Where can I get information to teach us how to set up blacklights for our blacklight puppetry stage?  We do not move around and are currently using one 400W Cannon above and in front of our puppet stage and 4- 4ft fluorescent tubes on the floor in front.  Stage is 30ft X 12ft(adjustable). Trying to keep it an inexpensive as possible.  We have not gone with LED because of expense. We are dealing with white walls and need to get the light everywhere we want it so we THINK we need more, just what and where?

We have 2 LED panels and they light everything we need ( I found them online for around $115 each with free shipping, currently they are around $149).  Creative Ministry Solutions uses two for their festivals.
Here's another light that some people like, it is supposed to eliminate shadows - http://www.123dj.com/lighting/blacklight/ebk400.html
Price wise it is about the same as LED's.   You can use 18" blacklights as fillers if you need them. They are inexpensive, Wal Mart carries them.  I've picked up 18" fluorescents at garage sales for 50 cents to $1, and bought a b/l tube from WM for around $6-7. Change out the regular tube with the b/l and you are ready to go.

Yes! We have this light http://www.123dj.com/lighting/blacklight/ebk400.html

We only use the walmart tube type in the back for the puppeteers and stage hands to see by.  That one light really lights up everything for us.  The LED's are not as heavy in weight to carry around, but I didn't like the way they glowed if that makes sense. I'm sure everyone has their preference.

But Patmur to answer the budget question, if you can get some of the tube lights UP off the floor it will help with shadows. 
I saved this idea but never used it.  http://childrensministryvault.com/ministry-lessons-ideas-training/228/how-to-build-a-free-standing-blacklight-fixture/
Maybe you can try it?

We have one 400 watt UV canon along with the floor tubes.  Last presentation we used a few two back stage and it did help a LOT.  We have decided to take all the floor ones up and get another 400 W Canon.  Both will be mounted or raised to the ceiling depending what we can get done before the next presentation in early May. That layout seemed to work best for us but we won't really know till we get the light a try to position it.  Just a LOT of trial and error! BUT worth it to see and hear the children and parents enjoying and singing with us. God continues to keep us going!   

I think Angel is absolutely right, you need to hang overhead lights to properly "fill" the stage and eliminate shadows. Just remember to always secure overhead lights properly and use safety chains, otherwise you're likely to seriously injure your cast if a light or bulb ever falls (I have seen this happen). It's also a very good idea to use upright UV fixtures placed a 45 degree angle (approx) just behind the stage curtain/wings on both stage right and stage left.

Now I don't have much experience with UV canons or LEDs because they weren't used on the black light shows I used to do. The tech people I used to work with found them impractical, the cannons either weren't very good or too expensive and LEDs were not very efficient. That was over ten years ago though, and I think lighting technology has improved a lot since then.

Personally, I think that if you want an even, bright UV wash you need to use more tubes in different places. No offence to the Creative Ministry people, but I wouldn't build that fixture they've described on their site. It looks like a lot of effort and it would produce insufficient light in my opinion.

I think a better idea is to use a light that holds four or even 6 tubes. These can often be found online or at a store like Home Depot where they are sold as workshop lights or grow lights for roughly $80-200 each depending on the model.

This is an example of what I mean:



For most stages I would use 4-8 tubes upright in each wing and then use 2 bulb fixtures over head and on the floor as fill lights. The size of tube (4'0 or 2'0) you use really depends on the size of your stage.

Make sure you get a light with a reflector that will bounce the light towards your subject. Otherwise, a lot of the output from your UV bulbs won't actually be lighting your stage. Also make sure that it can be plugged in to a wall socket, otherwise you have to rewire it with a plug.

A complete stage set-up like I've described shouldn't cost more than $500 or so (not including bulbs). If you have a smaller traditional "booth" stage for hand puppets you might be able to do it with smaller lights for $250 or less.

If that is too expensive, you can find filmmaking tutorials on YouTube that explain how to make your own "Kino Flo" lights cheaply (a Kino Flo light is basically a professional film light that uses fluorescent tubes). Those take a little electrical know-how to build, but you could build a complete set for the cost of one store bought light.

Whatever you do, don't use single tube fixtures. They're meant for lighting bars and teenage bedrooms, not stages. Double or quadruple up your bulbs. Your UV wash will be brighter, more even and your stage will look great.

I guess you have to use what works best for you. We used single tube lights for years (and still do when we travel).

The LED lights we use in our sanctuary or Kids church room. We've learned you have to put them a good distance from the stage. Creative Ministries places theirs  a minimum of 20/25 foot from the stage. 

How big is the stage you're lighting? I'm assuming (more or less) a stage opening of 17'0 or so and at least 8'0 of depth.

We have 10x20to work with. We finally decided to get another canon. Also it does have to be quite far from the stage. They are on stands right now & they will get mounted to the ceiling when we decide where. If we cover the stage floor with black fabric...in front of tall section..we are not visible...IF.. we go back far enough with the lights. We have been able to get all the lights off the floor which has been good for the children.  We are going to have people seated at the base of the lights. Do you think glow from the crowd will interfere?

I'm not really sure without knowing more about your set-up (there are a lot of variables involved). At the theatre I used to work for they actually used black lights in the crowd so that puppets could come out in to the audience and there were never issues with UV glow from the crowd.

Speaking of UV glow... On the Creature Shop Challenge they mentioned that to keep something from reacting to UV light (a rod or cover for puppeteer) they used sun block sprayed on it.  Makes sense really.