SHADOW SHOWS
HAND SHADOWS
FEW of us have not lain in bed by candle-light and with more or less
success cast shadows upon the wall. Some may have seen public
entertainments in which shadow pictures formed an important part of the
programme, and have wondered in a dim kind of way how they were done.
From what follows it will be seen how very simple are the arrangements,
and how admirably adapted for a drawing-room entertainment a shadow
theater can prove.
Shadow shows may be divided into three kinds. They are:--
1. Hand Shadows--in which the performer stands in view of his
audience.
2. Figure Shadows--in which he stands behind a screen.
3. Puppet Shadow Shows--in which the shadows of lay figures are
exhibited.
Of these three branches of the art, Hand Shadows are distinctly the
easiest to do, but they do not give scope for great variety, and
although very good in their way, like most good things, are apt to pall
upon an audience, who, it must ever be remembered, have an insatiable
taste for novelty and change.
A screen of white cloth about three feet square should be fastened to
the wall and drawn taut, so as to have no fold or crease. A large sheet
of perfectly smooth white paper will make an equally satisfactory
background.
The best light for casting shadows is given by a candle, which should
not be lighted until a minute or so after the lights have been turned
out. This will have the effect of making its light appear all the more
brilliant.
Before attempting to give an exhibition of the various shadows, exercise
the fingers to make them pliable. Clench the fist and try to raise one
finger without moving the others. Raise each finger in turn and they
will soon become supple; then you may commence learning to make the
pictures.
The candle should be on a level with the hand, and you must stand rather
to one side of the screen, in order that your body may not interfere
with the view of the audience.
HOW TO MAKE THE PICTURES
[Illustration: FIG. 1.--A rabbit.]
[Illustration: FIG. 2.--A butterfly.]
In Fig. 1 you see the well-known rabbit, usually the first shadow made
by the amateur performer. Stretch the right thumb down and the
forefinger up as far as it will go, whilst the second and third fingers
should be thrust out, slightly bent, as shown in the figure. With the
left hand crook the forefinger against the upright forefinger of the
right hand, bring the thumb to touch the last-mentioned finger, making a
little loop as depicted. Stick the second and third fingers of the left
hand upright, although slightly bent. Your two hands should now appear
as in Fig. 1, and the shadow they cast will be that of a rabbit.
The butterfly in Fig. 2 is very easily made, and needs little
explanation. Extend the thumbs of both hands, keeping the four fingers
of each bunched together.
Then cross your hands with the thumbs crooked in one another, and the
butterfly will be ready to flit on to the screen.
[Illustration: FIG. 3.--A swan.]
To make the swan shown in Fig. 3, both arms must be partly bared and
the right one bent upwards from the elbow. Extend the third and fourth
fingers horizontally, bend the first and second loosely upon themselves
and bring the thumb to rest naturally upon their tips. Hold the left
hand easily at the crook of the elbow, as shown in the figure, and the
swan is complete.
[Illustration: FIG. 4.--The greyhound.]
Fig. 4 depicts a greyhound ready to sprint. Extend the right hand thumb
and close the fingers together. With the left hand bend the thumb
outwards, double the forefinger, and bring the middle finger down to
touch the first finger of the right hand.
[Illustration: FIG. 5.--The hound panting.]
[Illustration: FIG. 6.--A countryman.]
[Illustration: FIG. 7.--A fireside friend.]
By stretching down the last three fingers of the right hand, as shown in
Fig. 5, the greyhound will be seen panting as he races along, watched by
the old countryman depicted in Fig. 6. The familiar household pet is
shown in Fig. 7 as she sits warming herself by the fire. Figs. 7A and
7B respectively suggest two other easily produced hand shadows, in the
former, additional effect being lent by the pipe.
[Illustration: FIG. 7A.--The costermonger.]
When you have accustomed yourself to forming these figures quickly and
accurately, numberless other objects will present themselves to your
mind, and as the fingers grow supple the characters in your repertoire
will become more and more numerous and amusing.
[Illustration: FIG. 7B.--The parson.]
A few racy remarks about each shadow lend an interest to the performance
and serve to keep the spectators amused. Always be quite sure of what
you are going to do and how you are going to do it; arrange your fingers
quickly and correctly; do not keep the same figure upon the screen too
long, and you are sure to succeed.
A mistake is fatal, as nothing is more dreary for the visitors than to
watch you bungling with your fingers--uncertain how they should be
placed.
FIGURE SHADOWS
These are, perhaps, more entertaining than hand shadows, but require
much greater space, it being necessary to arrange them somewhat after
the manner of tableaux.
A white sheet must be drawn completely over one end of the room, as S in
Fig. 8, whilst near the opposite wall three boxes of varying height
should be arranged as A B C in that figure, a candle being placed upon
the middle one.
There should be no other light in the room, upon either side of the
screen.
[Illustration: FIG. 8.--Arrangement of screen for figure shadows.]
When the performer enters by the door D his shadow is thrown upon the
screen in a natural size, but as he retires from the screen and
approaches the candle, his shadow increases to enormous dimensions, and
very funny effects will be produced.
A couple of performers may have a fight, the one near the candle
apparently being of gigantic stature, whilst the other close to the
screen is of ordinary build.
With a little practice it can be so managed that the two figures,
although in reality at some distance from one another, appear to come to
blows, and the incongruity of their respective statures makes the giant
and dwarf fight of breathless excitement.
To add to the ridiculous situation, the giant can be given a knockout
blow by the dwarf. A very small man can be made to make love to a huge
woman, vainly endeavoring to reach her face in order to imprint a kiss
upon her colossal lips.
Another amusing picture is to show a figure with a very swollen cheek.
This illusion is best produced by tying a ball of worsted to the face.
The dentist then approaches with a pair of large tongs in one hand and
a carving knife in the other, opening and closing the tongs with fierce
relish. Grasping the patient firmly by the throat, he extracts a large
molar, made of cardboard stuck between the worsted and the cheek. Then,
brandishing aloft the cause of his client’s trouble, he slices off the
swollen part of the sufferer’s features, detaching the worsted, and
proudly exhibits patient and tooth to the audience.
THE DISAPPEARING MAN
A surprising effect to be obtained in these figure shadows is the total
disappearance through the ceiling of one of the actors. This is very
simply done by stepping upon the lowest box (C), striding over (B) which
bears the candle, and on to (A) which makes the shadow appear to leap
into the ceiling. Let a figure dressed as a policeman rush upon the
scene, hotly pursued by a sailor brandishing a stout stick. The two
chase each other about the stage for a time, and presently the sailor
shouts very fiercely, “Get off the earth with you--get off!” and makes a
savage rush at the policeman, who, casting one terrified glance over his
shoulder, steps over the candle, and literally “gets off the earth.” The
sailor then bursts into a roar of laughter, dances a hornpipe, and
retires.
During all these tableaux a running patter should be kept up, which,
combined with the fantastic doings upon the screen, cannot fail to keep
the spectators in fits of laughter. Figure shadows are certainly the
most amusing of any Shadow Shows, and are so easily done that fear of
failure need deter no one from undertaking them.
Almost any play can be adapted to Shadow Shows; nursery rhymes,
burlesques of well-known tragedies, purely farcical buffoonery--none
will come amiss so long as there is plenty of action, whilst success is
assured if all the actors concerned keep the ball rolling.
At the close of the entertainment, when the last piece has been
finished, let one of the figures appear upon the screen and repeat--
“For in and out, above, about, below,
’Tis nothing but a magic Shadow Show,
Played in a box whose candle is the sun,
Round which we phantom figures come and go.”
This will please the grown-up members of your audience who have read
Omar Khayyám, and will also serve as a suitable finale to the evening’s
entertainment. Having said his little verse, the poet can then disappear
into the ceiling.
PUPPET SHADOW SHOWS
To work a Puppet Shadow Show is more difficult than either of the
preceding entertainments, and requires considerable skill and ingenuity
to present satisfactorily. As the name implies, the shadows in this case
are cast upon the screen by lay figures, and the performers, of whom two
are requisite, do not appear at all.
The simplest way to make a “stage” upon which to exhibit your puppets is
to stretch a strong piece of cord across the corner of a room, and hang
therefrom a sheet which shall reach from one wall to the other. Some
people prefer to stretch it across an open doorway, but this is largely
a matter of convenience, and is not always possible.
Before fastening up the sheet mark upon it a rectangle, as shown in Fig.
9, the rectangle being five feet from the bottom, two feet high, and
four feet wide.
[Illustration: FIG. 9.--Diagram of screen for puppet show.]
Now take pieces of thick brown paper and tack them over the remaining
portions of the sheet, so that when completed it shall be entirely
opaque, except for the rectangle or stage upon which your figures are to
perform. The brown paper will, of course, be on the side hidden from the
audience. The next thing to be considered is the lamp, which should have
a tin reflector and a one-inch burner. Arrange it in such a manner that
it shall hang in the center of the stage and some eighteen inches or two
feet from the screen--indeed at just sufficient distance to allow you to
manipulate your figures without coming into collision with the light.
If possible shut out all light except that which is thrown by the lamp
upon the stage, as the darker the room the more effective will be the
appearance of the shadows. Take great care the sheet is so firmly fixed
that it neither flaps nor creases.
Having accomplished this, turn to the making of the puppets.
The best material from which to manufacture them is thin zinc or tin,
waste scraps of which any tinsmith will gladly sell for a mere trifle.
With a pair of shears the metal can be readily cut to any shape, whilst
it will also be strong enough to bear the rivets for working the
figures.
The puppets should be about six inches in height. This is the best way
to make them. Draw the figure selected upon a piece of fairly thin white
paper, taking care to accentuate all prominent points and features.
Paste the figure--_e.g._ a crossing-sweeper--upon a piece of tin, and
carefully cut the outline with the shears as in Fig. 10.
[Illustration: FIG. 10.--Partly finished figure of crossing-sweeper.]
[Illustration: FIG. 11.--Constructing an arm and broom.]
[Illustration: FIG. 12.--The figure complete.]
Of course the puppets must be as comical as you can imagine, and should
be neatly and accurately outlined. Notice that the figure has no arm, as
this must be movable, and should be made separately, thus: draw the
limb, holding a broom as in Fig. 11, cutting it out in the same way as
you have done the body.
[Illustration: FIG. 13.--A bear.]
Now take a punch and make a hole in the body at the shoulder, whilst two
holes must also be made in the arm, as at A and B in Fig. 11. Get five
cents’ worth of quarter-inch iron rivets, and place one in the hole B of
the arm. Make a loop in a piece of No. 9 size wire and place it over
this rivet in the arm. Next bend the rivet with a pair of pliers, and
fasten the wire as shown in Fig. 12. Put a rivet through A in the
corresponding holes in body and arm, and bend the rivet head over as
before. Your crossing-sweeper is now complete.
[Illustration: FIG. 14.--The elephant.]
By pulling the wire, which should run down one leg, and thus be
invisible to the spectators, the arm can be raised or lowered from
below, and the figure will appear to be sweeping vigorously.
Upon this plan every other puppet may be constructed, making as many
joints in a similar fashion as are required.
[Illustration: FIG. 15.--A crocodile.]
Fig. 13 shows how to make a bear, which can rear upon his hind legs and
also open his mouth. He will serve as an example for making all animals
such as the elephant (Fig. 14), or the crocodile (Fig. 15).
Set pieces such as a church or a house can be easily constructed from
cardboard, as in Fig. 16, whilst a very good effect can be obtained from
a windmill with movable sails (Fig. 17).
It is scarcely necessary to add that the puppets needed depend entirely
upon the piece you desire to represent.
[Illustration: FIG. 16.--A house.]
[Illustration: FIG. 17.--Windmill with movable sails.]
Supposing it is your intention to exhibit three separate plays in the
course of the entertainment, three different sets of figures will be
required. The younger members of an audience are quick to observe any
repetition.
The figures are made so easily and cheaply that it will be quite as well
to have a complete set for each play.
MANIPULATING THE PUPPETS
The following hints should be borne in mind when manipulating the
puppets. Keep all the figures ready for immediate use; lay them upon a
table in the order in which they will be required, and remember where
they are so that you can put your hand upon them the moment they are
wanted. Keep your own head and fingers well out of sight--the whole
effect will be spoiled if the spectators see a great black finger
pulling some wire or adjusting a refractory limb. Keep as calm and
collected as possible.
If some part of a figure sticks and refuses to move, tell the audience,
in an amusing piece of patter, that Jim, or whatever his name may be,
has had a sudden stroke of paralysis, and must be carried away to the
hospital.
When there is a hitch--and this will occur even with a
professional--pass it off with a rattle of bantering fun, making the
audience imagine it to be part of the show.
As the puppets are made from thin metal be careful never to turn them
round upon the stage. March the figures off the scene with some quaint
excuse, and introduce them again facing in the direction you desire.
It is impossible to lay too much stress upon the absolute necessity for
the showman’s being ready with all kinds of patter. Funny as the scenes
may be made with the figures alone, they are quite unentertaining unless
all their doings can be explained with an unceasing tongue.
From the moment your first figure appears upon the scene, until the last
one has made its exit, a continuous flow of amusing dialogue and comment
should keep the audience on tenter-hooks of surprise and
excitement--shrieking with laughter over absurd remarks or in an agony
of wonder as to what will happen next. Dull and stupid as patter may
appear upon paper, it should certainly be written down and well studied
before beginning the show, for impromptu fun cannot be relied upon.
A lot of extempore humor can be introduced when you yourself have
entered into the spirit of the show--but it is imperative that regular
patter should be learned by heart. Nothing can be more tiresome than a
halting conversation of which one party has forgotten the cues, whilst
the other cannot remember the lines.
If you can sing, intersperse a song or two here and there when there
seems a suitable occasion, but be rather sparing than otherwise with
your music.
It may also be borne in mind that it is not necessary to have dialogue
the whole time. A clever and amusing description of what is being done
often proves better than a lengthy conversation in which the characters
explain themselves. A few crisp remarks are worth a bookful of such
speeches. However, when you are once fairly embarked on the play, let
your puppets joke and abuse one another as much as they like.
To conclude with a few words as to what is suitable for the Puppet
Shadow Theater.
The great object of every entertainment is to be funny without
introducing vulgarity. The nature of the show necessitates fairly short
pieces, and experience has proved that several short and amusing plays
are more appreciated than one long piece, during the performance of
which interest is sure to flag.
Choose commonplace incidents of everyday life. An inventive mind will
soon adapt the ridiculous side of things to a screamingly funny show. Do
not attempt too much. With a smart patter, full of current expressions
and allusions to topics of the time, preferably local, which all your
audience can appreciate, the most casual events become laughable.
Take, for instance, the well-known family trouble--
THE PLUMBER
_Figures._
Mrs. HOGGINS.
Mr. PLAPPER.
JIM, the Plumber.
ROBERT, the Policeman.
BRIDGET, the Maid.
With these five characters and a suitable amount of talking an amusing
sketch can be given. The following is a mild suggestion of what can be
done, but you will find that it can be made very much funnier when
actually performed.
SCENE, _a House_ (Fig. 16).
_Mrs. Hoggins emerges, loudly complaining that a pipe has burst and
spoiled her nice new carpet. She blames everybody in the neighborhood,
not omitting Mr. Hoggins, who is in town. “Just like a man: never here
when he is wanted.”_
_She calls Bridget, and tells her to run for the plumber. Bridget
seems unable to understand. “Sure, Mum, and the grocer came this
mornin’ and ye didn’t want any fruit!” Mrs. Hoggins then explains
matters with considerable volubility, and Bridget departs._
_Mr. Plapper rushes out, waving his arm, and complaining that his
house will be ruined by the overflowing water. The drawing-room
ceiling has already come down. He sees Mrs. Hoggins, and asks her
heatedly what she means by it. That lady replies suitably, and they
wrangle until the plumber comes, when Mr. Plapper retires with a few
sarcastic remarks._
_Jim, the plumber, listens to Mrs. Hoggins’ explanation, and
disappears into the house to see what he can do, only to reappear in a
moment, remarking that he must go home to fetch his hammer. He
accordingly leaves the stage._
_Mr. Plapper returns with a policeman, relating matters so excitedly
that Robert is not quite sure whether it is a case of fire or merely a
murder. He enters the house, and Plapper abuses the plumber, who,
returning at this moment, thoroughly enters into the spirit of the
fray._
_He also goes into the house, but comes out immediately, having
suddenly remembered that it is time to go to dinner._
_Mrs. Hoggins appears upon the scene once more, and encounters
Plapper, who asks: “Well, Ma’am, and what have you done about it?”
“Done? If you would do something, instead of standing there talking
like a monkey, perhaps we should know where we are.”_
_In an interval of the conversation a loud sound of kissing is heard,
and Mrs. Hoggins demands what it is. “Water oozing through my
ceiling,” says Plapper. Mrs. Hoggins laughs satirically and retires.
She apparently finds Robert making love to Bridget, for he suddenly
appears running out of the house very hurriedly, followed by the fiery
remarks of Mrs. Hoggins. He is making a few rejoinders when Jim, the
plumber, returns just in time to say that his wife is expecting him
home to afternoon tea. A general chorus of excited abuse is then
heard, in which Mr. Plapper joins from the background. So Jim walks
away, saying that he will cut all the water off, leaving them nothing
to drink, let alone wash in, until next day._
This may seem very poor fun, but when staged and supplemented with good
strong patter it should be most amusing. Opportunities always arise for
introducing smart remarks and witty rejoinders, which cannot fail to
“bring the house down.”
Complete sets of figures, with the various plays for which they are
intended, can be purchased from all good shops making a specialty of
entertainment requisites, but it is more interesting to make everything
for oneself; and the prospective shadow showman may feel assured that,
with care and patience, he will be able to give a performance that,
costing but a dollar or two, will prove quite as entertaining as one
purchased at many times the sum.