QUESTION:
It's hard to tell from your
illustrations exactly how big the
Classroom Stage is. Can you tell me
the specifications?
ANSWER:
The Classroom stage is 77 inches tall
from the floor to the top of the swing
arms that hold the side curtains.
The stage is 64 inches wide between the swing
arms but with the swing arms
angled out in the recommended fashion,
the width of the stage effectively
becomes 8 feet. There are six curtains in
all, four for the side swing arms, one
for the stage front and one for the stage
backdrop. The stage structure (not
counting the curtains) consists of
sixteen pieces, most marked with a color
dot for quick, easy assembly.
Unassembled, the components (including
the curtains) fit into a 10 in. x 12 in.
x 36 in. box. Shipping weight is 23
lbs.
QUESTION:
When we put on a show, people standing
around can see our arms going up into the
puppets. Any suggestions on how to
keep the audience from seeing us?
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 arms. The Classroom
stage was designed with certain general
considerations, not unbreakable rules,
which allow it to be used professionally
and easily by children or adults.
It is designed to accommodate 2-3
puppeteers, seated on normal-height
chairs (such as folding chairs). If
more than three puppeteers have their
puppets on-stage at the same time, it
would probably be better to do away with
the chairs altogether. In this
case, a mat should be placed on the floor
for the puppeteers to kneel on while
working their puppets. The puppets
should do their acting in the space
between the backdrop curtain and the top
of the front curtain, making sure to stay
low enough so that the audience cannot
see the puppeteer's arms. In the photo on
the right, the right swing arms
have been removed to better view the
normal puppet operating position. In the
photo below, the puppet is being operated
over the top of the backdrop curtain.
QUESTION:
What kind of lighting should we 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 puppeteers to clearly
see the puppets through the backdrop
curtain without the audience seeing the
puppeteers. A classroom, for
instance, is often the poorest location
for puppeteers to remain unseen, largely
due to the uniform ceiling lighting and
large window areas. 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
normal table lamps are used, something
should be hung on the shades so that the
light doesn't shine back into the eyes of
the audience. Lastly, the puppeteers
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 puppets.
QUESTION:
Can the stage be made bigger or
smaller, to accomodate more or fewer
puppeteers?
ANSWER:
The crossbars that support the front
and backdrop curtains may be
installed at half-length to provide a
stage area of about 30 inches between the
swing arms. This arrangement is
often suitable for areas with less space,
or for presentations given by a single
puppeteer. The photo on the right shows
the stage set up in this minimum
configuration. We do not advise extending
the crossbars beyond the standard
configuration shown in all of the photos
above for two reasons: #1) The crossbars
may tend to bend and separate if spanning
a distance greater than they were
designed for, thus making the stage less
stable; #2) While the curtains may be
stretched to some degree along an
extended crossbar, they will certainly
lose their fullness which affects both
their attractiveness and their ability to
conceal the puppeteers.
QUESTION:
What colors does the stage come in?
ANSWER:
The curtains are designed to exactly fit
this stage and to allow the puppeteer's
to view the puppets (and to a lesser
extent, the audience) through them. This
see-through quality of the curtains is
accomplished by a combination of the
material, the special colors used and the
lighting provided at the location the
stage will be used (see Question #3,
above). The color of the curtains shown
in the photos here is Burgundy. Also
available are: Forest Green, Navy Blue
and Midnight Black.
QUESTION:
How hard is this stage to set up, and
what tools will I need?
ANSWER:
There are 16 components to the stage,
most having a COLOR DOT to assist with
assembly. The components are designed to
be hand-fitted together and no tools are
necessary, though the Assembly
Instructions do suggest using a light
hammer to tap the fittings together under
some circumstances. The brief
step-by-step instructions should have
your stage out of the box and completely
set up within 10 minutes. Expect it to
take slightly longer the first time until
you become familiar with the components
and their placement.
The
Assembly Instructions also suggest using
wire coat hangers, which may be bent into
hooks, to hang puppets behind the front
curtains or to hang scenery in front of
the back curtains.
ANSWER:
The Classroom stage is 77 inches tall
from the floor to the top of the swing
arms that hold the side curtains.
The stage is 64 inches wide between the swing
arms but with the swing arms
angled out in the recommended fashion,
the width of the stage effectively
becomes 8 feet. There are six curtains in
all, four for the side swing arms, one
for the stage front and one for the stage
backdrop. The stage structure (not
counting the curtains) consists of
sixteen pieces, most marked with a color
dot for quick, easy assembly.
Unassembled, the components (including
the curtains) fit into a 10 in. x 12 in.
x 36 in. box. Shipping weight is 23
lbs. 
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 arms. The Classroom
stage was designed with certain general
considerations, not unbreakable rules,
which allow it to be used professionally
and easily by children or adults.
It is designed to accommodate 2-3
puppeteers, seated on normal-height
chairs (such as folding chairs). If
more than three puppeteers have their
puppets on-stage at the same time, it
would probably be better to do away with
the chairs altogether. In this
case, a mat should be placed on the floor
for the puppeteers to kneel on while
working their puppets. The puppets
should do their acting in the space
between the backdrop curtain and the top
of the front curtain, making sure to stay
low enough so that the audience cannot
see the puppeteer's arms. In the photo on
the right, the right swing arms
have been removed to better view the
normal puppet operating position. In the
photo below, the puppet is being operated
over the top of the backdrop curtain.
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 puppeteers to clearly
see the puppets through the backdrop
curtain without the audience seeing the
puppeteers. A classroom, for
instance, is often the poorest location
for puppeteers to remain unseen, largely
due to the uniform ceiling lighting and
large window areas. 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
normal table lamps are used, something
should be hung on the shades so that the
light doesn't shine back into the eyes of
the audience. Lastly, the puppeteers
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 puppets.
QUESTION:
How hard is this stage to set up, and
what tools will I need?