How to Be a Puppet Character

Being in children's ministry I've been around plenty of puppets. Here are some quick and easy tips for enhancing your puppeteer skills..

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• a puppet
• an imagination

1. There are basically two things that really define a puppets character: movement and speech. We're going to go through both.

2. MOVEMENT: How you hold your puppet is very important. You don't want a sleeping puppet, so make sure your arm isn't bent and hanging down towards the audience. If it is your puppet will look like its staring at the ground or falling over. You also don't want the audience to see your wrist or hands by accident, so make sure you keep your puppet low enough. Now, you're ready to move your puppet about the stage. Movement is very important! If your puppet is walking bounce him up and down while moving him to the left or right. If he's abnoxious use motions that are quick or jerky. If he's tired move slowly and weak looking. If your puppet is scared make it shake and look around contstantly. However the puppet in your skit is feeling, show it through your movements. It really will make all the difference.

3. SPEECH. The way we talk is a huge part of our character, and the same goes for puppets. (First, when you make a puppet talk don't move both sides of your hands up and down to open and close the mouth. Only move the bottom half of your hand up and down, so that your head isn't flopping all over the place. Its a bit unattractive..) If you know your puppets role or background in a skit then it can be easier to determine what kind of voice to use. If your character is a little girl then give her a higher pitched voice. (exaggeration is ok, and usually funny.) If they're from the south, give them a southern accent. Just make sure that you get into the part, and don't change voices in the middle of a skit.

4. Whatever your puppets role may be, just make sure to get into it! You are who the puppet is, at least till the skits over...

Tips & Warnings

• If you mess up, make something up. Make your mess ups into a joke of some sort if you want to.
• Be loud! (unless your role calls for you to be quite...) You always want to be heard! (unless your role calls for you to be unheard..) (yes.)

[justscott]

on 8/3/2009 Very well done!

[FrazzledNanny]

on 2/19/2009 Thanks for the wonderful article. Puppets are such a treat for kids of all ages. 5*

[seradis]

on 2/19/2009 What great tips on puppets! Thanks!