Christian puppetry

Christian puppetry is a form of Christian ministry and entertainment through puppetry.

The Muppets gave puppetry a whole new look and life in the mid-twentieth century. "Puppet-fever" engulfed Americans. With the new public interest in puppetry, both in America and worldwide, Christians began to see the potential in this art form.

Beginning then and continuing to this day, churches in nearly every Christian denomination have started small puppet groups. Usually such groups' purpose is to serve their own children's ministry programs, but some reach outside their own walls, performing for other churches or secular venues. Some teams travel internationally to third-world countries, where children and adults have neither experienced this kind of entertainment, nor heard about Jesus Christ.

Christian Puppetry has grown so large that thousands of performers gather yearly at festivals to showcase, share, and learn more about their art form. One of the largest Christian puppet supplies distributors, One Way Street, hosts regional festivals to serve church teams, as well as a worldwide festival (I-Fest), lasting an entire week. In 2006, Atlanta puppeteer Raymond Carr dramatized a humorous take on his background in Christian puppetry in the performance A Sunday Morning Puppet Show at the Center for Puppetry Arts. Puppet show is a holy hit, hands down

Recent Trends

Blacklight Puppet

Though rod-arm puppetry continues to be the most common technique in Christian circles, some other forms have begun to gain popularity.

Blacklight Puppetry

Blacklight Puppetry capitalizes on the novelty of ultra-violet lights, or black light. Lighting the staging area with only these specialized lights, the audience can see only the objects that are coated with a special paint. The idea of controlling what the audience sees is a major responsibility of any puppeteer, and blacklight has provided a new way of accomplishing it.

Dowel Rod

Dowel Rod Puppetry combines interpretive dance and the use of (typically) two simple dowels. This style has been popularized and widely taught by Jeff Smith and adapted by churches across America. Routines usually involve a song that tells a story or conveys a message while performers move in a choreographed dance, employing their rods in equally choreographed ways.

External links

• How To Start A Puppet Ministry Good guide to starting your own puppet ministry
• Puppet Resources, a free on-line site where Christians upload their favorite puppet scripts for other users to borrow and perform.
• Kidology Children's Ministry site with an emphasis on puppetry, run by Karl D. Bastian.
• Puppet2Puppet Puppet Plays Children's Ministry site focused on Puppet Ministry, a collective run by Rev. Jim Hill
• Puppets and Stuff Online puppetry portal with a large base of puppet scripts, many of them Christian.
• PuppetBuilding.com Large web site devoted to making puppets for ministry and other purposes; includes many free puppet building patterns, tutorials and other resources.
• Puppets for JESUS! A free site dedicated to Christian puppetry and children's ministry that includes free puppet skits, lessons, game ideas, and puppetry helps, tips, and guides.
• A Show of Faith Grace Place Kids is an online puppet show developed for today's young children to introduce them to the stories and love of our Creator in a hip and friendly way.
• Little Lambs Theatre Fun Christian puppet shows put on by The Little Lambs Theatre Players.