They will select a short story, myth, or legend, or a scene from history or biography etc. to dramatize in a Toy Theater and then construct a Toy Theater, miniature theatre, with scenery, props and movable puppets. Using the theater and puppets, participants will dramatize their story using lights and sounds. Adding lighting to puppet and mask animation adds another dimension to the effect of the dramatic presentation. Lights focus attention on the puppets, animated objects, and can affect the mood and emphasize the time of day, call attention to a character, create shadows etc. Ultra-violet black light creates a totally unique effect and provides an opportunity to explore the effects of light on paint and materials that are florescent.
Black light is used in theater for special effects and for complete productions.
An approach to teaching the art of puppetry to middle school and high school students. Techniques for constructing puppets, developing scripts, working on improvised scenes for conflict resolution and basic puppet play production. Demonstration of student work and student videos will be shown. There will be suggestions for ways to use puppets as a form of student assessment in curricular areas. Puppets are a powerful art form to enhance language arts and social studies.