Presenting puppet shows is exciting, fun and rewarding and greatly enhances your puppetry experience. To get a great program off the ground, you must first plan and develop it. That used to be a tedious and time consuming task until I developed a way to streamline the process.

I used to pull out all of our tapes and CDs, go through each one, and write down possible plays to use. He would then organize the schedule, going back to the tapes and CDs to find the time for each play and determine if he had enough to fill our time slot. When packing for the show, I would go through the list and try to remember what puppets and props were needed.

Now, I recorded all that information in a planning chart. When I’m done, I have the program planned and a list of everything I need for the show. Taking the time upfront to record the information allows me to spend less time planning.

Puppet Planning Chart Preparation

When preparing the first schedule planning board, all of our plays were on cassette tape.

Step one was to gather the tapes. We had a series called “Quimper’s Corner” with character building themes, another series called “Building Blocks” with Bible centered themes, several cassettes with puppet songs and others.

second step was to prioritize and categorize the tapes. We used the Quimper’s Corner ribbons the most, so they were on top. Then came the Building Blocks, then the miscellaneous tapes and the songs.

Step three was to record the information from each tape on the graph. Most of the tapes included the name of the play and its duration. I etched the name of the tape in bold (example: Quimper’s Corner #1) and numbered each play on a separate line with the time next to it.

Step four was to add other important information about the play, including a basic theme, characters, props, special clothing, etc.

When it came time to plan the program, all the information was in front of me in a graph and the planning was quick and efficient. Here are some important things to include on the chart besides the name and time:

1. Location: where the work is located. Is it still on the tape or CD or do you have it in a computer file? If it’s on a computer, file, where is it located?

2, Topic-Write a brief description of the content of the work. (Many times the topic is in the title.

3. Characters-Write the names of the characters in the play. (Example: Mr. Quimper, Skip, Herb)

4. Puppets – List the specific puppets to be used for each character. When your show is done, you can quickly make a list of the puppets needed and you won’t get to a venue without a key puppet.

5. Puppeteers: Insert the name of the puppeteer who makes each puppet.

6. Props: Not all works will have props, so leave those lines blank. I also include clothing items in this slot. You may want a clothing category if you frequently change the puppet’s clothing.

Format the Puppet Schedule Chart

The first chart I made was on paper kept in a 3-ring binder and included pages for each full presentation listing the programs, times, and venue information. This was effective and served us long before we got a computer.

Another possibility is to record the information on a 3×5 card, one card for each tape or CD. You can then organize them in a file box and take out the cards when planning the program. A second section listing past shows and venue information is also helpful. That way, when you are asked to perform a second time at a specific location, the previous information will help prevent a repeat play.

Today, I use a spreadsheet and keep it on my computer with a couple of backups stored just in case.

Planning your program

I work directly from the computer, but you may want to print the spreadsheet and use a hard copy. Go through the table and highlight the works that follow the theme of your program. If there aren’t enough, go through them again and highlight any that might help you introduce the topic.

Let’s say the theme is “God loves you and shows that love every day.” You may not have a play with that specific theme, but have one where a puppet shows love to another puppet. Use that work as a picture of how God loves us.

Take the highlighted list and list the plays to use and check the times to make sure the allotted time is completed. (I usually add one more, just in case.) Put the works in order of presentation and include anything else planned for the program, such as practical lessons, balloon sculptures, gospel tricks, etc. In the program, list the puppets needed under each play and the name of the puppeteer for that part.

Finally, before closing the box, make a list of all the puppets, props, and tapes or CDs. That way, you not only have the program planned, but a list of everything needed for the performance.

Help planning your puppet show

If you’re the type who loves to produce forms and charts, feel free to take this information and develop your own chart. For those who don’t like to do that, but want the benefit of the chart, I’ve included a place on my website in the worksheets section where you can download a chart and customize it to fit your needs. It is in three different formats: MS Excel, Lotus 123 and Open Office Calc.

Having all the information in front of me when planning saves time, shows the full potential of what we can do, and helps improve programs. So I can spend more time preparing and presenting the programs. My goal is that you can do the same.