On more than one occasion I have been asked about what do I do about returning dates or engagements. Do I use the same puppets, or do I go off in a totally different direction and use something else? Let’s tackle this situation in this post.
First, you always have puppets with which you are completely comfortable. These are your “tried and true” characters that you have used in hundreds of shows. You know these puppets inside and out, their traits, their mannerisms, and more importantly the “feel” of how the puppet works on your hand. My advice…continue to use them, but make it a different show with some new dialogs and maybe even dress them differently. I think dressing them differently makes a huge change for your audience. Your audience can’t always remember exactly what the puppet looked like, and even if they do remember him/her, by dressing them differently and using a new script it essentially becomes something “new” to your repeat clients.
Dress the puppet seasonally. Put Halloween costumes on the character in October, and dress the character in his or hers best Christmas finery during December. Remember little touches can give an old puppet new life. Besides, if your audience liked the character last year, they may still have those same pleasant feelings for him/her this year. Enhance the experience with a bit of a change. Your audience will love you for it!
