A puppet show is a theatrical action in which the physical component is performed by puppets that are controlled and spoken by puppeteers. This art form has existed for many centuries and remains beloved by both children and adults.
The significance of puppet shows in children's lives
It is very important to take children to the theater, since it has great educational value. But many kids are afraid of fairy-tale characters when they are played by human actors on stage. At the same time, they are not afraid of puppet actors, as they are small and look like toys that kids love to play. Therefore, the best option would be puppet shows for children. The script must be appropriate for the audience to be understood.
Performances with dolls give the kids a good mood and a lot of impressions, develop their abilities, educate their emotionality. Children see the relationship between the characters, which show them what you need and do not need to be. The characters are examples of kindness, love for loved ones and for the homeland, true friendship, hard work, the desire to fulfill a dream ...
Puppet shows for children are very instructive. The script for the performance of dolls is close to the child. Children are delighted when they see puppet shows. Magic is happening before their eyes - dolls come to life, move, dance, talk, cry and laugh, turn into something or someone.
Tips
To write a good, interesting script for children's puppet shows, you need to know for which audience it will be shown: for ordinary children or for a specific audience, where not everything can be shown. In some cases, it may be necessary to demonstrate something specific.
When the theme of the script is determined, you need to choose the main character (he must be positive) and his antagonist, that is, a negative character that will create difficulties for him. The appearance of the dolls must match their characters.
When the characters are determined, you need to think over the plot: what will happen to the characters and where. A puppet show should be instructive, and at the same time, the presence of humorous details is desirable in it. Better if the dialogs are not too long. There should be more action in the play than text. Long dialogues will be tiring for small viewers. The most important thing is to write an interesting and understandable script.
Plot selection
This must be puzzled in the first place. Choosing a plot that will be used to script the puppet show is necessary based on the age of the children who will watch it. For children, for example, 3 years old it will be difficult to perceive what is intended for children 8 years old.
A puppet show for preschoolers will be interesting and understandable if its script is written according to one of such tales as “Gingerbread Man”, “Turnip”, “Teremok”, “Ryaba Chicken”, “Three Bears” and so on. These stories are familiar to babies from early childhood. Puppet performances for children of primary school age are more appropriate to put on such tales as “The Little Humpbacked Horse”, “The Adventures of Pinocchio”, “Ali Baba and 40 Robbers”, “Winnie the Pooh”, “Cinderella”, “Thumbelina”, “Cat” in boots "," Mowgli "," Gulliver's Travels "," Blue Bird "and others. The scripts for these works are ideal for viewers from 6 to 12 years old. Puppet performances for children should be bright, memorable, so that they cause as many positive emotions as possible from young viewers and leave a lot of impressions.
Script composition
Puppet theater performances (just like any other) are built according to the scheme:
- tie;
- action development;
- climax
- denouement.
The plot is the very beginning of the whole performance. It is necessary to familiarize the viewer with the characters, with the scene and with what events the whole story that will be told began.
The development of action is a gradual transition from the beginning to the climax.
The climax is the main point in the performance, serves as a transition to a denouement. He is the most intense and significant in the plot, the outcome of the play largely depends on it.
Decoupling - the stage at which the action ends, is a debriefing. This is a peculiar result of the previous components of the whole plot.
"Masha and the bear"
This article presents an example scenario of a puppet show for preschool children. Based on the tale "Masha and the Bear." A children's puppet show on this Russian folk work will meet all the requirements by which the plot should be built. There is a positive main character (Mashenka) and a negative character - the Bear, which creates difficulties for the girl. There are funny and instructive moments in this tale.
Characters
The scenario of the puppet show based on the tale "Masha and the Bear" involves the involvement of the following characters in the performance:
- Masha;
- bear;
- Masha’s grandmother;
- her grandfather;
- Masha’s girlfriend;
- Dog.
Tie
The puppet show "Masha and the Bear" begins with the fact that a friend invites Masha to go to the forest for mushrooms.
The scenery depicts a village house where the main character lives with her grandparents. In the distance you can see the forest. Her girlfriend comes to Masha’s house with a basket in her hands and knocks on the window.
Girlfriend : Masha, wake up soon, otherwise all the mushrooms will be missed! Stop sleeping, already roosters sang.
At this time, Grandma peeps out of the window.
Grandmother : Don’t make noise, otherwise you will wake up! I won’t let my granddaughter go into the forest, there the bear lives.
Masha leaves the house with a basket. Grandmother goes after her and tries not to let her go into the forest.
Mashenka : Grandma, let me go mushrooming into the forest, please!
Girlfriend : You have to hurry, otherwise the sun is already high, and you can go far to the forest. Let’s pick up boletus, chanterelles and strawberries.
Mashenka : Let me go, Grandma.
Grandfather appears in the window of the house.
Grandfather : Okay, grandmother, let Masha go into the forest! There has long been no bear, and there is no mention of it, Fedot shot him.
Grandma : It would be nice. Only Fedot your lie much.
Mashenka : Grandma, well, let me go into the forest for mushrooms and berries!
Grandma : Okay, granddaughter, go, but look, do not get lost and return before dark.
Masha and her friend went into the forest, and grandfather and grandmother went into the house.
Action development
A puppet show (its action) is transferred to the forest. Masha with a girlfriend collect mushrooms and berries. While walking through the forest, they sing a song.
Mashenka (seeing a mushroom, runs forward): Oh, I found a mushroom.
Girlfriend : Do not run away from me and do not fall behind, otherwise you will get lost!
Mashenka : And here is another mushroom.
She runs away behind the trees and she is no longer visible behind them, only her voice is heard.
Mashenka : How many mushrooms! Pigs, mushrooms, chanterelles. Oh, there’s also berries. Strawberries, blueberries, lingonberries.
A girlfriend finds a mushroom, plucks it and puts it in her basket. After that, he looks around.
Girlfriend : Masha, where are you? Aw! Answer me! Come back! Probably Masha got lost. It's getting dark, it's time for me to go home.
A girlfriend picks a few more mushrooms, then returns to the village.
Climax
Mashenka is walking through the forest with a full basket of mushrooms. She goes to the edge where there is a bear’s hut.
Mashenka : My girlfriend, ay! Answer me! I'm here! Where are you? But someone’s hut, we ask the one who lives in it to take us home.
She knocks on the door and the bear opens it. He grabs her and drags her into his house.
Bear : Come in, just come. Will you stay with me! You’ll heat me up the stove, put things in order, bake raspberry pies, cook jelly and semolina, otherwise I’ll eat you.
Mashenka (crying): I can’t stay here! Grandparents are waiting for me, crying. Who would they cook dinner without me?
Bear : You need me on the farm! You’ll live with me, and you can cook their dinners here, and I’ll carry them.
The following picture represents a village house from which Cars and Grandparents exit. They go to the forest in search of their granddaughter.
Grandmother : I told her not to go to the forest, and you: “Go, go.” And my heart sensed trouble. And where now to look for our granddaughter?
Grandfather : And what about me? You yourself let her go into the forest! Who knew that she was taking a walk before the dark ...
Grandmother : Granddaughter, where are you? Aw! What if the bear ate it? Where are you, Masha?
A bear appears from behind a tree. He goes out to meet grandparents.
Bear : Why are you shouting here? You interfere with my sleep!
Grandparents are scared of him and run away.
Bear : That's nice! There is nothing to walk in my forest!
The bear goes to his hut.
Denouement
It was morning. The bear leaves the hut. Behind him is Mashenka and carries a large box.
Bear : Where are you going? What's in the box with you?
Mashenka : I baked pies with raspberries and blueberries for my grandparents! They will be glad.
Bear : Do you want to run away from me? You will not outwit me! I'm the smartest in the forest! I'll take your pies to them myself.
Mashenka : Alright, take it. Only now I'm afraid that you will eat all the pies along the way. Then I will climb a pine tree and from there I will follow you so that you don’t open the box and eat nothing.
Bear : I won’t deceive you.
Mashenka : Bring me some wood so I cook porridge for you while you go to my grandparents.
The bear leaves for firewood. The girl is hiding in a box at this time. Soon, the Bear returns, brings firewood, puts the box on his back and goes to the village, singing a song.
Bear : Oh, something I'm tired. I’ll sit on a stump and eat a pie!
Mashenka : (leaning out of the box): I sit high, I look far! Do not sit on a stump and do not eat my pies! Take them to grandparents.
Bear : That's what big-eyed.
He sighs and moves on.
The forest ends, the bear is already in the village. He goes to Mashenka’s house and knocks. A dog runs up to him and pounces. The bear throws the box and runs to his forest. Grandparents open the box, and from there Mashenka jumps out. They are happy that the granddaughter has returned, hug her and lead her into the house.
The script for the puppet show "Masha and the Bear" is designed for children from 2 to 6 years.