How to Make a Portable Puppet Stage

Puppet stages provide countless hours of fun, play and creativity for kids. They can also take up a great deal of space in the home. If have a limited amount of space it is a good idea to make a portable puppet stage. With a portable puppet stage, you can put on shows, explore your creativity, and then quickly and easily store it away until you need it again. Here are instructions on how to make a puppet stage.

Things You'll Need

• Luann plywood
• Hinges and screws
• Power and woodworking tools
• Paint
• Fabric
• Velcro

Instructions

1. Collect your materials. You will need a thin sturdy four-by-eight sheet of Luan plywood, 4-inch hinges that fold completely flat with short bolt screws and wood glue. You will also need fabric, Velcro, a circular saw, drill, bits, jigsaw, screwdriver and measuring tape.

2. 

   Cut your plywood into three pieces. You will need one four-by-four foot piece, and two 2-by-4 foot pieces.

3. 

   Cut windows into your plywood pieces. Make an arch in each of the two sides and cut a large rectangle in the large front panel and an arch window in each of the two side behind the screen.

4. To make your puppet stage more attractive, round out the top and sides of the wood pieces(optional).

5. 

   Lay out your plywood panels on the floor and mark where the hinges will go. Drill holes for your screws and assemble your puppet stage. Sand and clean up the surface of your puppet stage.

6. Paint your puppet stage any way you like and allow it to dry. You can use chalk board paint to add a marquee that you can write on with chalk. You can create a faux brick surface, or you can just paint it white.

7. 

   Make simple fabric panel curtains and attach it to Velcro backing. Affix the other side of the Velcro to the inside of the puppet stage above the windows. Stand up your stage and arrange the sides at an angle and you are ready to put on a play.

Tips & Warnings

• You can fold your puppet stage flat and store it against a wall or in a closet.

• Remind users to be careful to not knock the stage over during the play.

• You may want to install safety chains to keep the sides from opening too far causing it to fall over.

• For a professional portable puppet stage, increase the scale of these directions and add finishing touches such as a shelf inside each opening.