Master Class. DIY shadow theater

The production of the poster is a very important part of the preparation of the play, in it in a concise form you can tell what awaits the audience, interest, and, at the same time, the poster should not reveal all the secrets of the future action, conceal some kind of intrigue.

Surely you have seen a lot of posters in the life around you, you liked some, you passed some of them. The poster needs to be made so interesting that you want to read it, so the main thing in creating a poster is carefully thought out content. Indicate the name of the performance, the names of the actors involved in it and its brief announcement. Of course, the poster should be large enough, with large print, so that the information reflected on it is easily perceived. It is good if a fragment of the future performance is drawn on the poster, this will interest the audience.

Also, the time and place of the future performance must be written on the poster.

An invitation card can be bought in a store or downloaded from the Internet and printed, but your viewers will be much more pleased to receive a postcard made with their own hands.

The invitation should be designed in such a way that the invitee instantly has a feeling of an impending creative miracle, even if the performance itself will take place only two weeks later.

The invitation must indicate the name and surname of the invitee and the name of the performance. Next, the exact date and day of the week for which the holiday is scheduled, the time of the beginning of the performance are indicated. If the person has never been with you, then the exact address should be indicated in the invitation. The invitation card may not be for one person, but for the whole team - for example, a school class or a kindergarten group.
The invitation card should be colorful, bright, original.

What will be left to the viewer after visiting, besides impressions? Of course, ticket and. A visit to the theater begins with a ticket, and ends with a study of the program.

Of course, the first thing you should pay attention to is the design. We recommend using various variations on the theme of a standard A4 sheet of paper folded in two or three times lengthwise or across, made in the printing house, but sometimes you can think of something more interesting.

There are several approaches to designing a program - both a standard "cover" with an insert corresponding to a specific show, and "personal" programs.
First of all - about the "characters and performers." In fact, everything is clear, in form - several options are possible. How is this usually done? On the left - "character", on the right - "performer" (sometimes and vice versa), one or more, if several, it is marked which one is playing.
There are some more points that can be indicated in the program - the duration of the performance, the age of the participants, information about when the premiere took place. Some information about the authors of the play and the play, about the play itself can expand the impression of the play and even partially form it.

You can also include in the program a general text about the school in which your theater group works, with information about new performances (although often it is one for the entire school year). Sometimes they include reviews about the performance in the program, which can serve as a good reason for discussion.

The ability of a person to give a critical assessment of something is very important today. In many areas, this can be done by writing a review, which, in turn, has certain rules for creating. How to write it is described in our article.

Review as a genre

Review is a genre of journalism, including scientific and artistic criticism. It is based on a critical assessment of a work of art, science, journalism (film review, review of a play, a literary work, cartoon, scientific work ...).

What is a review for?

The purpose of the review is to inform about a new work, give it a critical assessment, point out its strengths and weaknesses. The review should draw public attention to the issue under study and suggest what is worth her attention and what is not.

Genre features

As a rule, the review is written in a journalistic style, is polemical in nature, and can also gravitate towards the genre of essays, literary articles. It must be objective, therefore it does not allow the use of personal emotionality, rough comparisons, the presentation of subjective thoughts. All opinions expressed must have clear arguments (examples from the text, production, style, author's position, etc.). Writing a review involves the use of terms of the field of art to which the analyzed work belongs.

Theater performance review

Theatrical review is one of the most popular genres of theater criticism. Its purpose is to evaluate the performance (not the play). To work on this critical article, it is necessary to analyze the production, to understand the director's creative intention, the director's concept, which is embodied on stage through various means of theatricalization: stage design, lighting, music, acting, mise-en-scène.

A performance review provides an objective assessment of the production. At the same time, the viewer explores the literary text of the work, the means of expressing the author's position (problems, conflict, plot, composition, system of characters, etc.). The review of the performance is based on a deep and reasoned analysis, the quality of which depends on the theoretical and professional training of the reviewer. In the process of writing a review, you need to use theatrical terminology correctly.

Stages of creating a review

The process of creating a review takes place in several stages:

1. Preparatory work (reading the play based on which the performance is staged, studying previous productions based on it, researching the director's creative path, the place of this performance in the theater's repertoire).
2. Viewing the performance.
3. Analysis of the production (including content, form, images, directorial findings, novelty of interpretation).
4. Direct writing of a critical article.

Review structure

In order to give a full assessment of the production, you need to know how to write a review of the performance. This critical judgment has its own structure:

І. Introduction: substantiation of the need to review this performance (new production by the director, polemic around the author's work, the relevance of the topic of the work, etc.).

II. The main part: interpretation and assessment of the ideological and artistic originality of the production.

IIІ. Conclusions about the artistic merits of the investigated production and its significance for theatrical and social life.

Review plan (approximate)

In order to give a full critical assessment of the production, it is necessary to take the performance as a basis. The presence of points and their sequence in the presentation is determined by the author.

1. The name of the performance, director, theater (basic information), date of production.
2. Information about the author of the play, director.
3. The storyline of the work, the main episodes (the choice should be reasoned).
4. The author's creative intention and its implementation (author's: theme, idea, problematics; features and differences between the director's intention and the text of the play).
5. The genre features of the production, the composition of the performance.
6. Assessment of acting.
7. The main problems raised by the author, their relevance.
8. Features of the director's (unexpected use of theatricalization means, specifics of scenography, musical accompaniment, special effects ...).
9. The reviewer's general impression of the play (to what extent the production is inherent in the novelty of the director's interpretation, whether your expectations regarding what you saw were justified).

If you have any difficulties at work, do not despair. Use the materials on how to write a review of a play (an example of how to write it is given in this article), and you will significantly improve your reviewer skills.

1. Before writing a review of a play, study the material (play) that serves as the basis for the production so that during viewing you do not follow the plot, but evaluate the interpretation of the production director.
2. Watch the performance yourself.
3. During the performance, take notes in a notebook so that you have enough material for criticism when writing a review.
4. Write a review at least a day after watching the show. This will allow you to objectively assess the performance.
5. If you personally do not like the performance, be able to find good moments in what you have watched and interesting directorial finds.
6. If you are writing a review of a production based on a play by a classic playwright, point out the novelty of the vision of the work by this director, as opposed to others.
7. Do not forget that a performance is the work of a whole production group (stage director, lighting designer, composer, ..), so pay attention to all the components of the performance.
8. Be sure to include arguments.
9. Remember that any review of a performance is an example of a competent and logical presentation of the material, so keep an eye on the style, structure of the article and the absence of grammatical errors.

Common theater review writing mistakes

1. The use of phrases of subjective assessment: “like” - “dislike”, “impressed me”, “pleased the actor” ...
2. Retelling the plot instead of analyzing the performance.
3. Emphasis on details that do not carry a special semantic load.
4. Illiterate use of terms.

Sample performance review

In 1878 A. N. Ostrovsky wrote one of his most famous plays - "Dowry". After a while, she was recognized as the best work of a playwright.

The first stage incarnation of the play took place on the stage of the Maly Theater, but it did not make the proper impression. Over the years, the production has become more and more popular, and to this day it is dearly loved by the audience. The secret of unquenchable interest lies, most likely, in the relevance of the problems raised in the dramatic material.

Recently, I attended a production of "Dowry" in I plunged into the world of the magnificent unity of the director's intention, the skill of the actors and the breathtaking atmosphere of the performance. Being in the hall, I felt like an actor.

I was especially impressed by the play of the actress M. Magdalinina (the role of Larisa). She masterfully managed to create the image of a soft and sincere, sensual and romantic heroine. Her movements combined lightness and confidence, and the whirling around the stage very successfully conveyed the character of Larisa. The integrity of the creation of the image was facilitated by the beautiful melodic voice of the actress. I think she played her part just brilliantly.

Valery Potanin (the role of Karandyshev) pleased Russia with his skill. His hero appeared to the audience dissatisfied and grumpy. The impression was that it could "explode" at any minute. There was a constant intolerance, and sometimes even hatred of Paratov. But in moments of humiliation by other heroes, Karandyshev involuntarily became sorry. The image conveyed by Valery Potanin in the play differs from my presentation by Karandyshev. In my imagination, he was a calm, respectable man who reacted harshly only in cases of injustice and resentment.

The role of Knurov was played, in my opinion, very successfully, by Honored Artist of Russia A. Gladnev. His hero gives the impression of a reasonable person. His movements are thought out, impeccable, clear. Only sometimes is thoughtfulness seen in the image, which creates the impression of a wise man who has seen a lot in his life.

S. Karpov played in the play by Paratov. He managed to convey rationality, calmness and passion in communication with Larisa. The only thing I would like to note is that the type of the actor did not quite match my appearance about the hero.

Throughout the performance, the audience was amused by a wonderful actor who played Robinson. The image created by the actor was surprisingly cheerful and cheerful. Thanks to the acting of this actor, the director managed to carry the motive of kindness and optimism through the whole performance.

It should be noted that the selection of the actors would have been very successful, their types, as well as vocal abilities, would have contributed to the creation of amazing and attractive images of the performance.

The work of the costume designer and the make-up artist of the performance is noteworthy: all props, costumes, make-up, wigs were created and selected expertly.

The scenery fully corresponded to the ideological content of the performance. The fact that they did not change during the production also had an ideological and semantic load.

But, in my opinion, the lighting score of the performance was not well thought out. In this case, the emphasis was on the rear lights, which, in turn, distorted the viewers' vision of the stage and negatively affected the acting.

In general, the impression of the performance is good. The synthesis of the professionalism of the stage director and the skill of the actors contributed to the fact that the well-known play began to play in my mind with new colors. This, in my opinion, is one of the tasks of the theater: to draw public attention to problems that are always relevant, and to help the viewer become cleaner and wiser through experience. I hope that subsequent productions of this director will also make an indelible impression on me.

Features of reviewing performances for a children's audience

The review of a children's play corresponds to all the genre features of this critical article. When writing it, it is important to take into account only one point: the production of a performance, as a rule, is designed for a certain age of children. Both the text of the play and all artistic solutions on the stage must correspond to the indicated age of the children. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the performance for children taking into account the age characteristics of the audience.

A performance review is a product of creativity. The reviewer should try to convey the spirit of the production in such a way that the viewer wants or does not want to see it.

The process of creating your own play is very fun, but making a deep impression on the audience and getting your creation imprinted in their memory for a long time is much more difficult, and it makes it even more tempting to try to achieve such an impact. Even if the performance really impressed the audience, you need to make them really empathize with everything that happens on stage, and, of course, leave them something memorable about the evening. The theater program is just what you need. They have a tremendous influence on theater lovers. It is not difficult to make a program on your own, but for the audience they will be entertaining during the performance, and after its end they will remain sweet reminders of the play. Next, I will present you a step-by-step story on how to independently make a theatrical program.

Steps

Gather all the information you need. Without the information you need, you only end up with blank design pages, not a program. What information do we need?

• Who plays what role
• Who should be thanked for helping organize the show
• Who is the director of the play
• Who is the author of the play
• (If required) Who wrote the music for the play
• (If required) Who is the conductor of the orchestra
• Where and when the performances will take place
• Who will present the play to the audience

1. Brainstorm. Each piece has a theme. Depending on whether it is a western, a detective, or a revelation about the reckless life of hippies or stars, it is the theme of the play that will become the starting point when creating your program. (In the course of the story, I will give examples from my own design development.)

   Choose a design. For most off-Broadway plays, a theater program with a simple design will do. Typically, this is a 4-page brochure folded and placed on a single sheet of glossy paper. On one side of the sheet there will be covers - the front and back, which will become the outer sides of the program, on the other there will be letters of thanks and a list of actors participating in the play. This side will become the content of the program and will be inside. This version of the program will be an excellent way out of the situation if you have a modest budget. If your budget allows, and you want to communicate more facts about the show, you can add the required number of pages, at your discretion. (In the meantime, I'll present you with a fairly simple and unpretentious design as an example.)

2. Down and Out trouble started. It's easier to get down to business if you have a ton of ideas, but this is not your case, and you would like to start with the simplest and easiest page to create in order to better understand and feel the process during which you will have your original thoughts. This page can be the fourth side of the cover, also called the autograph page.

   • So open up a graphic design computer program. (ex: GIMP, Photoshop, PaintShop, etc.) and create a new page with parameters: 612 (width) x 792 (height). This is the standard size of a printed sheet, converted to pixels. Make sure the page background is set to white.
   • You need a simple, compact, space-saving design project to place at the bottom of the page. Open a new layer, make it transparent. This will make it easier for you to save changes as you work.
   • Choosing a background. Any color will work for the background, but if you want a volumetric look, you will need to increase the shading to 70%. Such an image will not hurt the eyes and will look more attractive and aesthetically pleasing.
   • Text. You would like to use a beautiful original font, and not, say, everyone is familiar with Arial, but at the same time it remains well readable and not intrusive. Check out our tips for free text template downloads (totally safe). Your program will automatically create a new level of text, but to do this, you must first enter this text into it. The text should be large, but not take up too much space, and be sure to place it at the top of the page. It is assumed that viewers can ask the actors to leave their autographs on this page. That is, there must be enough free space on it. If necessary, increase the space between the letters until the word "Autographs" completely fills the top line without changing the size of the letters. (By increasing the space between the letters, you can visually increase the width of the letters without changing their height. This is a very handy thing.)
   • If you wish, you can write at the bottom of the program in small letters "The author of the design: your full name". But some designers, among whom I am, prefer not to do this, for reasons of modesty.
   • Save the image in the format of the program you are using. For example, a GIMP 2.0 image will be converted to .xcf format. Do not be afraid to save the image in the format of the program you are using, if necessary, you can edit it later.
   • Save the image again, now in the format of your choice (.jpg, .gif, .png, etc.).
   • Your first page is ready!

3. The cast page. This, without exaggeration, is one of the most difficult pages. At first it may seem to you that everything is not so scary, but this is a deceptive impression. You can forget or confuse the name or surname of an actor or character, or write them incorrectly, incorrectly write other names. Some additional facts will constantly change so that they will have to be edited, and at this time you will need to try to leave as much free space on the page as possible. Be careful and careful, friends, every little thing and detail is important here.

   • List all the actors. You can check the names of all actors involved with the director, assistant director, or any other person in charge of the theater troupe. The most reasonable thing would be to ask them for a list not only with names and surnames, but also with an indication of the roles played by each. Don't be afraid to check the list with several people (It's not uncommon for mistakes).
   • Open a graphics editor. Create a new image with dimensions: 612 x 792. Make sure the background of the picture is white. Create a new transparent layer.
   • Now let's start designing the background. It should not be too catchy, even if you so desire, because this page is intended, first of all, to introduce viewers to the cast, and all attention should be focused on them. However, if you do decide to create an attractive colored background, reduce the shading so that it doesn't appear brighter than the letters themselves. Now, for example, I’m working on a program for a detective story with a small cast (18 people), and I made a page with the list of actors in the form of a newspaper, at the bottom of which I posted an excerpt from an article about finding a dangerous criminal in order to give the design a sense of authenticity. When the cast is small, there is always enough space at the bottom of the page to fill in with your own design idea.
   • Title. At the top of the page, preferably on the left side, add a title. It can be simple and unpretentious, like, for example, "Starring", "Characters", etc. If you are creative and this approach does not suit you, especially if the theme of the performance allows, combine the title with the theme of the play. For example, Suspects (in a detective story), The Gang (in a hippie play), Cowboys (in a Western), Stars (in a movie about Hollywood actors). The size and font of the title can be the same for the autograph pages and the thank you page, so the pages will look more harmonious, but this rule is not at all necessary. (Note: Most likely, you won't need to use letter-spacing reception here, since in this case we need to make the text take up a little more than half the page width. If you are not satisfied with the letter-to-letter spacing, you can increase it a little. so that the header text does not fit the full width of the page! This point is very important, if the header is placed in the width of the entire page, it will look a little strange.)
   • Next, let's tackle the text under the heading. Create a new text layer, as a rule, the text is placed just above the middle of the sheet vertically, or down one fourth of the page. But here the location of the text is acceptable for the entire width of the page. The font size of the text will be smaller than the font of the heading, and it will probably be different from the color of the heading, not as bright and catchy. You can also use a different background color. You can arrange the characters in the order of their appearance in the play or in alphabetical order, the choice is up to you, but in any case they need to be arranged in some meaningful sequence. See also tips for editing the cast of your cast page.
   • Now it's time to add the names of the actors. Set the alignment to the left, and make a small indent from the top of the page, position the text. List all the names of the characters in the play, writing each on a separate line. And if you decide to place each character opposite the name of the actor playing his role, then you will need to create another text layer. Try to arrange the text so that the name of one character and the actor playing his role fit on one line (you can format this parameter using the extra function, adding it or removing it), if the text still does not fit evenly, align it to the center, and not left aligned.
   • If you write the names of the actors in front of the characters in the play without dashes or dots, or other connecting signs, you will need to create a new layer after the list of heroes. The new layer should start where you started the previous layer. Set it closer to the center so that you have enough space to write long names. Right align. Then write the names of the actors next to the characters they are playing.
   • Check the page. Review the page to make sure there are no spelling mistakes, and then reread it word by word. Next, check if all the characters are listed, and check again if all the actors are represented. Compare your cast page to your thumbnail page, and do the same for the cast list. This check may seem overly thorough, but it must be done. I had a case where I checked and rechecked this page several times and was sure that everything was fine with it. And then it turned out that I completely forgot to mention one hero of the play.
   • Save the page in program format (For example, GIMP -: .xcf).
   • Save the page again in the format you need (.jpg, .gif, .png, etc.).
   • Print out the cast page and show it to the few people involved in the production. Then ask the whole troupe to check your cast. Actors are more likely to notice a mistake or a missing letter in the name of the characters, their last name or first name, the last name of their colleagues.
   • If everything is in order and there are no errors, the cast page is ready!

4. Thank you page. Most of the work on creating the program has already been done. All that remains is to finish with the interior design - fill out the page with the expression of appreciation and gratitude.

   • First, decide who you would like to thank. Usually, thanks are given to the actors, choreographers, technical staff, director and assistant director, the theater on the stage where the performance is taking place, the owners of the building where the rehearsals were held (sometimes this is the same theater where the performance is taking place), and, finally, the audience who came to the performance. ... Perhaps you will make some changes of your own in the list of persons whom you will thank, depending on your particular case. But you owe it to the actors and (if applicable) the troupe leadership. You should definitely thank the people who solved the technical aspects of organizing the production and installed the equipment and other equipment, as well as the decorators. Of course, the director of the play, and other people working with him in a team (assistant director, stage director, etc.), the persons who provided the troupe with a room for rehearsals, and the management of the theater where the play is staged, as well as costume designers, or people who provided you with the costumes. In case it is a musical, it is necessary to express gratitude to the choreographers-directors and the composer. And, finally, to the audience, because without their participation the play would not have taken place either. What a performance without spectators?
   • Open a graphics editor and create a new picture with dimensions: 612 x 792. Set the background to white and create a new transparent layer.
   • Create a text layer. If you want the entire program to look roughly the same, choose the same font and size as in the previous pages (for autographs and cast list). However, this is not necessary at all. Create a line at the top of the page. So that you write, absolutely at your discretion, but in any case, your text should look like this: "Thank you ...", "We would like to express our gratitude ..." or "We express our gratitude ...", etc. Align to the width, and preferably the text fills the page from edge to edge.
   • Adding thanks. Your text should be simple and easy to read, and take up no more than one page. Be careful not to add a new layer when you add text, lest you end up creating a new layer before adding text.
   • Create a new transparent layer. Most likely, there will still be a free space under the thanks. If so, then there is nothing to worry about. Design the picture and place it below the text. Reduce shading to 70% for a more pleasing view.
   • If there is no free space at the bottom, you will have to go back to the first layer created at the very beginning. (No, this is not a typo, from the habit of typing the words “add a new transparent layer.” There are reasons for this.) Methods to return to the previous layer in different programs may differ, but we hope that you are well versed in the graphics program you choose to work with. so let's just say that you need to go to the previous layer. If you're working in a program like GIMP, you'll have to go down to the bottom layer and then go up through the text. In this program, you can change the design without closing the window with the typed text.
   • Design development. The design should resonate with the theme of the piece. For example, the clowns on the pirate play program will look ridiculous. Set the shading level to your liking. Remember only that the text should stand out against the general background.
   • Save the current page in the format your editor program is using (For example, for GIMP, this is .xcf).
   • Then save the page again in the format you want (.jpg, .gif, .png, etc.).
   • Thank you page creation complete!

5. Front cover page. Perhaps the hardest part of the app design process is the front cover page. The cast page is tricky, but after a lot of checks and tweaks, it can be done well. But designing the first page requires creativity and artistic taste, which can become a kind of hindrance and create additional complexity. However, if you only get more carried away by the complexities, then everything is in order.

   • Reconsider the topic. What could be related to this topic? For example, let's say you are developing a detective program. What could be connected with this? Make a list with everything relevant to the plot of the detective play. First, brainstorm and write down whatever comes to your mind. For example, as I will do now, I will write down the following words on paper - a city, a description of a criminal case, police officers, a camera, a felt hat, newspapers. Do you think I could add the word cow to this seemingly absurd list? But no. The front cover page should reflect the essence of the play, and the cow does not lead viewers to the idea that the play will be a detective genre.
   • Open your graphics program. Create a new image size: 612 x 792. Select the white background and create a new transparent layer.
   • Design. So, you are imbued with the topic, and are ready to create on the creation of the cover. Don't wait, get down to business right away. Cover design should be sophisticated, beautiful and memorable. Let it be eye-catching and breathtaking at the same time! Here you can completely rely on your artistic vision and taste. I will not teach you how to do this. You can ask a friend for advice, if you wish, it's not bad if it's an artist. The only thing to remember is to leave some free space for the information you need.
   • Create a new text layer. You need to make a headline right away. Any cover always has a title, and unlike previous pages, it doesn't have to be at the top. Title text should be large, bold, and definitely attract attention. This is the title of the play! This should be the brightest word in the entire program.
   • Create a new text layer. We will also add the necessary information to it. Here, the background should be much simpler than all previous pages, and the font is smaller than the headings. A new layer will contain information of the following nature: "Director ...", "Scriptwriter ...", "Starring ..".
   • You may also need to place additional information about the performance here, such as the date and time of the performance and the name of the theater where it will take place. You should probably discuss such points with someone from the management dealing with the issues of the performance, if you think it would be better not to publish this data on the cover. Since this is a program, such information is not required at all.
   • Save the page in the format of the editor program (for example, for the GIMP - .xcf).
   • Re-save the page in the format you need (.jpg, .gif, .png, etc.).
   • Well, the cover is ready!
6. If you are using stock images: Use Getty Images. This is a safe way to get good quality images. You can, of course, stoop to stealing copyrighted images. But it's much smarter and safer to use a dedicated app like Getty Images. (Note: Google does not block images from other sites. Don't even hope so.)
7. A bit of superstition from me personally: Don't say "cast page" before the play starts.
8. If you use a more intricate name for the list of actors and your list is not compiled in any particular order and thoughtful sequence, you can always make a note under such a heading that this is a list of actors or actors.
9. If you are using paint brushes in the editor: Use the deviantART app. It's free, completely safe, and has a ton of quality brushes. Just remember to unzip the brushes after downloading to the brushes folder of your editor program. ;]

Warnings

• Using copyrighted materials without the consent of the author is illegal! Is the stunning image on your theatrical program worth the risk?

Do-it-yourself shadow theater in kindergarten

Do-it-yourself shadow theater. Master class with step by step photos

Master Class. Making a manual with your own hands

Lesson topic: Master Class. Shadow theater
author: Sukhovetskaya Oksana Aleksandrovna, teacher of the speech therapy group at the Child Development Center - kindergarten № 300 "Ryabinushka", Novosibirsk.

Material description: In this master class, you will learn how to make shadow theater. Shadow theater - will help children get acquainted with the theater in a fun way, show their imagination, develop speech activity. This methodological guide will be useful for children of younger and older preschool age, as well as for school children, teachers and parents. The manual can be used both in individual work and in group work. A master class will help prepare this manual.

Material: to create a theater we need:
- the screen is ready (or you can make it yourself, I will not dwell on this in detail);
- fabric: white (tracing paper can be used), colored on the wings;
- threads to match the fabric;
- wilcro tape (linden)
- cocktail tubes;
- BBQ sticks (large);
- holniten (rivets);
- fasteners for electric wires;
- sewing hooks.

Tools for the job:
- hammer;
- nails;
- stationery knife (cutter);
- a hole punch for a belt;
- scissors;
- press for eyelets;
- awl;
- glue gun;
- ruler;
- pencil pen;
- super-glue "Moment";
- sewing machine.
The result of the master class helps:
Stimulate children and their initiative in theatrical activities.
To develop imagination, creativity, to develop an articulatory apparatus. To form in children a persistent interest in theatrical activities, a desire to participate in a common action, to encourage children to active interaction, communication, teaches them to be able to communicate with peers and adults in various situations, to develop speech and the ability to actively build a dialogue. To develop play behavior, aesthetic feelings, the ability to be creative in any business.

“Theater is a magical world.
He gives lessons in beauty, morality
and morality.
And the richer they are, the more successful
the development of the spiritual world is underway
children ... "
(B.M. Teplov)

"Magic Land!" - this is how the great Russian poet A.S. Pushkin once called the theater. The feelings of the great poet are shared by both adults and children who have come into contact with this amazing form of art.

The theater plays a special role in solving problems related to the upbringing and development of a preschooler. Through theatrical and playful creativity, we can develop emotional responsiveness, intelligence in children, develop children's communication skills, artistry, speech activity.

In the daily life of a kindergarten, teachers use various types of theaters: bibabo, finger, tabletop, flat (flannelegraph or magnetic board), puppet, book theater, mask theater, etc.

I want to tell and show how to make a complex and at the same time very interesting shadow theater.

Shadow theater is an ancient theater. From time immemorial, shadow paintings have been shown in India, China, Java and Turkey on the street at night under the light of an oil lamp.

Props Required for this theater: a light source (for example, a headlamp, a table lamp, a filmoscope), a screen with a white screen, silhouette dolls on sticks.

At the first stage of work, for the manufacture of silhouettes, we need the following: a clerical knife (cutter), scissors, a hole punch for a belt, a press for eyelets, holniten (rivets)

Silhouettes can be prepared on the computer or drawn by yourself. I found ideas for silhouettes on the Internet, printed on a printer on ordinary A4 sheets

Then we glue the printed silhouettes on black paper. I immediately prepared the silhouettes of the characters and scenery.

Now these silhouettes need to be cut out. We cut out small internal details using a clerical knife, cut out the silhouettes themselves with scissors.

To prevent the silhouettes from bending, I laminated them. If this is not possible, you can use thick cardboard to stiffen the figures.

The next step is to cut the already laminated double-sided silhouettes.

Since I really wanted the characters (silhouettes) to have movable elements (for example, they could walk), I made separate elements for the silhouettes: arms, paws, legs.
To set them in motion, the parts must be held together in a certain way. For fastening, both wire and threads with knots at the ends are suitable. But I wanted some grace, or something. Therefore, I connected the parts using a belt hole punch and rivets.

With a hole punch for the belt, I punched even holes in the fastening points, choosing a diameter such that the rivets would not fly out and had a free play. Previously, in the places where it was fastened with an awl, I marked points, aligning the paws so that in the future they did not warp. Then I connected the rivets with a press for eyelets (this press fit the size of the rivets).

Now you need to fix the sticks on the figures, for which the puppeteers will hold them. It is important for me that the theater is compact. Therefore, my sticks will be removable. The sticks that the silhouettes will drive are barbecue sticks. Wooden, rounded shape .. Matching the size of these sticks for a cocktail with a corrugation. It is very important that the sticks in the tubes do not dangle, but sit very tightly. And we need to fix = - a glue gun.

With scissors we cut off the part with a corrugation (accordion) at the tube, leaving the non-corrugated ends of 1.5 cm

Using a glue gun, I will attach the tubes to the silhouettes. There are two mounting options: horizontal (with corrugation), see on the wolf; vertical (just a piece of a tube 2 cm), see on a pig.

To understand in the future which mounts will be convenient for you, insert the sticks into the tubes.

Try to move the silhouettes, play with them. Basically, I liked both mounts. At the same time, I realized for which silhouettes I would use only the vertical mount, and for which I would use the horizontal one.

The silhouette figures are ready. Now let's get into the decorations. We already prepared the base when we pasted the silhouettes of the scenery on black paper, cut out, laminated and cut out again. Now we need to strengthen the silhouettes and at the same time make a system for attaching to the screen. We glue the barbecue sticks to the silhouettes on the glue gun with the pointed end down.

To make full use of our prepared silhouettes, we will alert the screen. Fortunately for me, we had such a screen on our group.

We will make the main design changes inside the screen.

We need simple tools:

On the bottom strip of the window, we mark the places for the plastic fasteners.

We will fasten plastic fasteners with nails (these fasteners are usually used in electricians, to fix wires to the walls), at the same time we will try on how the sticks from the decorations will come in. The mountings must be fixed firmly, not loose, otherwise all of our decorations will not be positioned correctly.

We will fix sewing hooks on the upper window strip using the "Moment" super-glue. We need them to place such decorations as clouds, sun, moon, birds on them. We attach a wilcro (linden) tape under the hooks. It is better to attach it to a furniture stick so that it does not come off.

We will also fix the wilcro tape on the lower bar above the decoration mounts.

From the outside, all this even looks interesting. The versatility of the manipulations carried out is that all these mounts can be used not only for the shadow theater, but also for playing any other puppet show.

We will attach a white screen to the wilcro tape. We will make the screen from a piece of white coarse calico. Using a measuring tape, measure the width and height of the window. (tracing paper can be used instead of fabric, unfortunately it is less reliable)

Cut out a rectangular piece, carefully process the edges. Sew on the top and bottom of the wilcro tape - its second half.

The screen can now be placed on the screen. It will be held taut on the wilcro belt.

Outwardly, the screen seemed boring to me. Therefore, I decided to transform it. Curtain-curtains will decorate our theater.

Sew a pelmet from a narrow rectangular strip of fabric. Lambrequin will close the upper crossbar of the window.

Rectangles with trimmed edges will make a two-piece curtain. Both parts on the sides can be assembled. You can make a removable fibula so that the curtain can completely cover the window or be open unhindered.
With self-adhesive tape to match our curtain, I pasted over the lower part of the screen.

For comparison: what was and what became

Our theater is almost ready to show the performance. It remains to install the necessary light and invite the actors with the audience.

In order for the audience to see the performance, we need two light sources. Ordinary headlamps will act as a light source. They are safe and easy to use.