Still another group planned the third scene which is laid in the great hall of the castle. Their purpose was to make the audience feel the spaciousness of the great hall and of its galleries and corridors. Again it was necessary to think of what happened in this scene. The first difficulty to present itself was this: How can enough space be provided for eleven puppets to be on the stage at the same time, to move about freely and moreover keep the stage picture beautiful? A clever boy thought of making a gallery at the side for Lady Anne and Lady Alice to sit in. This gave them a place in the picture and enabled their puppeteers to stand behind the wings of the bridge. Here they were out of the way of the other nine puppeteers who stood on the bridge behind the back drop. These illustrations will show you the floor plan and elevations. Another boy ingeniously planned the doorway seen in the elevation, for a rear exit. He made two back drops. In the rear drop he made a stained-glass window. The forward drop he made in two parts. As you can see in the illustration, he placed one section just a little in front of the other. This provided space between the two parts, for the passage of the strings of the king and all the other characters that should enter from this doorway. To the eyes of the audience there appeared to be no break in the wall above the doorway, neither did the eyes of the audience detect the painting of the tiled floor on the rear back drop, done in perspective, another bit of cleverness, which seemed to give width to what otherwise would have appeared a very narrow corridor. Whenever one sees a puppet going out through a door, or passing by outside a window, he is interested, because it gives the suggestion of life and activity beyond the stage.
You have a chance to show yourselves artists in the placing of doorways and windows. Doorways that open upon courtyards, or that give glimpses of distant landscapes, and windows that open out upon gardens, are charming details when appropriately used. Avoid, if possible, painting doors and windows on to your scenery.
The group that made the tournament scene had the problem of providing plenty of space for the puppet spectators. It was decided that a very effective scene could be made by placing the royal box, for the king and his court, at the rear of the stage. Directly in front of the box there was space enough for the tournament. The entrances for this scene were on the right and left, and were large enough to admit the horses and their riders. On the back drop was painted a landscape of the surrounding country, with hills, trees, and a distant castle. It usually happens that certain members of a large group are more drawn to one scene than to another. If there are too many in one group, some pupils, realizing the importance of equalizing the size of the groups, will, good-naturedly, turn to the assistance of the smaller groups. There should be boys and girls in each group, and a chairman selected for each, who will be responsible for his group. Each chairman meets with his group to discuss the requirements, general arrangement, and the color scheme.
Do not be in a hurry to begin. Have the impression you wish to convey to your audience clearly in mind. Close your eyes. Can you see with your mind’s eye the place where the scene is laid? Can you see its color, the movements of your characters, and hear their voices? Does the picture which comes to your mind’s eye put you into the mood which you felt when you first read the story? If it does, you are ready to begin. Take a sheet of paper about 14 by 17 inches. Let the rectangle you draw on this be the same proportion as the proscenium arch. As you plan within this rectangle, keep in mind the picture your audience is going to see when your scene is presented.
When the plans for a scene have been submitted, choose the best one, or put all the best ideas into a new plan. Remember, if you understand proportion, everything is possible. You can show lofty cliffs that seem to tower into the air. You can show level plains that seem to stretch miles to the horizon.
When you have finished your plan for each scene, you are ready for your tools and materials. Here is a list of the things usually required:
Tools
Rulers
Scissors