Using puppets in drama to tell stories has a long history from Punch and Judy shows through to the wonderful use of puppets at the National theatre in adaptations such as Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. Puppetry enables animals, magical creatures and people of a different scale and timeline to come to life and move in ways which may not be possible for actors. They can help children talk about events which otherwise would be too painful or to explore worlds of enchantment and imagination setting them free from constraints of time, space and identity. The imagery of the puppets can also be used as a starting point to create drama as in the 5 uses of a cheese and mouse puppet.
1. Pass the puppet around the circle, using one line only each, tell a story, building on what the person before you says.
2. Pass the puppet around the circle each person telling a story about why the mice are in the cheese, what happened to them, where are they now and why are they there.
3. Change the focus - these mice are people - trapped in this small place - why? In groups get the students to explore why people might be trapped - throw in ideas - Prison, Orphanage, mental institution. Get students to begin an improvisation of a group of people being trapped.
4. Physical theatre - using the idea again of being trapped, ask the students to physically put them selves close together at all sorts of different angles - they cannot move without another person scrunching up - limit their space - no talking. Add music, add single words, add text
5. For younger children (from age 6) Make up a story of the 5 mouse and the cheese- and as you are telling it get the children to act out what you are saying. They could use some still image. This could lead on to drawings and they could finish the story in all sort of different ways.
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