Hi all.
Folks call me Fishbucket and I've been a puppeteer since 1980.
I currently use puppets designed by Axtell, and what I want is an all purpose set and/or background for my puppets. I have no desire to use the old pvc pipe and curtain stages. I'm looking for something with flair and a carnival feel to it. I've googled myself into a hole finding only manufacturers who make kid theatres for small tots or those door frame hanging curtains and both those types of puppet stages are for preschool hand puppets. I'm also a member of the POA (Puppeteers of America) and apparently finding a portable puppet stage suitable for my style of puppetry within in the POA ranks is either a closely guarded secret or the talents within the POA only deal with full scale puppet theatres. Any help in pointing me in the right direction of where I might obtain a professional portable stage for clowning with my puppets would be greatly appreciated. :applause:

Thanks,
Fishbucket

sorry can't help ya there, mine is made from steel tubing, mine is the old box style with a top 7'x6', colapses down to carry it but it still require space for the length. My dad designed mine, and these are some of the puppets I made for a kids program.
http://www.clown-forum.com/clown_gallery/albums/userpics/10051/puppets%20%282%29~0.jpg

You might check out some really old copies of woodworking journals, like from the early 20th century. I am willing to bet that at least a few of them taught one how to build a snazzy non kiddish puppet theatre.

You might also consider drawing out what you'd like it to look like and then go purchase the plywood from a lumberyard. They can usually cut wood in shapes for you too though it isn't always free. Adding hinges would be a nice way of making it easy to break down.

I'm still not sure of what you are looking for in a stage Fish. Are you looking for a hard sided affair? We have a small puppeteer here in town that made a stage about 8 foot tall, 8 foot wide with 4 foot side walls. The frame work was made with 1x4s and then covered with Luan (1/8 inch plywood) It hinged so you could adjust the way it sat some and when you were ready to pack up to pulled the hinge pins and it came apart.