You don’t need a stage, you don’t need a costume, you don’t need make-ups – all you need is a pinch of imagination and a good portion of shadows.

            Have you ever wondered how amusing a shadow theater is regardless of colorful costumes? It’s all because of a strong light that stay bright for 10 times longer – Led Flashlights for camping. This light passes between the actors and throw their silhouettes against the screen. While the light shines brightly, the actors take their part – they act out the story that is being narrated from the persons speaking for the shadows or silhouettes.

            Sounds like fun, isn’t it? Then, let’s make our own shadow theater!

• Prepare a large sheet of cloth; it should be white and has no prints or designs.

• Provide musical instruments and other items you can find around the house, something that produce sounds. You should practice making sound effects from these materials. For instance, shaking dry beans in a can seems like the rhythm of the falling rain, knocking of pieces of wood sounds like galloping horses. There are a lot of sounds you can make. Keep discovering. Can you make a sound of a rocket ship, a windy day and a flock of seagulls flying over the clouds?

• Get a mini Led Flashlight that runs 10 times longer on a single sheet of batteries. We need this kind of flashlight because it never burns or need replacing. We have to produce enough light.

• Collect stories that are entertaining. Then, choose one story that contains a simple plot but has a lot of actions – such as body movements and sound effects. Also, it should be suitable for the age group of your audience.

• Decide the characters that will play, faces or physical appearances are not important since it is a shadow theater; audience is not able to know who are behind the scenes. Its how they act is important. Good performance is a must.

• To get started, wet the cloth to make it taut. This makes better shadow plays. Then, fix the cloth tightly at one post and another with tacks or pins.

• Place the coleman Flashlights behind the sheet to create shadow effects. Actors should act in front of the light.

• Let the fun begin!

A shadow theater is a fascinating type of drama. It can be a beginning of an interesting new skill. Invite your friends to come over and watch. They can be encouraged to act and paint sceneries too.
It’s so simple but yet fun rewarding play. You make up the action as the words go along. Also, instead of real actors you can use puppets too. Hand puppets – it can create unique shadows. You hold the puppets from below and move them in front of the screen. You don’t need a wide screen. What you need is a cardboard box that you have to cut its front and back completely. Then, pin or tape the cloth across the front of the box. Put the “shadow theater” on a table and the best Led Flashlight behind the cloth.