Puppetry: Penasco Theatre Compiled by F.A. Marie and Alex Jaramillo
1. Shadow Puppetry
Please watch these linked videos and answer the questions below.
The Master of Shadow Puppetry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IwhLjj9Hkk Mouse and cat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoMoZyX53UU Shadow Puppets in School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xcS_eXSl9o Shadow Art Dance Group https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTSaTw_axIE Using human bodies to create shadow dances https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WqU2tcfwIY How to make shadow theatre with your hands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiLxd5TsIlo How to make shadow theatre with a cardboard box https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBwLs2lyWgU
Questions: What are the rules of shadow puppetry?
What are the 7 principles of shadow puppetry?
How can limits make you more creative? For example, a limit can be: -not having alot of a material you are using -a set of guidelines -having a small space -not knowing how to do something but learning in the process.
What are the mediums( materials and ways) you can use to make shadow puppets?
Google and name three places shadow puppets originate from.
Goals: Make your own shadow story using, either paper cutouts, your body, or mix in some found objects. Take pictures or a 30 second video and share with myself and your teacher.
At home shadow puppet theatres can be made using: -A hanging sheet -A large box -By backlighting your images made with bodies or puppets onto the wall
How to make a shadow puppet: As we saw in the example videos above, shadow images can be made with leather, paper, using our bodies and applying other found objects
To make a paper puppet you can use thick white paper or thick black paper. White paper will be more see-through but you can color it using markers, see if you can shine a light through and if the colors show up in the shadow.
2. Sheet of paper puppets
This method of making a hand puppet using a folded piece of paper is a great intro to hand puppetry. Please watch the video below:
How to make a hand puppet using a sheet of paper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayFG5Ow4wXI
Goals: Make a folded paper hand puppet based on a reptile from New Mexico. Take a picture and send to your teacher.
3. Sock Puppets
Watch the linked how to video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q5iuh3fWAQ
Once you have completed your shadow puppet make a short story about your animal and its adaptations, take a picture of you shadow puppet and the story you wrote, share with me and your teacher.
Has it developed longer teeth? The ability to dig into the earth? To ability to digest plastic? What can you imagine for your creature?
Materials: 1 sock Glue Thread Found materials
Goals: Make your own sock puppet using found materials in your house. Your sock puppet must be based on an endangered species of New Me xico. You will need to imagine this animal 1000 years in the future, what amazing adaptations to its environment has it made between now and the future where it lives to survive?
4. Finger Puppets
Finger puppets can rage from very simple to very complex. I have attached a video on how to make a very simple finger puppet to more complex bionic finger puppets, Please watch the videos below:
Simple finger puppet how to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXGtL2duhkI Bug puppet: 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUUtK9FFIt4 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZcrbssOOvw Furry glowing puppet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ4FGqaxZRQ Dancing furry ball https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPeQR-_JBzU
Goals: Make a finger puppet in the style of your choice. Take a picture of your finger puppet and send to your teacher.
5. Masks Masks can be made from almost anything, which makes them a very fun project please watch the link below:
Masks around the world https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWb_en6Fr-k
Goals Make a mask using found, natural or recycled materials in and around your home.
-Point to a random place on the map and look up the masks from that region. -Send a picture of a mask from that region with a five sentence explanation written in your own words -Send a picture of the mask you made and what materials you used.
6. Kites
Kites originated in China and are now used all over the world. Below are videos on the history of kites and different varieties of kites in addition to videos on how to make them:
About Kites: History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM2vSWuVGHg Facts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeprnll5GBA Kite examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbF7hj_U_eI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbpbLTnryjg Kite how to’s: Box Kite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpAEevPk2Rg Glider kite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70hi6PpAT9M Paper airplane kite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tJpd6TC1jA Diamond kite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eas1yAsWhnM Circle kite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDhhPswvxxkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgOYcbbz 1i0 Traditional kite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EclLuuk3YBo
Goals Create a kite, use any style you like, design a pattern on the kite that represents a plant that is native to new mexico or a bird of new mexico. Take a picture of your kite before you fly it and a 15 second video of your kite in flight and share with your teacher.
7. Origami and Mobile making
Origami is the incredible art of folded paper. Origami originated in Japan, and was later made popular globally through trade with Europe and then North America.
Mobiles were made popular by the artist Alexander Calder who created incredible counter balancing hanging sculptures: https://en .wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_(sculpture)
Please watch the videos below: Origami history 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oKw-e4UFac 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0IcsQnGk6c
1000 paper cranes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ch25z9om5w Alexander Calder: Kinetic sculpture and mobiles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI5PRaTSMUI&list=PL-sSl2HewwKpgqzryy3m2P7gr0ORagZ fM How to make a cascading mobile https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZARheDlf_c How to make a simple mobile 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsC3OCctjEw 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL0bivy3oX4 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUMwJsuP-gs
Goals: Make a mobile with hanging Origami elements, either use the cascading mobile how to, or the simple mobile template. Using youtube find a minimum 2 simple origami animals, plants or objects to learn, you will need a minimum of 4 total origami forms for your mobile, the maximum is up to you. Take a picture of your mobile when it is completed and share with your teacher.
8. Marionette Puppets
Marionette puppets have their origins in different traditions around the world, they can be made to be larger than buildings and small enough to fit in your hand. Please watch the videos below!
The art of puppetry and marionettes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zqUprOVCC0 How sesame street puppeteers work their puppets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pVHOaT9CZ4 How to’s 1. Dog marionnette using toilet paper rolls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCTUeUDELRw 2. Marionette using plymer clay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghRE5lKC__4 3. How to make a loonie marionette https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAJidGrItiM
Goals: Make a Marionette puppet out of recycled material from your house: With each item you use, look up its trash life cycle, how long does it last before it decomposes, does it decompose? Or does it just break down? Take a picture of your finished marionette and take a picture of the written list of material you used and their trash life cycle, share with your teacher.
9. Wire Portraits and Sculpture Wire sculpture is a playful way to make 3-d art, it can range from very simple to very complex.
DIY Wire Sculpture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H16O7kJhjVU Wire portraits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eClocSmDy8&list=PLXWC0iJuyFoEpieSvIP1oMrknkcepO6 Z6
Goals With one continuous piece of wire, create a 3-d portrait or animal of your choosing. Take a picture of your sculpture or portrait and send to you teacher.
10. Giant Puppets
Giant puppetry is an artform that is used all over the world to tell stories, for festivals and even for political protests.
How we make giant puppets is with wheat paste, paper mache and recycled paper bags and newspaper, in addition to recycled objects.
Below are links to some different how-to videos on paper mache or wheat paste puppet making. Some of the links cover the how-to's from making a small puppet to larger sized puppets.
Paper mache or wheat paste puppets can be made on to be giant or small enough to fit in your hand:
Please watch the videos below for more ideas, examples and instructions: How to make a small paper mache puppet head https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIjqY34nWQw How to make a simple wheat paste/paper mache https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTKQGMy1Joo Puppet theatre example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86OI5xapJj4&list=PLZJvPkS89GEx0qb1mviDq7uweTKVa8 Se2&index=34
Goals: Make a small sized paper mache puppet head and using old fabric or found objects create a body or clothing for your puppet Take a picture and send your teacher.
Making a large Puppet: many large puppets are built with recycled cardboard, wood frame and other items depending on what the artist wishes to create.
One way is by using a plastic trash bag, stuffing it with old newspapers to create a round shape. The paper bag strip and new paper strips can be added, the features applied and the left to dry and then the plastic bag stuffed with newspaper removed. This way the head can be worked or attached to a frame without being too heavy or bulky. It is good to only cover half of the ball, not the whole thing. When the plastic bag is removed the inside can have a bowl shape.
For smaller puppets, a balloon is a great surface on which to apply
11. Puppets and Planting
It is Spring and it is the time for planting seeds. We depend on plants for a number of reasons: being able to feed each other, plants release oxygen into the air that we breathe, and spending time with plants can help us relax and be present in our bodies. Taking care of plants can teach us many things about ourselves and our connection to Earth and each other.
Here are some videos linked bellow that share more information on the importance of plants and symbiotic relationships that plants share: https://youtu.be/Q96qKArCGe4 https://youtu.be/V4m9SefyRjg https://youtu.be/ygvnPllrQW8 https://youtu.be/IYxfz1PSfZ0 https://youtu.be/h5pxEaK-kic https://youtu.be/Hja0SLs2kus https://youtu.be/w77zPAtVTuI https://youtu.be/lGCZXx_Pczo
After watching these videos answer these questions:
How are we as humans connected to plants?
What do plants give back to us, other animals, and the environment?
What are seeds?
How do plants communicate to each other?
What is a symbiotic relationship?
Goals: Create a puppet of a plant of your choosing out of paper and then take a picture of your puppet to send to myself and your teacher. Look up information online about your plant such as: how to care for this plant or the relationship this plant has with other organisms and write ½ a page sharing this information with us as well.
12. Storytelling Through Puppets
Now that we have learned about the origin of different puppets and how to make them, it is important for us to remember the connection of puppets to storytelling. People have used storytelling throughout time to pass along information from person to person. Storytelling can be used in many different forms such as: spoken words, written words, images, and, as we have been working with: puppets. Storytelling helps us come to our own connections and understandings about the world by looking at it through other people’s senses and views.
When telling a story there are a couple things to keep in mind:
1: What is the story I want to tell? Where and when is this story taking place? What events happen in this story?
2: What characters do I want in my story? Why? What is the personality of these characters? How do these characters help tell the story I want to share?
3: What is the beginning, middle, and end of this story?
4: What emotions do I want to bring out from the people who will be listening to this story? How will people connect with this story? What will people take away from this story?
Here are some links bellow with tools on how to create and share stories: https://youtu.be/w33-m8-geuM https://youtu.be/mUdG-co3Y3o https://youtu.be/lcD6ijirN2g https://youtu.be/kGeW_H699Lo https://youtu.be/88GduPihMNY
Goals: Use the puppets we have learned about and made so far to create your own short story to share with myself and your teacher. You can write out your story to send or create a video one your phone and/or computer with the puppets to send as well. The story can be about whatever you want to share. One example can be creating a story about plants from the previous activity.
After completing this project ask yourself what do you feel is the importance of storytelling?