Shadow theater for adults. Do-it-yourself shadow theater at home. Cardboard screen for shadow theater

The room is dim, only a table lamp shines brightly. It is worth raising your hands - and shadows appear on the wall. And if you fold your hands into bizarre shapes or move your fingers, the shadows come to life and turn into mysterious figures or animals. This truly fascinating process fascinates not only children, but also adults.

Indeed, in order to show children an unforgettable, vivid performance, it is not necessary to go to the theater. You can arrange a shadow theater for children at home. They take part in the preparation for the performance with great pleasure - they cut out dolls, make a scene, invent characters and scenarios, and enthusiastically depict figures of magical animals with their pens. All this is not only interesting, but also informative, and also useful. Adults spend time with children, while the guys develop their thinking, throw out their imagination, their inner perception of the world.

The development of hands is very useful for children, especially small ones. Shadow theater is exactly the kind of role-playing game that will help this process. The images that are produced on the wall only with the help of properly installed lighting and their own hands and fingers, delight children. After all, there is so much new in such a production as a shadow theater for children - an adult can show elementary movements with his own hands, seeing which, a child will be delighted and will definitely try to repeat these actions and even create his own. Successes, achievements of the baby in copying movements, animals will bring joy not only to him, but to everyone around him.

When the child has mastered the basic basics, you can make the process more interesting and exciting, for example, put on a whole performance where the main role will be assigned to his and your hands, and the audience can be relatives and family friends.

Shadow theater with paper puppets

In order to make paper, there is no need to build any bulky equipment. It is enough to take a few electric lamps, thanks to their illumination, the shadows will be bright and clear, and a light sheet for the screen. In the absence of a sheet, a simple white wall will do.

Lamps should be installed so that they illuminate the screen well, while the rest of the room should be darkened. Spectators invited to the performance should be in twilight, and direct participants in the show should be between a well-lit screen and a light source. Now it's worth turning on the fantasy - and the world of shadows will come to life. For the realism of what is happening, you can adjust the size of the image, to increase the characters on the screen, you need to move the puppets away from the wall, and to reduce, on the contrary, bring them closer.

There is another way to make a do-it-yourself shadow theater for children - the fairy tale you invented will unfold on a real stage.
But this will require a little more preparation than was necessary for the previously voiced methods.

How to make a scene

Everyone determines the dimensions of the screen and side walls independently. But it is most convenient to play with about 50 by 50 cm and side walls - 50 by 30 cm. The resulting box must be tightened with paper, a specialized film for patterns is best suited, it is durable and does not shine through.

Silhouettes of pupae should be made from cardboard, with all moving parts such as arms, legs and head cut out separately. You can fasten the parts together with ordinary wire, for this you need to make holes in the parts with an awl or a thick needle, stretch the wire into them and wrap them well on both sides in a ring.

You need to attach a cane 40-50 cm long to the body of the doll, it can be any thin stick. It is necessary to screw a screw into it and fix the body of a cardboard doll.

In order for the doll to come to life, that is, to start moving, you need to use threads. They must be strong, floss is best suited for this purpose. Pin loops should be fastened in the legs and arms, as well as in the cane. Tie the thread to the loops on the legs and arms and pull it through the eye of the loop on the cane. If you pull on it, the doll's limbs will rise, if you let go, they will fall.

If you tie different colors of thread to the right and left sides, this will allow you not to get confused when setting. But do not get carried away with a variety of colors, while driving during the action it can be confusing.

In order for the silhouette to be clear, the puppet and scenery must be pressed tightly against the screen, the light must be between the screen and the puppeteer.

In fact, to make a shadow theater for children with your own hands, you can also use an ordinary large cardboard box, for example, from under shoes. The main thing is that it stands steadily on the table. Figures can also be any, you can turn on your imagination and imagination, creating fabulous and unusual heroes, but you can cut it out according to ready-made stencils.

Performance for friends

It will be exciting to conduct such an entertaining activity not only with the family, but also with the involvement of friends and their children. In order to arrange a joint shadow theater for children with your own hands, it is better to think over and distribute scripts and roles in advance. Let each of the main characters prepare their own doll at home - it will be even more interesting both for the participant himself and for other children taking part in the performance.

Shadow theater is an art that originated somewhere in the ancient civilizations of India and China more than 1700 years ago. The legend tells that the gods themselves, walking on the Earth, saw pretty dolls in the window of the workshop and decided to play with them. The figures, as if alive, spun in a dance, fluttered like moths, casting bizarre shadows.

This magical dance was secretly spied on by the master. He really wanted to repeat the amazing dance. And then he attached barely noticeable threads to the pupae and gave them a new life.

Let's fast forward to that distant time and arrange a fabulous performance filled with shadow and light, goodness and magic.

You will need:

cardboard box,
white parchment,
black cardboard,
markers,
scissors, stationery knife,
adhesive tape,
hot glue,
barbecue sticks,
desk lamp.

First, let's create a scene. It can be made in the form of a window, a castle, a fabulous tent and even a detached house. It all depends on the size of the box and your imagination.

Let's use the simplest option. Let's make a stage for the performance in the form of a window.

1. Cut out the bottom of the box and glue it with parchment. Secure the edges of the parchment with duct tape.

2. Make shutters from the rest of the box. Draw with markers.

Great! Half done!

And here's another version of the screen:

Well, now, so that our stage is not empty, fill it with bright characters. And, of course, I'm not talking about color (dolls can be made black). The silhouette of each hero should reflect his characteristic features of appearance and character.

3. Cut out cardboard figures of animals, trees, houses, your favorite cartoon characters.

4. Glue with hot glue to a barbecue stick.

5. Illuminate the box with a table lamp, and you can play.

Where does shadow theater come from?

The art of shadow performances originated in Asia about 1700 years ago. It is difficult to name the exact place, but traditionally it is China, where to this day they honor a beautiful legend about the emergence of the first shadow theater:

Once, one of the ancient Chinese emperors had a grief - a serious illness claimed the life of his beloved wife. The widower was inconsolable. Forgetting about state affairs, he secluded himself in his chambers, refusing to talk to his relatives. Deprived of a powerful hand, a mighty empire was in danger of falling into decline.

The situation was saved by a smart courtier, who once called the emperor to the chambers of his deceased wife to show her silhouette behind the curtain. The shocked ruler silently watched the shadow of his beloved move behind a thin screen. Such performances became a nightly tradition and the emperor gradually let go of longing, because he realized that death is like this thin tissue barrier, it only temporarily separated him from his beloved, and they would meet again in another life.

History is silent about the fate of the courtier, who created the first shadow theater with his own hands. But it is known for certain that such performances quickly became popular in all social circles, and their geography over several centuries covered all of China, India, Turkey, and a little later Europe and Russia.

The shadow theater has come down to our times almost unchanged: the setting of light and the mobility of graceful silhouettes are the same. But if now it is easy to find and print simple stencils for home performances, then in the past, selected masters were engaged in the manufacture of dolls. They made donkey skins with their own hands, from which they cut out figures. Dolls were decorated with fine painting, worked out to the smallest detail.

Puppets for the shadow theater did not differ in large growth, usually their height was about 30 cm. However, the complexity of the productions is amazing: up to 1000 figures were involved in one performance, controlled by puppeteers with long rods. The play of light and shadow, the movement of silhouettes to music and a captivating story: for children and adults around the world, shadow theater remains a favorite art form. It is easy to join the beautiful by printing stencils and making a shadow theater with your own hands.

The benefits of shadow theater for children

The brightness and dynamics of the shadow theater scenery have a positive effect on the child's psyche. But the joy of participating in the performance is far from the only plus of shadow stops, there are several more important points for the overall development:

The atmosphere itself, necessary for showing shadow theater, relaxes and sets you up for intimate communication. The twilight and the expectation of a certain sacrament - this is so similar to the gatherings around the fire that many people remember;
The heroes of the productions have a conditional appearance, only the silhouette is determined. To understand the full picture of what is happening, you need to use the imagination;
Shadow theater gives the child a chance to try himself in new role, stimulates craving for self-expression and simplifies social adaptation;
The need to memorize the plot and lines trains attention and concentration. For children, participation in shadow theater performances will become in a good way replenish vocabulary, develop speech;
Puppet control stimulates fine motor skills, teaches to coordinate hand movements.

Of course, you should not immediately demand a lot from the kids. First, let them master the skill itself role play, no plot. Let the kids play with the stenciled figurines, learn how to control and voice them. Perhaps soon the children will have favorite characters, which will give a new impetus to fantasy - it is always more interesting to come up with stories for impressing characters.

In essence, the shadow theater is a correctly lit fabric screen and a set of figures. The screen is easy to make with your own hands:

Cut out a wide rectangular frame from thick cardboard;
Take a piece of thin white fabric, cut out a rectangle exactly the same size as the outer edges of the frame;
Carefully stick the fabric on the cardboard, avoiding the appearance of wrinkles. The screen must be tight. You can use regular PVA glue or Moment.

On the front side of the screen, you can attach a curtain made of dense material to open and close it, just like in a real theater. It is important that the curtain fabric slides freely, so use a smooth synthetic cord as a fastener.

Think in advance where exactly in your house it is best to place the shadow theater in order to be able to correctly set the light. The light source should be above and behind the screen, then only the silhouettes of the puppets will be visible on the fabric, and the puppeteer himself will remain hidden from view.

The most crucial moment is working with stencils. To make them you will need:

Thin cardboard;
Paper or plastic straws (can be replaced with long wooden skewers);
Sheets of black paper;
Glue gun;
Scissors.

With some artistic skills, you can draw silhouettes yourself the right heroes, but it is much easier and faster to use ready-made stencils. You might like our selection.

So, let's start making figures:

Do not forget to take into account which side of the screen this or that character will appear in the course of the action, so that the figure is turned in the profile in the right direction.

Take care of creating decorations - stencils of trees, houses, fences, etc. will come in handy here. The scenery is tightly attached directly to the frame, for which an elastic band is pulled along its inside - it presses the stencil holders during the performance. If you need to increase the size of the shadow, move the doll away from the screen and the silhouette will become larger, but lose clarity.

Do not keep children away from preparing props - working with stencils will only warm up their interest. At the same time, tell us about the history of this unusual art form. Having made a shadow theater for children with your own hands, do not rush to throw away stencils, they will still be useful to you. Fold the blanks into a paper envelope and invite all the household members to a fascinating performance.

Do you want to offer your child a new interesting entertainment? Looking for original ideas? It is enough just to make a shadow theater with your own hands at home. You don't need any special equipment or materials. All tools are available. Such an activity will captivate the child so much that you can turn it into a creative, developing process.

The principle of organizing the spectacle

Shadow theater is one of the oldest. Previously, it was available only to the rich, as puppets were made from expensive materials. Subsequently, this entertainment became an exciting children's game. Do-it-yourself shadow theater at home is easy to do. You will need the following:

Screen made of white translucent fabric.
Directional lamp (regular table lamp).
Objects that will act as artists.
Scenery.

The screen is hung or placed between the audience and the light source. Figures that cast shadows are placed between the screen and the lamp. The closer the characters are to the light source, the bigger they will be on the "stage". It is important that your silhouettes are not in the beams of the flashlight, otherwise they will also be on the screen.

The objects with the help of which the performance is played out can be figures assembled from objects made of paper and other materials, moving people. In the latter case, more space will be required to organize the theater. In the first and second options, the plane of the table is sufficient.

Your hands are the best artists (diagrams)

If the child you are going to entertain is still small, it is enough to use your own palms. This is the easiest way to make a shadow theater with your own hands. Finger interlacing patterns are shown below.

First of all, you will have to practice folding your arms yourself. You can use static figures that will move along the scene. When this stage is mastered, move on to dynamic characters. Move your fingers, and the bunny's ears move, the wolf's mouth opens, and the bird flies, flapping its wings.

If the kid was impressed by the action and wanted to try himself as a director and director, motivate him, inspire him, praise him for everything he will do. This is a very useful developmental activity, as it improves the motor skills of the fingers. If initially not everything will work out for the baby, do not be discouraged. Gradually he will master this technique. Then it will be possible to move on to more complex productions with puppets and scenery.

Do-it-yourself main characters

When finger theater mastered, start making characters from improvised materials. You will need the following:

paper or cardboard;
pencil;
knife or scissors;
glue;
stencils, fabric (optional).

There are two ways to make figurines:

on sticks;
on flat bases.

The first option is more convenient because those who will keep them can be at a distance from them.

This is important so that shadows do not fall on the screen from the players themselves. In the second case, when the figures are rearranged, the hands of the player are visible. However, this option also has the advantage that the figures can be placed and are in a static state without human intervention (they do not need to be held). At this time, another character will move between the standing figures. This is convenient, for example, to build decorations (trees, houses).

If you have decided on the design of the figures, proceed to the creation of their forms. The easiest way is to cut them out of paper. Cocktail tubes are suitable as sticks. Forms can be made solid or openwork, as well as adding fabric decor.

If you need to make a lot of the same items, it's easier to use stencils, that is, make one shape, and then circle them the required number of times. If you have children's stencils for creativity or any others, use them. They are convenient, as they are thematic, for example, according to fairy tales. With their help, you can easily and quickly make all the characters. You do not need to draw the characters yourself or look for samples of illustrations. Now it is easy to make figurines by printing images on a printer and cutting them out along the contour.

Making scenery

In addition to figurines, you can make objects that will create the atmosphere of a particular scene. In this case, do-it-yourself shadow theater is done longer, but it looks more diverse and interesting. It is worth remembering that children are fascinated not only by the production itself, but also by participation in the preparation of the performance.

The original idea of creating the scenery and the characters themselves is presented in the photo above. Drawing characters and scenery on (a sheet of paper) with black paint is the performance itself. To do this, of course, you need to be able to hold a brush in your hands. The contours of objects can be outlined with thin lines in advance.

Kids want to be artists too

Do-it-yourself shadow theater can be created by children even without the participation of adults. You will be the audience for an impromptu performance. Hang the sheet on the frame, install the lamp. Let the children imitate different movements, imagine themselves

Performance ideas

With the help of such entertainment, you can have fun with friends and their children. Arrange a joint presentation. If you decide to make a collective shadow theater with your own hands, the fairy tale that will be the basis of the script must be selected in advance. In this case, everyone will receive a task, which heroes he should make. Such a creative process will be very exciting and everyone will like it.

You saw that it is not difficult to make a shadow theater with your own hands. All materials are available, and the process of creating a performance is as interesting as watching the action. This exciting activity will help to entertain the baby at home and have fun.

Home theater of shadows. We do it ourselves.

Designer: Irina Ivanova

Every child is capable of creativity. If you are still not sure about yours, then creativity it is still dormant. Better wake him up! For example, play theater - shadow theater. Such representations develop both speech and fantasy. And they won't let you get bored.

You can add effects if you want. If you draw the scenery on a transparent film with stained glass paints, and place the drawing between the lamp and the actors, the performance will become a little colored.

Remember that the lamp must be located between the screen and the person.

Materials:

Foam board sheet 100x140cm 3mm thick
tracing paper sheet 86x62
PVA glue
5 paper napkins for decoupage with a star pattern (preferably golden)
blue acrylic paint
glitter glue or universal glitter contour
thin wire 1 mm thick - 50 cm
very thick wire - 3 mm thick - 250 cm or metal children's headbands about 1 mm thick and about 3 mm wide - 4-5 pieces
cardboard

Tools:

Thick dummy knife
ruler
scissors
round nose pliers
wire cutters
pencil
synthetic brush no. 7
sponge
awl

From the foam board, cut out a 50x70 cm rectangle. Inside the rectangle, draw parallel lines at a distance of 6 cm from each side. Cut out the inner rectangle outlined by them with a breadboard knife.

Got a frame.

By the way,
foam board can be replaced with any other cardboard. The advantages of foam board are that, with light weight, it is quite rigid, easy to cut, holds its shape well, is resistant to moisture, easily glued and is ready for applying paint and any other decor. You can buy it in a large store for artists.

To turn the frame into a screen, you will need a 100 x 70 cm sheet of tracing paper, folded in two across the long side. Carefully glue the tracing paper onto the frame with PVA glue. Where there is no fold, first glue one layer, then the second.

The legs of the screen can be made simple or curly. For simple legs, we need 2 isosceles triangles with sides of 30 cm. The screen on curly legs will look more complicated, but more beautiful.

From tracing paper you need to cut 4 strips 4 cm wide and as long as the width of the legs. Attach the leg to the bottom of the frame at a right angle. Using PVA glue, glue a strip of tracing paper so that it connects the frame and leg. Half of it should be glued to the frame, and half to the leg. The connection should be end-to-end, but note that the legs should fold. The same operation must be repeated on the reverse side of this leg. Glue the second leg in the same way.

Cut out a strip of 57x7 cm from foam board. This will be the stage-shelf of our theater. It can also be made foldable. To do this, draw a line parallel to the edge at a distance of 1 cm and cut it along the entire length with a breadboard knife so that the last layer of cardboard remains intact. Glue the part with a width of 1 cm with PVA glue to the frame on the same side as the legs, where the screen begins. The stage allows the puppeteers to navigate the screen space and the characters will "stand on the ground" instead of "floating in the air".

The theater is assembled, now it can be decorated. Cut out the stars from the napkin and separate the extra layers - for work we need only the first, colored layer of the napkin. Attach the stars to the foam board, circle and cut along the contour with a breadboard knife.

Use small and large stars to decorate the screen and its legs using the direct decoupage technique. To do this, place the star on the surface of the cardboard so that all the rays match. Drop PVA glue in the middle and smear the glue with a brush from the center of the sprocket to the edges with light short strokes. Decorate the frame with stars in the same way. Draw dots and swirls on the stars with a glitter outline.

When the applications are dry, paint the frame on both sides, as well as the legs, with blue acrylic paint. It is best to apply the paint with a piece of sponge in a rotating motion, as if drawing curls. The paint will lay down unevenly, so the background will look voluminous and deep, like the night sky. Let the paint dry, then glue the cardboard stars to the frame with PVA glue.

For action figures, you will need thin cardboard for crafts. Transfer the character pattern to cardboard, cut it out and pierce the junction of the parts with an awl. Cut a small piece from the wire - about 3 cm. Using round-nose pliers, bend one end of the wire into a loop. Insert the free end of the wire into the hole, fastening two cardboard parts. Twist the other end of the wire as well. Such an impromptu carnation quite firmly connects the cardboard parts, while allowing them to be movable.

We, the puppeteers, will drive the actors with the help of special tools. Bend one end of a piece of 50 cm thick wire with a hook the other end - and on the other side with a loop, so that it is convenient to hold on to it. The hook-like end of the wire, in theory, should be attached to the doll on one side. But experience suggests that it is most convenient to make the rod removable. And on the doll, provide a special loop for which to hook the hook.

The loop is done like this. Attach a rod to the figure, glue the hook-like end with a piece of tracing paper, like a plaster. When the glue dries, pull it out like a plaster, then hold it for a while and carefully stick the rod out from under the tracing paper. If you make "pockets" for the rods on both sides of the figure, then you can drive the doll from right to left and from left to right.

Instead of wire for making a puppeteer's tool, you can use thin metal children's hair bands. If they are unbent, then very convenient flat rods are obtained for controlling the puppets.