While working at the Edwardsville Public Library, I had many experiences using puppetry. I wrote and performed over 30 puppet plays. I am no longer offering puppet plays. Many of the shows that I authored are listed on this site for you to use. I do ask that you give me attrition, let me know that you are using my scripts, and give me a report on how it went and how the audience reacted.
I use lap puppets including "Samantha" ...
my sassy ape puppet to my storytelling performances. She tells jokes, sings and interacts with the audience..
As part of my story times, I used the monkey mitt for fillers between stories and wrote some of my own verses for them.
I used to perform shadow puppets. Since I no longer perform them, I give free use to the scripts I wrote.
Below you will find my workshops, papers, directions, and my original puppet plays.
- Shadow Puppetry - How to put on a shadow puppet play with references and original shadow puppet plays.
- Writing and Performing One-Person Puppet Plays - an on-line handout for the workshop.
- Puppet Central: Puppets, Books, and Make-it/Take-it: a three-hour workshop on how to use simple puppet techniques.
- Monkey Mitt - How to make a simple monkey mitt and rhymes
- And now...on with the show! Holiday, Character Building, Folk Tales, and Special-themed Puppet plays!!
CHRISTMAS
- A Stocking for Christmas - Witch Gwendolyn gets more than she bargained for when she switches her stocking with unsuspecting Bud.
- A Wish for Santa - Poor Sally is afraid that Santa won't find her at the South Pole. It's Pete the Penguin...to the rescue.
- Korkie's Good Deed - Korkie the Kangaroo is banished to the North Pole until she can learn what it means to be helpful. Santa comes up with a great idea and Korkie gets to come home...just in time for Christmas.
- Santa's Noisy Christmas - Based on the old "Noisy House" folktale. The Christmas fairy tells Santa to add more and more to his house until Santa appreciates all the joyful noise.
- Socks for Santa - Sally Jean learns what it means to give the best the gift at Christmas time.
-
The Substitute Rudolph - Rudolph is
sick and Sally Jean and Bud need to find a "big and strong, quick and fast,
flying animal to lead Santa's sleigh. Who shall it be?
Spring
- Easter Parade - Mrs. Henpeckle finds out that her good deed is rewarded during the Easter Parade.
- The Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow - (St. Patrick's Day) Bud finds out that happiness can't be bought with things only by doing for others.
THANKSGIVING
- The Courtship of Mile Standish - From the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
- The Turkey Day
Parade - An ugly turkey earns his feathers by
unknowingly doing a good deed.
Valentine's Day
-
My Fuzzy Valentine - a groundhog
misses out on Valentine's day until this year.
Halloween
- Too Much Noise on Halloween Night - Witch Gwendolyn can't sleep because of bubbling cauldron and other scary noises. Owliver gives her some advice.
- Trick or Treat Smell My Feet - Witch Gwendolyn is certain to win the Halloween costume contest this year, but is done in by her own shenanigans.
I wrote these puppet plays as a challenge to myself to write a puppet show a week during my pre-school parent storytimes. Many of them not only have the puppet play, but the puppeteer comes out during the play to tell (or read) a story that goes along with the theme. After each title, there is the character trait highlighted in the story.
- What's the Secret Word? (Manners) Sally Jean has to teach Witch Gwendolyn the secret word that every good scout knows.
- A True Tale of Two Apples (Everyone is special) Two apples discuss what it means to be special.
- Crocodile Smile (Being Brave) Crocodile has to have a tooth pulled and he needs to muster up the courage to visit the dentist.
- Shaggy, the Shamefully Dirty Dog (cleanliness) - Shaggy rebels at bathtime and runs away. He becomes so dirty that Bud doesn't recognize him.
- One of the Gang (standing up for what you know is right) - Dog tries to warn fox about playing with things that can hurt you. But fox doesn't listen.
- The Case of the Missing Ingredient (eating healthy) Sparky tries to find the missing ingredient for Cookie's casserole and finds healthy foods as substitutes.
- The Magic Rubber Tree Plant (positive attitude) Ant has high hopes of moving the rubber tree plant...and does with a little help from his friends.
- The Rainbow That Chased the Blues Away (hope) Bud is sad but a rainbow reminds him that there is always hope.
- Magic Mushroom - Adapted story from unknown source about Witch Gwendolyn getting tricked by an elf into eating her magic mushrooms.
- The Frog Prin-Cess - Fractured version where Princess Marigold gets changed into a frog and Bud has to come to her rescue.
- Baba Yaga and the Black Moonflower - Adapted from a Russian folktale that features Baba Yaga, Marushka, the Czar and even a hedgehog!
- Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock - An African folktale where Anansi steals the food of his friends through a magic rock. Fortunately he learns his lesson.
- The Dancing Turtle - A Brazilian Folktale - A Dancing Turtle proves to be tricky too. (although Brazilians speak Portuguese, I added some Spanish words for fun)
- The Little Elephant A Folktale from India - Little Elephant finds a "cool" way to keep cool.
- Coyote Dances With the Stars - loosely based on a Native American story and adapted for the IL Summer Reading for 2007. Coyote thinks he is such a great dancer that he belongs in the night sky to dance with the stars. He is in for a rude awaking! See HANDOUT/PROMO
- The Piasa Puppet Play - Little Groundhog draws a picture of a Piasa on the side of a hill to scare off his enemies. But his picture is a little too real and scares poor groundhog.
- Treasure on Book Island - By helping Hermie the Hermit and visiting the Slithery Dee, Pirate Pete and Bud find a treasure...of books. Written especially for the IL libraries summer reading 2006. Treasure chest at the end with prizes for everyone.
- Gettin' My Kicks on Rt 66 - Snail and Gopher make a bet on who will have the "best time" getting across America. Gopher chooses the interstate and does make the best time, but snail outwits gopher by taking his time and seeing the sights to have "the best time."
- Mystery of the Reading Rocks - The mysterious writing found on rocks is solved by visiting Cahokia Mounds. Written especially for the summer reading theme "Reading Rocks" in 2002.
