r i p s t o p shadow t h e a t r e
making shadow theatre shows for and with children and
their families
Schools Shadow Puppet Workshop
We offer a shadow puppetry workshop for up to 30 kids for an hour and a half which is a mixture of scientific exploration, technical making skills, story building and performance.
The session starts with a shadow puppet show (15 mins) to give the children an idea of the possibilities of shadow puppetry.
Available shows are:
The North Wind and the Sun
Aesop's Fables
How Anansi brought stories to the World
traditional Carribbean folk tale
How Raven brought light to the World
Canadian Inuit creation story
The children then explore shadows (15 mins) using different light sources and materials; finding out what shadows can do and how they can be transformed. We share & talk about our findings and think about the materials used. We look at how we can use our bodies to create surprising and effective shadow pictures.
I then demonstrate clearly how to make a shadow puppet.
The children then work in small groups (40 mins) to decide what story they are going to tell, what the characters are and where it takes place. Each child makes their own puppet character then they rehearse their story working out script and action. I give them support & direction with their ideas.
Each group performs (20 mins) their story to the class.
This workshop is for up to 30 KS2 pupils and can be based around a theme of your choice.
Teachers love the range of topics and skills covered in this workshop from Science, Design & Technology to Literacy and Speaking and Listening.
"I just wanted to email to say thank you for the wonderful puppet show and workshop yesterday. The children thoroughly enjoyed it and were talking about it lots today. We will definitely be in touch again next year."