Just as there are different types of puppets, there are different types of puppet sets. This article talks about 6 different types of puppet sets.

Paper mache

A church we ministered in had formed chicken wire into the shape of a tree which they covered with papier-mâché to give it a textured look. The tree had several large knots for the puppets to appear on and it also had a large branch that the puppets could climb on. This was a permanent stage, and it was well done.

entrance theater

Use a tight-fitting curtain rod or tube with rubber stoppers at the ends of a door. (An adjustable tension curtain rod works well for this.) You can drape a blanket or sheet over the rod once it’s in place or draw a curtain across the rod before you hang it up. A nice advantage of this type of theater is that you can easily adjust it to the height of your puppeteer.

However, there are a couple of downsides to this type of stage. You are limited by the size of the input. If it’s a standard 36″ door, it might fit two puppeteers, but it will be tight. Another downside is that the door might not be in a good spot in the room and you might need to add a piece of colored material smooth behind it to block out what’s in the next room.

strong carton

This works for a temporary theater, but it’s not durable enough for a permanent one unless you have a good supply and can replace parts as needed. We used this as an extension to our normal theater when doing a Christmas play. The scene was a toy store and we used cardboard boxes covered with wrapping paper as shelves for the toys. Several toys were puppets that “come to life” when the owners left.

a wooden theater

You can build several different styles of wooden theaters. A camp near us designed a stage with a western theme. They had a bunkhouse on one side, a wooden fence in the middle, and a farmhouse on the other side. The puppets can appear on the fence or in the windows or doors of any of the houses.

At a church we attended, we built a puppet house. It consisted of a wall the width of the room, about three feet from one end. We built it to look like the side of a house with a large window on one side, a door in the middle, and a small window on the other side. To give it the effect of the side of a house, we used a new 1″ X 6″ siding. We also added a cedar shingle roof. To the right of the door was a 36″ TV and our sound system. We also set it up so we could put a white board over the entryway.

Wood frame theater

When our team consisted of more than eight members, our old theater was not big enough. We also did some outdoor shows and found that the wind caused problems with our regular theater; so we decided to build a new and sturdier theater.

We first built several wooden frames using 1″ X 3″ boards. The frames were just over 4′ tall and 2′ wide and were held together with L-brackets and screws. We then stretched the fabric over the frames and stapled it to the back. Hinges with removable pins were attached to the back so that the pieces could be hooked together. The frames were then joined to form a semicircle.

We then used 1″ X 3″ boards to make a 6′ long by 3′ wide frame and covered it with fabric like the smaller frames. We then used 1″ X 3″ X 6′ for the back studs and screwed the frame crosswise at the top to make the theater backdrop. The vertical boards were bolted to the end frames. The effect was similar to a PVC pipe theater.

PVC Pipe Frame Theater

This is our most frequently used playhouse that has 2″ X 6″ plywood bases and a frame constructed of 1 ½” PVC pipe that can be purchased at most hardware stores. The curtains sit over the pipes to achieve the final look.There are many advantages to using this type of film.They are durable, lightweight and portable, easy to put together or take apart, sturdy, easy to maintain, fairly inexpensive, and not too difficult to manufacture.

There are 6 different types of scenarios. Pick the one that works best for you, add a little imagination and creativity, and see what happens.