Puppetry with Bluelaces Theater Company

The theme for this week is: Puppetry

I will learn the three rules of Puppetry:
breath, focus, and movement.

Cartoon emoji of grey cloud with closed eyes and puckered lips, blowing out air

Cartoon emoji of large eyeballs with light brown irises

Cartoon emoji of a yellow figure, arms outstretched at the shoulders, one elbow bent up, and one leg lifted at the knee

I will make a Laundry Puppet and become a puppeteer!

Two people sitting on a couch surrounded by laundry, one plays a ukelele, the other leans back and holds up an orange sweater

Step 1:
I will watch this video

As I watch, I will meet:

Amanda

First, I will meet the composer, Amanda.

She will sing a song called Laundry Blues.

Robert

Then, I will meet the props designer, Robert.

He will show me how to make a suds blower.

Two people sitting on a dock, a lake and trees in the background. One plays the ukulele, the other stretches a scarf above head.

Bubbles and Phil

Finally, I will meet Bubbles and Phil.

They will guide me on my very own laundry exploration.

As I watch, these are some keywords I should know...

A pair of hands wearing white socks decorated with yellow banana bunches.

Puppet

Any non-living object that represents a living character

Puppeteer

A person who moves a puppet, to make it look like the puppet is alive

Composer

A person who writes music

Robert blows into a plastic container with large soap bubbles pouring out of it into a glass container on the table.

Prop

Moveable objects used by actors on stage

Props designer

A person who creates props for plays

Step 2:
I will pick my favorite Laundry Puppet

In the Laundry Puppetry section of the SUDS video, Bubbles puppeteers:

Split screen, on the left a hand holds out a red bandana, on the right a cartoon emoji orange squid

Bandana
(like a squid)

Split screen, on the left someone holds up a grey and white checkered shawl, on the right a cartoon emoji of a white bird

Shawl
(like a bird)

Split screen, on the left a hand holds up a scarf with black, white, grey horizontal stripes, on the right a green snake cartoon emoji

Scarf
(like a snake)

Split screen, on the left someone holding up an ocher colored sweater, on the right a cartoon emoji of a grey elephant

Sweater
(like an elephant)

Step 3:
What did I notice?

1. What did I notice about the puppeteer, Bubbles?

How did she interact with my favorite Laundry Puppet?
How did she use her body to move the Laundry Puppet?
How did she use her facial expressions to interact with the puppet?

2. What did I notice about the settings, or locations, of the video?

Cartoon emoji of blue water, with black lines outlining waves

Cartoon emoji of a grey bathtub on two legs, with a showerhead

Cartoon emoji of someone sleeping on a brown bed with a grey mattress and blue sheets and pillow.

Step 4: Laundry Puppetry

There are three important things that guide puppeteers in turning an everyday object into a living, breathing puppet :

Breath

The puppeteer’s breath should sync up with the puppet

Focus

The puppeteer’s eyes should always be on the puppet

Movement

The puppeteer should be aware of how their body moves in relation to the puppet they’re creating

Now, let’s become puppeteers and create a living, breathing Laundry Puppet!

First

I will find a piece of clothing that I’d like to puppeteer.

I can use the clothing Bubbles used as inspiration. Or I can choose another type of clothing.

For example:

Person holding up a grey and white checkered shawl in front of them

Hand holding out a red bandana with white designs

Person holding out an ocher sweater in front of them

Emoji hand raising index and middle finger in the "#2" gesture

Then

I will make my Laundry Puppet breathe.

I will make sure that my breathing syncs with my Laundry Puppet as I puppeteer.

Next, I will make my Laundry Puppet focus.

I will also make sure that my focus is on the Laundry Puppet as I puppeteer.

Last

Lastly, I will make my Laundry Puppet move. I will make sure that my body moves with my Laundry Puppet as I puppeteer.

Person on couch holding ukulele smiling into the camera, another person holding out a scarf towards the camera, her face partially visible.

Step 5: Laundry Puppetry Dance Party!

Now that I have learned about the three key elements of puppetry, I can have a dance party with my Laundry Puppet!

I can set the stage.

I can get in costume.

I can invite an audience.

I can choose a song for my dance party with my Laundry Puppet or I can play the song Phil performed in the SUDS video, by clicking here.

I can perform! While I perform, I can also watch Bubbles puppeteer her Laundry Puppets by clicking here.

Person on couch playing ukulele, another person dances, wrapping a grey, white, and black checkered scarf around her waist.

I can share my Laundry Puppet Dance Party by sending pictures or a video to access@lincolncenter.org

Explore More

More puppetry:

I can learn about two other types of puppetry:
Toy Puppetry and Sock Puppetry

If I want to get right to the part of the video featuring Toy Puppetry, I can skip to 9:58 in the video.

Three side-by-side angles of a small yellow rubber duck with an orange beak, floating in a bathtub filled with soapy water.

If I want to get right to the part of the video featuring Sock puppetry, I can skip to 17:07 in the video.

If I want to try these other forms of puppetry, I can puppeteer a favorite toy or a favorite sock!

While I try Toy Puppetry and Sock Puppetry, I will keep the three key elements of puppetry in mind: breath, focus, and movement.

Extension Questions:

Which type of puppetry is my favorite?

Laundry Puppetry
Toy Puppetry
Sock Puppetry

How do you feel about laundry?

Do you think it’s a chore like Bubbles did at the beginning of the video?
Or do you love laundry like Phil?

What is your laundry routine?

Additional Links:

To learn more about Bluelaces Theater Company, click here.
To learn more about Lincoln Center Passport programs, click here.

Tell us what you think! Email us at access@lincolncenter.org to share your thoughts on the activities and website. Post photos of your story or art projects using the hashtag #LincolnCenterAtHome.

Click below for a printable copy of these activities

Suds _ Passport

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