A puppet theater for Christmas

Title

Year

1940

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

December~ 1940 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 471 A PUPPET THEATER FOR CHRISTMAS Do YOU want a theater of your own for Christmas at your own home? I mean, of course, a puppet theater, in which the actors are small cardboard figures which are operated by the stage manager. Such a theater will be a never-ending source of joy to the children of your neighborhood-and some of the grown'ups, too. You can have little Christmas plays-as many as· you are willing to. prepare. Long after Christmas is over, the puppet theater would be splendid for a school room, and any enterprising teacher, with the help of some of her pupils, can make a very attractive puppet theater for the pupils of her room to enjoy. The stage is of wood and has a floor two feet long by fourteen inches deep, with an upright wooden frame fastened ~ 1-~;,.r. . H ,,, ~L.·i'M·•'f 1~1·11 .•• ~ to the front and another to the back, the opening twelve inches high and eighteen inches across. (Figure l) It stands on a larger table so that one can have properties conveniently at hand. A table cover hangs to the floor, completely hiding the feet of the play producers behind the scenes. Two ·curtains (or one -split into two parts, so that it can reveal the stage) hang in front of the table and stage. Th~re must be no chance for the audience to catch a glimpse of the play producers, or giggles and comments will spoil your choicest play. Our scenery, even the curtain, is made of cardboard, but if one is clever he can do successful things with cloth. (Please tut-n. to page 474.) 474 THE YOUNG CITIZEN December, 1940 CHRISTMAS GOLD PUPPET THEATER BOYHOOD CHRISTMAS (Continued from page 453) . (Continued froin page 471) (Continued from page 455) Into every room she In some scenes the entire 5. Why was the nar.rator went, blessing the house depth of the .stage is used; of this story lonely? with the Christmas blessing in others only half, or even 6. What was his "preas she went on her way. one-fourth. A forest scene. cious Christmas gift"·? At last she came to the consists, for example, of six 7. Did yo.:. like this great room where the little pieces of scenery: a back- story? Why? spider slept in the corner ground,· four wing pieces 8. Could the events of and where the big Christ- (two for each side); and this story occur in ·many mas tree stood covered with an open foreground. (Fig- different parts of the Philcommon cobwebs, a sorry ure 2) Two extra wings ippines? (The author states sight to see. add to the possibilities. that this is a true story.) She bfes.sed the picture. For the Christmas story 9. Does this story have of Jesus and His mother the background may show "human interest"? Mary, and the little shrine the_ interior of the s~able, 10 .. What. have you where prayers were said, while a manger and animals learned from this story? may be among the figures. and all the spotless room. The outdoor sGene may rep- place, we use wooden slats Last of all she blessed the resent a starry night with in which there are round Christmas tree, standing as shepherds and their sheep pegs at one end. These pegs a disgrace to all the house- in the background. The are set in holes bored in the hold in its gray cobwebs. scene of the wise men may wooden floor of the sr~ge. In the morning it was represent a starry back- The advantag~ of this arChristmas. The sunbeams ground with one large guid- rangement is that wings can sparkled and the Christmas ing star. The. ·wise men be turned diagonally, giving bells rang out clear and mounted on camels are better perspective, preventsweet. among the puppet figures. ing the audience from_peekIn the great room in the On the back upright ing in behind the scenes, good woman's house stood frame, on each side, a piece and also making it possible the Christmas tree, covered of zinc near the top is fast- to open stage doors and the from top to bottom in shin- ened and bent downward to like. ing gold. you s~e, the little hold the scene in place. At the bottom and top of spider had spun a web all (Figure I) Most of our each slat are pieces of zinc, over the Christmas tree, and backgrounds are on stiff similar to those on the back the Christmas fairy had cardboard, but some are of upright frame, one bent uppaper, with only strips of ward, the other downward. turned the web into spark- cardboard pasted back of These serve as clamps to ling gold. . . the two ends. By setting a hold the wings in place. It wa~ Christmas ~ag1c, lamp directly behind it, we (Figure3) The wings make the ~ag1c o~ the Christmas can create moonlight or sun- many things possible, like blessing which turns every- sets or early dawn. setting a house in the midthing into shining gold.- The wings of the puppet die of the woods, or creat.ddapted from "The In- theater are extremely im- ing optical illusions. structor." portant. To hold them in (Please turn to page 477.)

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