Or 'Going It Alone?'
Use the links below to see answers to these frequently asked questions about setting up a puppet group:
Where do I start?
How many people do I need?
Who's going to be in charge?
What ages can be involved?
The problem of commitment
Where do I start?
Decide what you are setting the group up for. Are you aiming at a particular audience? To give a particular message? To have fun? To do it just for the hell of it?
Decide what puppets you will need to complete your aims. Sock puppets work well in some forums Stringed puppets in others (FAB), but are more complicated to operate 'Muppet' style puppets work in any setting.
Find other people who are interested in joining you. You could warn them about the health hazards of puppeteering... or alternatively, if you want a large group, don't...
How many people do I need?
A lot depends on how many puppets you require. In fact it all depends on how many puppets you require. In most cases, puppeteers can operate a maximum of two puppets, moving only their mouths, with their hands static: this is suitable for 'backing' singers or crowds.
Two puppeteers will be required for one human arm puppet (a puppet using a puppeteers hand as its own: ie able to pick things up etc.) if both arms are to be used. Obviously, only one puppeteer is required if only one hand is used by the puppet.
Some large puppets may require three or more puppeteers to operate successfully.
Then there are those in the background. These people are responsible for sorting scripts out, checking props and puppets, moving scenery etc. Most of the time there are 'redundant' puppeteers, not involved in the action, that can perform these tasks. It is useful to have at least one person dedicated to the backstage organisation.
Overall, the more people you have involved, the more you can do.
... the more you need to plan and organise
... the more careful you all need to be backstage
... the more time it takes!
But it's worth it in the end.
Who's going to be in charge?
Tricky one, this. It's easy to think that you're in charge if you are the one who has set up the group in the first place: but you would be wrong. Ultimately each person in the group is in charge, with their own responsibilities and input into the group.
All you need to find are three co-ordinators:
An overall director
This person ideally has nothing to do with the puppet work, but is able to watch the rehearsals from the back of the room, and offer helpful advice along the lines of "can't see your puppet" to "what is going on behind those curtains?".
An artistic director
Able to co-ordinate the sketch writing, scene construction and choreography.
The backstage director
Responsible for organising visible scripts, props and so on.
It is possible, although frenetic, for one individual to do all three jobs, but train someone else quickly! In time you will find that the group begins to be in charge of itself: and then you need to watch for the puppets taking over...
What ages can be involved?
From old enough to be able to hold a puppet for long enough (and high enough), to those young enough to kneel for long periods and still get up afterwards. Our group ranges from 10 years to late-30's. In one venue, we made an octagenarian an honorary puppeteer - she was marvellous!
The problem of commitment
It is a recognised fact that hard work causes people to be less likely to continue doing it if they have a choice - after all, who washes up when they have a dishwasher? Puppeteering is no exception: once your group is established and performing regularly, it is likely a number of people will start dropping out of rehearsals due to 'other commitments', and potentially your performances will suffer as a result. There is also the common problem of the same people being involved in lots of groups at the same church/organisation, with many clashes in workload and meetings... I've not found an answer to this, but make sure there are plenty of newcomers to train up!