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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS QUESTION: I just received the small puppet stage that I ordered from you. It’s really cute... but I have one complaint. The openings for the curtains were too tight so I had to turn them upside down to fit the hem over the bars. Now the curtains are too loose.
QUESTION: When I put on a show, people standing around can see my arms going up into the puppets. Any suggestions on how to keep the audience from seeing me? ANSWER: The proper viewing angle from the audience should be with eye level at (or lower than) the top of the front curtain. The bottom of the back curtain hangs below the top of the front curtain, hopefully preventing the audience from seeing the puppeteer or the puppeteer's arm. The tabletop stage was designed with certain general considerations which would allow it to be adaptable for use by both children and adults in a number of different settings. The "exact" condition under which it was designed called for it to be set on a table (at card table height) with the puppeteer seated on a normal-height chair (such as a folding chair of the type that goes with a card table). The adult puppeteer places the puppet on one hand and locates it just behind the front curtain (the bottom of the puppet should be about 1 inch below the top of the front curtain while the puppeteer rests his/her elbow on the surface of the table). Obviously, the variations of puppet and arm length, and table and chair height, will alter this "ideal" scenario. QUESTION: What kind of lighting should I use so as not to be seen behind the stage? ANSWER: As much lighting as possible should be on the front of the stage, with as little light as possible behind the stage. This will allow the puppeteer to clearly see the puppets through the curtain without the audience seeing the puppeteer. A classroom, for instance, is often the poorest location for a puppeteer to remain unseen, largely due to the uniform ceiling lighting and large window areas. Because of this, storytellers will often allow themselves to be seen working the puppets, knowing that they soon become "invisible" to the audience following the actions of the puppets. To make a classroom or other room suitable for a puppet show, first set up the stage with a blank, dark wall behind it (windows should be curtained or cloaked). Darken the room as much as possible. A desk lamp or two (with the adjustable swivel or gooseneck if possible) can be placed to either side of the stage so that they shine directly on the front of the stage. If just a normal table lamp is used, something should be hung on the shade so that the light doesn't shine back into the eyes of the audience. Lastly, the puppeteer should wear dark clothing. Black absorbs the light while white reflects it. Some puppeteers cut the feet off of black socks and pull them over their arms before putting on the
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ANSWER: The loose hems are the correct ones to fit over the bars. Their being too loose should only be a problem while the material is new and stiff. To temporarily keep the curtains from sliding off the ends of the swing arms, place a pin (safety pin or staple) on the hem so that it can't slip over the end cap of the arm. After a few uses, the curtains should hang properly without the pin.