Behind the opening over the stage, cut a slit in the rim of the box long enough to slip through a fancy postal card. Slip some pretty colored view through it, and there will be the scenery for your stage. You may have pictures of interiors as well as views of out-of-doors and houses. (See [Diagram Nine, C], page 183.)
Now, cut a piece of cardboard the right size for a sign for your theater, and print its name on the cardboard. Glue the sign over the stage as you see it in the picture. It will serve to hide the little dolls’ entrance to the stage on their strings.
Last of all, place the cover of your letter-paper box, face down, on its rim on the table or floor, and put the theater or Punch Show well back upon it so that there is place for an audience of little dolls in front. (See [Diagram Nine, D], page 183.)
Benches for the audience of little dolls may be cut from covers of boxes two and three inches long. (For cutting benches, see [Diagram Six, A], page 175.)
Your actors may be penny dolls, or any jointed wooden dolls such as you will find in toy row-boats at the ten-cent store.
I used to collect fancy postal-card views of all kinds of interesting places and give lectures on them at my theater. It was most fun of all, I think. I had performing Noah’s Ark animals in vaudeville there, too. There is no end to the games you can play with the theater.
I made a lovely theater for little dolls to-day.
If you would like, I’ll tell you how. You make it in this way:
Right on the bottom of a box—a pasteboard box, you know—
You draw a square with space each side; that’s where the stage should go.