I know some of you are masters at pattern making.  Anyone want to sell some patterns/instructions?  People are always looking and this is an area where there is not a lot available, (especially animals, etc.)  There seem to be a number of people puppet type patterns.

I am interested in purchasing them for resale, as I get a lot of inquiries via my web site.

I'd be interested... I'm assuming you're only interested in foam patterns? EDIT: Yeah, it helps to read... I only have human/monster ones. Been meaning to get organised on making a pattern from a cow puppet I made years ago

Currently they're just in .pdf format, but I can organise print-outs or other hard copy versions.

NA - people are interested in about anything really. I have had some requests for animal patterns lately, which is why I mentioned those. Send me some details (pricing, etc.)

I am also working on the syllabus for our upcoming annual CM workshop.  We include resources.  Would you like to send me some info on your shadow puppets?  I think that is something that would work well in Children's Ministry, and to my knowledge is not really marketed in that venue.

I'm really surprised that shadow puppetry has not been used more in the christian ministry area.  I can envision it used along with the hand in mouth puppets. This could actually be very advantages with smaller puppet groups.  With shadow puppets I feel it is very easy and cost effective to have a multitude of cast members. Because of the nature of shadow puppetry you can bring in characters and then have them "freeze" while others are added. You can even make single puppets that are a crowd.

I think I mentioned this before but when I was with StoneLion Puppet Theatre we quite often combined shadow puppetry with other styles of puppetry.  The shadow screen would often be behind the playing area for the puppets and we could project background for the rod or hand in mouth puppets that played in front of it. Then often for scene transitions we could play out part of the action on the screen.

I could see a hand in mouth contemporary character in front of a screen telling a story from the bible that was actually being played out on the shadow screen. Smaller screens in the set could be used as thought bubbles or dreamscapes of the puppets on set. The possibilities are really endless.

NA - people are interested in about anything really. I have had some requests for animal patterns lately, which is why I mentioned those. Send me some details (pricing, etc.)

I am also working on the syllabus for our upcoming annual CM workshop.  We include resources.  Would you like to send me some info on your shadow puppets?  I think that is something that would work well in Children's Ministry, and to my knowledge is not really marketed in that venue.

Would it be better to have this discussion via email?

As for pricing, it depends on how you're going to distribute the patterns. Are you wanting actual print-outs, CDs, or both?

The shadow puppet patterns are not quite as ready as the muppet-type patterns; mainly I need to do some minor edits, but I've been wanting to add more. At the moment they are in separate 'books' (ie. one pattern per downloadable file), and I've been wanting to add them all together so you get better value for money. With those, it would be easier for me for the time being to put all the files onto a CD, because then I can also add in video files.

Most of those patterns are simple animals and a couple of humans.

I'm really surprised that shadow puppetry has not been used more in the christian ministry area.  I can envision it used along with the hand in mouth puppets. This could actually be very advantages with smaller puppet groups.  With shadow puppets I feel it is very easy and cost effective to have a multitude of cast members. Because of the nature of shadow puppetry you can bring in characters and then have them "freeze" while others are added. You can even make single puppets that are a crowd.

I think this is just part and parcel of the 'muppets = puppets' fallacy, where most people prefer Kermit to Super Kangaroo. (The latter being a Richard Bradshaw character)

I also think it has to do with the Victorian silhouette, I reckon a lot of people probably think it's a bit stale and dated. Again, this is due to misconceptions about what shadow puppetry can be, which is why I tend to move away from that sort of style.

I've only seen one performance which combined shadow puppets with other types of puppetry, but have seen a couple where 'hand shadow puppets' (ie. the use of human hands) have been used as a quick and dirty inclusion - mostly from shows that improvise puppetry or are 'normal' shows that just happen to use a tiny eensy bit of puppets for one moment.

I think also that many people might avoid it because it's not easy to set up for street theatre; doesn't have that immediacy of interacting directly with your audience; and appears difficult... even though it's probably the simplest style you could pick to do.

I also think that the boundaries haven't been pushed far enough. The super-secret project hopefully will show how with a tiny bit of ingenuity and a lot of good building, you can do more than most people think with shadows.

If it works

I have to say when I do use shadow puppets, they are VERY simple styles but the audience is mesmerized every time.  I should do them more often!

Yeah you don't have to make it complicated for it to look good. I'm working on a couple of things at the moment that are simple in design and hopefully will look good too. Other things will appear complex but actually *very* simple to make. That's the fun of it!