Create your own plays
Do you have a favorite play in mind that you would like to
perform? It is possible to mix and match figures and scenery to create your
own play.
Many juvenile plays are easily adapted to model theater. Check
your local library for scripts, or even look on the web. Occasionally, some
full scripts are available for free download. If you are performing for your
church, you may want to take a traditional story and develop a script
yourself, or use scripts available for youth pageants. The key to making an
entertaining model theater performance is finding or developing a text that
has some action, and changes of scenery, not just long dialog.
Once you have your script, start with a sheet or two of
figures that are appropriate to the time period that you wish to portray.
Then choose the figures to use for each character of the play. If you do not
have the proper figures, you might be able to adapt some, or create your own
missing figures in scale to the others and to the scenery.
Now for the scenery. Make a list of the sets you will need,
and then browse the scenery sheets according to the category - such as
landscape or interior, and of course the size should be appropriate to the
figure size. Look for scenery that matches the geographical location of your
play, and the architecture that you might expect.
  For
example: you decide to perform Simple Simon, but you want to make up
your own play. You are going to use a large size theater. Choose the figure
sheet B-002, or B-032, seen at right.
These are found at Figure Sheets > Figure Sheets - Large.
Your script requires two sets - an outdoor landscape and an
interior of a castle.
Browse the outdoor landscapes: Scenery Sheets > Priors,
or Scenery Sheets > Oldfux Landscapes, or German Sheets.
You should choose a backdrop, and a set of wings and/or a middle drop. This
will give the depth of interest to the set.
Now browse the interior scenery: Scenery Sheets >
Priors, or Scenery Sheets > Oldfux Interiors, or
German Sheets. You should choose a backdrop, and a set of wings
and/or a middle drop, to give the depth of interest to the interior set. You
may also want to add some furniture!
If you are going to perform a Biblical play, you might
consider figures from Aladdin, Egyptian or castle landscapes, and interior
scenery of Roman halls.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
B-017 |
B-013 |
D-108 |
D-108 (rotated) |
 |
 |
 |
| D-156 (rotated) |
D-089 |
D-090 |
|
