Puppet theatre

Create this amazing puppet theatre from a few simple materials - and using a bit of Resene know-how.

Build a puppet theatre

Resene Toys and Games with Mark Rayner - Project 36

Difficulty level: Challenging

You will need

20mm x 20mm timber cut to the following lengths:
- 1500mm (x8)
- 600mm (x4)
- 700mm (x6)
- 400mm (x2)
20mm x 65mm timber cut to 570mm
20mm, 30mm and 60mm screws
6mm plywood cut into eight 150mm right angle triangles
Craft knife
Drill with 3mm drill bit
Filler
Low tack masking tape

Paintbrushes
Parcel tape
PVA glue
Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Bright Red, Resene Gecko, Resene Alabaster, and Resene Turbo
Resene Quick Dry
Sandpaper
Screwdriver
Staple gun and staples
Straight edge
Thick corrugated cardboard (a large appliance box is ideal)

To get the look: Mark hung a blue curtain across the stage of the puppet theatre using cup hooks and curtain wire.

Other ideas: For a striking blue effect use a combination of Resene Anakiwa and Resene Resolution Blue.

How to make a puppet theatre

Step one
Create four rectangular frames from sixteen of the longer lengths of 20mm x 20mm timber. Fix at each corner with PVA glue and 60mm screws, drilling pilot holes first.

Step two
Assemble these to form a rectangular box frame. Fix with PVA glue and 30mm screws, drilling pilot holes first. Attach the plywood triangles to the corners of base and top to keep the frame rigid. Fix with PVA glue and 20mm screws. Allow glue to dry.

Step three
Cover all but the back and base with thick corrugated cardboard, cut to size with a craft knife and fix with staples. Turn the puppet theatre face down and cut a 570mm x 400mm rectangular opening in the front.

Step four
Attach the remaining pieces of 20mm x 20mm timber around the back of the opening, fixing with PVA glue and staples. Fix the 20mm x 65mm piece of timber into position to form the stage. Fill any screw heads with filler and allow to dry.

Step five
Sand the filler and cover any staple marks, cardboard joins or imperfections with parcel tape. Apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry to the entire puppet theatre (inside and out) and allow to dry.

Step six
Apply two coats of Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Alabaster to the outside and two coats of Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Gecko to the inside of the puppet theatre and allow to dry.

Step seven
Mask off 100mm stripes around the outside. To prevent paint bleed, seal along the outer edges with Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Alabaster. Once dry, paint alternate stripes with two coats of Resene Bright Red. Remove the masking tape before the second coat has dried.

Step eight
In the same way, mask off the roof of the puppet theatre and paint this, and the stage, with two coats of Resene Turbo. Again, remove the masking tape before the second coat has dried.

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