Street's Puppet Director's Notebook and Puppet Ministry Basics and Beyond
DVD or VHS are two essential resources. The Puppet Director's Notebook
contains the how's, why's and so much more on puppets, training and performing.
One great part of the notebook are the forms. I have created the forms on my
computer's word processing program (MS WORD) and print them out and store them in
a 3 ring binder. Forms such as rehearsal planning, skit/song casting,
attendance, performance records and so on. Another bonus of the notebook is
puppeteer advancement program. Let's your puppeteers progress from apprentice
puppeteers all the way to master puppeteers. This program is outlined and forms
are provided.
The Puppet Ministry Basics and Beyond video contains puppetry examples, training, and so much more. Well worth the investment. I love the DVD format because you can stop instantly and replay movements easily, plus, on a few of the performances you are able to switch between an audience view of the performance and a "no-curtain" view of the puppeteers by using your angle button on your DVD remote.
Picking Puppets
One of my first thoughts on picking puppets is looking for a size that will fit
your puppeteers. If you are using younger kids, then the bigger puppets like
Puppet Productions' awesome looking Innovas may be to heavy. That puppets
that I've fallen in love with - cause they are easy to use for me and my
smallest kids are the C-Bops. They are just the rights size, they look great and
they have a handy half sphere that your fingers grip. This makes puppetry much
more comfortable, and I know I've always got a good grip. These puppets
are either made by Puppet Productions or Oneway Street, but I can't remember
which. I'll find out soon.
Be mindful to get puppets that can be used in a variety of skits. General people puppets can be fitted into skits by changing their costumes. Animal or object puppets are often less adaptable into general skits.
Stages and Props
The first stage we used I created with PVC pipe. This stage was good, a
little hard to travel with and was not real flexible. We are now using a metal
framed stage made up of telescoping poles and tripods. We purchased the stage
from One Way Street and after just a few months of use have fallen in love with
it. All the poles and tripods will pack in one carry bag and the curtain is high
quality which I carry in a large, rolling luggage bag. The flexibility of it is the number one feature. It can be as small or
as large as you want it. Plus, it looks sharp.
Recruiting Puppeteers
We recruit once a year for our puppet team. I feel having one consistent team
works better than having new puppeteers coming in all through out the year. It
helps keep our practices consistent, parts stay the same and puppeteers build
relationships with each other.
Rehearsals
We rehearse once a week for one and a half hours. Our practice time and
date was decided on by the group to try to fit around as many schedules as
possible. Weekly rehearsals are mandatory. Puppeteers are required to call,
themselves, when they are going to miss. Excessive absences from puppet
practices result in suspension from the team and possible removal. I use the
Successful Rehearsal form from
One Way Street's Puppet Director's Notebook. Rehearsals consist of
learning the basics, practicing specific skits, building props and learning necessary
audio/video skills.
One tip I picked up is to practice without your curtains on. Set up the poles or frame, but leave off the curtains. This way you can see the kids and what they're doing and they can see you as you give them instructions. It cut a lot of the horseplay that goes on when puppeteers aren't performing.
MORE COMING SOON