How to Build a Table Top Puppet Stage

Enjoy your creative talents by building a simple puppet stage! You get to do painting, decorating and a little easy sewing. Then select (or even write) a play, and direct every actor--literally by pulling their strings or moving your hands. Curtain's going up!

Things You'll Need

• Medium-size cardboard box and its lid (one that reams of paper came shipped in would be perfect)
• Piece of lightweight sewing material twice as long as the box is long for stage curtain (about one yard of 9 or 10-inch wide material)
• Needle, pins, sewing scissors, sewing machine
• Thread to match material for stage curtain
• Small curtain rod, either pressure rod or tiny curtain rod
• Acrylic paint
• Paintbrushes in various sizes
• Cutting knife with new blade
• Ruler
• Pencil or felt-tip marker
• White household or craft glue

Instructions

Award-winning puppet plays soon to be seen on own stage!

1. Measure the box on the outside of the bottom panel. Divide this number by four. (You don't have to be exact; most of these boxes measure about 8 1/4 inches wide, so figure approximately two inches. ) Measure six inches of the width. Now using the ruler and marker, make a line that runs all the way across the length of the box. With the cutting knife, carefully cut along this line with the box open and its open side flat on the floor, like a table. Now carefully cut along the two sides, but don't cut off the six-inch wide flap that's appearing.

2. Pick up the box and fold the new six-inch wide flap out and flat. Put the box on the table top that's going to be the 'home' for the puppet stage. See what you've got? You have a six-inch wide 'floor' for the puppets at the back of the stage (which can be secured to the table top if you wish) and a two-inch wide overhang at the top of the stage that will serve to hide the puppet strings from your audience if you're using marionettes. Finally, glue the box lid to the top side of the box so it forms an overhang or awning. Let the glue dry overnight.

3. PaInt your puppet stage in bold, bright colors and let your imagination run wild! Be sure to paint on flourishes and elegant scrolls, or even scenery from famous plays if you wish. Once the paint is dry, you could even make miniature 'handbills' and glue them to the outside of the stage, advertising famous actors and traveling theater groups. Let the paint dry thoroughly.

4. Divide the curtain material in half lengthwise, and cut it along that line. Fold under 1/4 inch of material to the wrong side on the back and stitch, right where you just cut the fabric. Do this three more times, at each end of the pieces,so you won't have any raw edges of material showing or raveling. Now hem the material for the stage curtain, with a wider hem (about 1 1/2 inches) at the bottom and narrower (about 1inch) at the top, folding and pinning the material to the wrong side of the fabric at the long sides and stitching it down. Put up the brackets that the tiny curtain rod came with inside the edge of the box.

5. Put up the brackets that the tiny curtain rod came with inside the edge of the box, or use a pressure rod instead. Gently push the curtain onto the rod and hang it, adjusting the folds. You now have a table top puppet stage!

Tips & Warnings

• Add fringe from your neighborhood sewing goods store to your stage curtain if you want to make it fancier

• You could even attach two tiny keychain flashlights to the sides of the stage overhang with hook and loop tape to use as spotlights for your puppet actors

• Get some imitation wood grain, press-on plastic shelf-lining paper and create a 'wood floor' for the stage