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Superheroes, bullies and dystopian towns: The stories Innova Primary pupils are telling through shadow puppetry
The Primary 5 pupils spent five sessions with puppeteer company The Finger Players, turning cardboard, paper cups and torches into characters and sets – and finding new ways to express themselves along the way
An egg made out of yellow plastic sparks a debate between two shadow puppet characters as to its origin: a chicken or dinosaur? With a little imagination, everyday objects became material for humour, storytelling and shared fun.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Gathered in a classroom after school, a group of Primary 5 pupils prepares to put on a shadow puppet show.
Over five sessions, members of The Finger Players showed the pupils how everyday materials could be transformed into sets and characters.
Working with paper, cardboard, plastic cups and even mini zip ties, the pupils came up with storylines – from anti-bullying to the dangers of speeding. Facilitators offered suggestions and showed them how a simple torchlight could create shadows of different sizes and intensities.
Supported under the National Arts Council-Arts Education Programme (NAC-AEP), which gives schools access to artist-led arts learning experiences, the puppetry sessions are part of an after-school programme that Innova Primary School has run for six years for selected pupils from Primary 3 to Primary 6.
As laughter and chatter filled the room, their imaginary worlds came to life – a reminder that meaningful encounters with the arts can give young people space to experiment, collaborate and find new ways to express themselves.
It’s all in the details. Two Primary 5 pupils work on the set for their shadow puppet play, turning cardboard, plastic cups and green mini zip ties into a deserted dystopian town where two young boys discover a ball. As they built the scene piece by piece, they shaped the world their characters would inhabit.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
One of the pupil duos created an unnamed superhero to save a young boy from his bully, Timmy Toughknuckles, using a coloured piece of plastic to give the superhero some personality.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
The older pupils gather once a week in a classroom to participate in a range of activities from puppet-making to drum lessons to sports. The programme caters to both boys and girls, creating space for the pupils to learn something new with friends.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Shadow puppets can be made from objects found at home, such as coloured paper, satay sticks, glue, tape and even cardboard. Wheels can also be made from bottle caps instead of cardboard circles, like the ones pictured above.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Big laughter could be heard as pupils trialled and errored with the strength and distance of their torchlights to create different intensities and sizes of the shadows.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Core member and executive director Myra Loke of The Finger Players showed pupils the ropes first before letting them take the lead in creating their shadow puppet stages. With some guidance, the pupils had the freedom to experiment, solve problems and weave stories of their own.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Every good superhero story needs a commercial break. Two pupils happily showed off their script for a short play about a child being bullied by Timmy Toughknuckles, later to be saved by a superhero, complete with a fast-food advertisement featuring cardboard fries.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Lights, camera, laser tag. A laser tag arena comes to light with simple objects like paper, cardboard circles and plastic cups, as pupils move a torchlight across the set, changing the angle and distance to mimic a camera travelling through the space. The exercise introduced them to how lighting and perspective can completely change what an audience sees.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Big ideas can start with small things. Through puppet-making, the pupils found new ways to express themselves, while also encouraging their creativity and imagination with everyday objects found at home.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
And that’s a wrap! After performing for their peers, pupils sat down with members of The Finger Players to share what they enjoyed most about puppet-making and puppetry, and which stories stuck out to them. The reflection gave them a chance to listen to different perspectives and end the session as both performers and audience.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Find out how else the arts can make life fuller when woven into our everyday.
‘Life. Better with the Arts’ brings together stories of people, places and moments that show how the arts can enrich your life. Explore more stories and discover how a shared experience, a familiar song or a chance encounter with the arts can make every day feel a little more special.
