How to Make a Chinese Shadow Puppet Theater

Shadow puppets are a traditional Chinese art form. The stage is a large white sheet with a very bright light source behind it. The puppets and puppeteers stand behind the sheet and hold the puppets up to the back of the sheet. The bright light projects the puppets’ shadows onto the sheet without revealing the puppeteers. Read on to learn how to make your own version of a Chinese shadow puppet theater.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Poster board
• Markers
• Scissors
• Paper fasteners (brads)
• Stick-on adhesive Velcro
• 6 to 8 dowel rods or yardsticks
• White sheet
• Clothes line or rod to hang sheet
• Bright light

1. Draw your puppet shapes on poster board, and cut them out. If you want the arms and legs to move, make them separate pieces and fasten the joints with paper fasteners. Consider making a dragon puppet, as well as people. If you would like to see genuine Chinese puppets, try the links in Resources.
2. Color the puppets with markers. The color will show through the sheet somewhat. (The brighter the light the more they will show through). If you do not want color to show through at all, use large pieces of black construction paper instead of poster board.
3. Separate the Velcro. Cut small pieces of the fuzzy side--a 1/2 inch square is large enough--and put these at various places on the backs of the puppets (such as on the head, the torso, the knees, the upper arms).
4. Cut pieces from the scratchy side of the Velcro, about 1/2-by-2 inches. Fold these over the ends of the dowel rods,pressing tightly. These will be the rods you use to manipulate the puppets.
5. Hang the white sheet. You might want to put up a clothes line of sorts, or use a lightweight piece of lumber resting on two supports. Just make sure it is sturdy enough to last through the puppet performance! You might also want to anchor the sheet a bit at the bottom.
6. Put the bright light behind the sheet. The light does not need to be right behind the sheet. It can be behind the puppeteers.
7. Stick the Velcro ends of several dowel rods onto various points on the back of puppet. For beginning puppeteers, use only 2 dowel rods per puppet. More experience puppeteers may be able to hand 4 dowel rods, 2 in each hand.
8. Hold the puppets right up to the back of the sheet and use the rods to control the puppets’ movements.

Tips & Warnings

• Industrial-strength Velcro is the best kind for this project. The sticky back is really sticky!
• Do not use a light that gets dangerously hot since you will have puppeteers near the light.

Who Can Help:

• Find Home Theater Services Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.