One-Person Puppetry

Most guides to puppetry assume multiple puppeteers, large stage, elaborate props, custom-designed puppets and more. With library staffing and budgets stretched thin, and other curricular commitments for teachers, few have the time or resources to develop full-blown puppet performances. Expert author Frey provides a much-needed puppet alternative to enrich story times, book talks, and other library events for children of all ages. make solo amateur puppetry painless, cost-effective - and fun! In Part One, Frey shares the techniques to: Create a stage that one person can carry and fit in a car. Make puppets out of easily available materials (stuffed animals, doll heads, papier mache). Learn stage secrets for warming up. Plan for a streamlined tale - performed by just a couple of characters, supplemented with a narrator. fractured fairy tales, folk tales from around the globe (Japan, Tibet, Russia, Arabia) and adaptations of Aesop's Fables. Also plan for entertaining patter between these short plays - songs, parodies, jokes, riddles, and the large puppet that can serve as the introducer. Children's librarians, teachers, pre-school programs, even parents and home-schoolers can entertain their audiences using this simple proven system.