Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Outreach/Puppetry - Advanced

1. Make at least two or more additional puppets.
Tips for making sock puppets can be found in the ../Puppetry/ chapter which required that you make one. All you need to do is make two more. You may wish to write your ten minute script first though, so you can make puppets to fit the script rather than making the script to fit the puppets. On the other hand, having two additional characters may inspire you to write your ten minute script. The choice is yours.

2. Develop characters and voices for these puppets.
Tips for developing a voice were presented in the ../Puppetry/ honor, so again, we refer you back to that.

3. Write a ten-minute script.
As you write your script, remember that this honor is organized as part of the Outreach category. The purpose of Christian Puppetry is outreach, so gear your script towards that goal.

If you are having trouble filling ten minutes, consider adding a song or two to it. Just be sure that the song fits in with the rest of the script and it will not detract from it. There is no rule that says a puppet show cannot be a musical.

4. Construct your own staging.
This website has plans for constructing a puppet stage from PVC pipe and cloth. The result is a lightweight stage that can be disassembled for easy transport and storage.

The stage itself takes the form of a large open box inside which sit the puppeteers. The back of the box is raised higher than the front and sides to provide a background for the puppets. The frame is built of 1.25" PVC and covered with cloth.

Some of the PVC fittings are considered "specialty" fittings in that they are not typically used in plumbing projects. Thus, they are not typically available in hardware stores. They can, however, be purchased over the Internet. Plug "PVC side outlet 90" into your favorite search engine and you will find several suppliers.

5. Give at least one church or public performance.
An ideal time to do this in a church setting would be to make a presentation during Pathfinder Sabbath. This could either serve as the children's story, or possible even as the sermon itself. Involve as many Pathfinders in the production as you can, as this will make them part of the church service and make it come alive for them.

For a public performance, you could look into setting up a booth at a county fair, block party, homecoming, etc. What sort of gatherings does your local community conduct? Find out who is in charge, and make contact.