This is my first real post after my 3 lines of, "Hi, I'm new here".  I am currently trying to come up with ideas for puppet settings to make our stage interesting.  I'm tired of black curtains and the standard "backdrop".  We perform once a month for our children's ministry but our tiny team meets every Tuesday night to hash around ideas and practice.  Our present idea is to make our stage look like a tree house.  With the possibility of using smaller "stages" to the side or in front to create additional settings for greater interest.  I don't have any pictures to put up just yet as we are only in the sketching stages but if anyone has done such a project or anything like it I would love your input. 

I don't have any ideas off the top of my head, but I do have a question: is this stage something you would have to take down after each performance, or do you leave it up, long term?

Here is a thread you should have a look at. http://puppetsandstuff.com/community/index.php/topic,6567.0.html They are actually replacing their current caboose train stage with a new one.

I do have some basic ideas that can dress up an existing curtain stage.  First off remember that you don't have to use simply black curtains. We did a rod/shadow puppet production of "Cinderella" and wanted a classic look. The main area behind acting area for the rod puppets was a shadow screen since we where using both styles but around that and on the front play curtain we used a heavy tapestry material. On top of the curtains around the shadow screen we used cutouts to frame the screen  and add dimension. Cut outs can be made of gator foam board. What is nice about this method is that it can be easily changed even during a show. A long piece of hanger attached to the back of the foam board cut out with a loop/hook on the end and you can hang it off the top of the curtain rod. In fact many of our stages used this "cut out" method even if they where not curtains. Cutouts can be rigged to stand or clip in different areas all the way from upstage to downstage. Think pop up picture book.

I think a tree house is a great idea, the puppets need to be high anyway. The windows of the "house" are perfect for puppets to come out of. We love to have little animal puppets peekaboo before our show and we think poking out from under leaves would be cute. I like to use soft sculpture for props and I want to make big leaves of various shades of green that have wires sewn in so that you could curl the big leaf. One issue we had with our caboose stage was that the fire code would not let us have anything within 9 inches from the ceiling, or was it 6? in anycase we cannot attach tree branches to the ceiling. The Wow Factory designed tree club house playscape that is so cool, makes you want to be a kid again.   http://thewowfactory.net/gallery/club-house/

I'm trying to remember what site I was on that had a list of different churches and their CM areas. There were lots of puppet stages camouflaged as other things.  You might just do a search on Children's Ministry decor.  I know Church on the Move (Tulsa) has a lot of neat decor with puppet stages.

Here is an article about tree house club house design ideas.  http://www.creativeforkids.com/webapp/design-studio/church-decor-ideas/138-childrens-ministry-theme-ideas-clubhousetreehouse

On top of the curtains around the shadow screen we used cutouts to frame the screen  and add dimension. Cut outs can be made of gator foam board. What is nice about this method is that it can be easily changed even during a show.

I would love to see photos of that kind of stage design! You have some, or can provide with some links?

I would love to see photos of that kind of stage design! You have some, or can provide with some links?

I don't think I have any myself. I'll dig around though and see. If I can't find any I'll try to find time to visit my old puppet company and see what they have in their archives.