Puppets are versatile "actors" suitable for a variety of stories.
A puppet is an inanimate figure seemingly transformed into a living being by a puppeteer. Although puppet shows are often regarded as strictly children's entertainment, since at least the fifth century B.C., puppets have appeared in a wide range of productions, from religious rituals and satirical plays for adults to educational programs for children.
Uses
Puppet shows have been created for many purposes. In 17th century England, puppet shows filled the niche created when the Puritans banned theater. In the 18th and 19th centuries, puppets were used in elite forms of entertainment such as satirical plays by English actor Samuel Foote, operas by Joseph Haydn and Alessandro Scarlatti and avant garde productions by playwright Alfred Jarry. In the In the 1960s, the Bread and Puppet Theatre used giant puppets in its politically themed street theater productions while Jim Henson's Muppets became a central element of the educational series Sesame Street. Educator Jill Rumley uses puppets to teach her eighth grade students about the structure of fiction while the educational resource site Legends and Lore recommends puppets as tool for teaching history.
Preexisting Material
One way to create a puppet show is to build a performance around a preexisting comedy routine by a team such as Abbot and Costello, Monty Python or the Marx Brothers. The performers can work from a script or from a prerecorded routine from a radio show, movie or television show. If a prerecorded routine is used, the puppeteers pantomime along with the recording rather than reciting the dialog themselves. Another option is pantomiming along with a prerecorded song such as a novelty song, children's song or pop song. The puppets can even be decorated like their famous counterparts.
Script Writing
An alternative to working with preexisting material is writing an original script. Inspiration for a script can come from many different sources such as real-life experiences, nursery rhymes, moral lessons and even existing literary works. According to Markie Scholz of the puppet troupe Dragons Are Too Seldom, a puppet script incorporates the four W's: what is happening in the story, who are the characters, where does the story take place and what is the wrong, or conflict, that must be resolved by the end of the story. These elements should always be present in every puppet show, even if it is a lesson on grammar.
Characters
Puppets are essentially actors made of cloth and when they appear in a play they are playing characters with their own characteristics such as intelligence, stupidity or superhuman strength. However, puppet characters can be depicted in a more outrageous and over-the-top fashion than their human counterparts. Each character's reaction to the situations he finds himself in as the story progresses should be consistent with his characteristics. For example, if a character is named Bellowing Bill, he probably yells at the top of his lungs in every situation while a character named Shy Sue is probably timid in most situations.
