How to Create Action in Puppet Theater

Creating action in your puppet theater is the key ingredient to bring your puppets alive and keep your audience engaged. Constant movement and realistic gestures should always be your priority, and with practice and a talent for entertaining, your show will be a certain success.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Practice moving your hands independently of each other. If you are already an accomplished puppeteer, then this should be second nature, but if not, spend time making different movements with each hand, and then graduate to use different speeds and motions.

2. Make your movements match the character of each particular puppet. For example, an evil king might take large steps and move with hard precise movements while an airhead princess may sway from side to side in clumsy, free motions. Matching your movements to the character will enhance their personalities and solidify the different roles.

3. Let your puppets react to one another by portraying surprise with an open mouth or step backwards and fear with shaking or putting the hands over the eyes. The complexity of movements that you can create will of course depend on the puppets' construction and how experienced you are with movements, but be sure to keep all your puppets engaged with one another.

4. Give your puppets trademark gestures by exaggerating movements such as a loud sob or passing out and repeat these several times, so that the audience becomes connected. You can use this to add humor and encourage the audience to participate.

5. Keep all the puppets in frame constantly moving by acting a nod or tilt of the head. Even if a puppet is not the central character in a scene, you must keep it engaged in the performance with small movements but not too much to take focus away from the main puppet. Never leave a puppet hanging motionless if it is in view of your audience.