A puppet theatre
In a puppet theatre the puppets “act” on stage, while the puppeteers who work them stay out of sight behind a curtain or screen. For a long time folk fairs and holidays in the towns and villages of Uzbekistan have included puppet shows. There are two main kinds: hand (glove) puppets and string puppets, called marionettes. Strings or thin wire are tied to a marionette’s head, arms, legs and body, and the puppeteer moves them by pulling from above. An experienced puppeteer can make a marionette walk and dance as if it were alive. Tashkent also has a marionette theatre.
You need: a brown paper bag, coloured paper, scissors, glue, felt pen, a large cardboard box (stage), a piece of cloth. Steps: 1) The folded flap at the bottom of the bag is the mouth: put your four fingers inside the flap and your thumb under it. 2) Cut eyes, ears and teeth from coloured paper and glue them. 3) Put your hand into the bag and open and close the mouth as it talks. 4) An adult cuts a window in one side of the box: this is the stage. 5) Two or three of you write a four-line script and give a show. Safety: use scissors seated; do not put small buttons or beads in your mouth; an adult cuts the stage.