Black Box Theatre
1 Why use a black box theatre?
Can be transported in the back of a station wagon, easily stored, set up in a few minutes. The cow can jump over the moon.
The witch can fly in on a broom. A cow can jump over the moon. Objects can be moved by the wave of a magic wand. You wear a black glove over your hand.
The audience only sees what is in the beam of light. Can also be used for puppet shows by placing a board across the stage.
Suits children age 9 to 12 best.
Helps children to - Gain dexterity, stabilise actions, improve self-control, perform, use imagination, and gain self-confidence.
Helps Parents to - become involved with children at home and school.
When to do it - It needs to be done when it is dark, so evenings in the winter are best. What is needed to start it? - Four children with a parent each willing to be involved.
2 What is required for theatre?
- Large box, blackboard paint & brush trim knife, hot melt glue & gun
- Black cloth, black mesh or stocking, small curtain.
- 12cm wide length of wood 2cm thick for stage.
- Two desk lamps, extension lead.
- My Black Box is - 1000mm wide, 740mm high, 330mm deep
Performances are best done at night or in a blacked out room, for black box.. Puppets can be done during the day.
Sock puppets are easy to make. Hand puppets can be made in a variety of ways, the easiest I find is to use a handy roll former, and build up the features with plaster.
Well! Puppets you would know about, and Black Box Theatre you probably would not know about. I make my own puppets mostly Glove Puppets or Sock Puppets. The heads of the glove puppets are usually made using a Handy tissue former, toilet roll formers are not long enough, then I Build up the features with Plaster, and add eyes and hair. The costume is held on with a rubber band and a ridge is formed around the neck to prevent it slipping off.
The puppet theatre and black box theatre are one and the same, but a stage is added when used for puppets. The box can be made from a discarded fridge or washing/drying machine box, you can get them for nothing at your local appliance shop, choose a thick walled one. The box is cut in half lengthwise and a slit is cut in each end for the black box, and the inside painted matt black. Two wings are added both sides, each side of the slit.
Black Box Theatre This is magic, a desk lamp is beamed through the slot each side of the theatre. The wings direct the beam across the stage everything behind the beam is black, the puppeteers have black gloves on, the back of the theatre has been cut out and covered in black see through mesh. Objects can be suspended in the beam of light and moved in any direction. The cow can jump over the moon, the plate run away with the spoon, and the witch fly around on her broom. The only limit to black box theatre is your imagination.
The advantage of using a box as a theatre is it can be transported in a station wagon or back of a car, it is all set up ready, and the puppeteers can see what they are doing and see the audience, and it looks like a real theatre in miniature.
The box is also fitted with a curtain across the top and side curtains that pull across. A large piece of black material fitted to the back top of the box to go over the puppeteers. A fold out piece of cardboard behind the slits to prevent stray light from getting behind the box.