SOME USEFUL CONSTRUCTION TIPS Hello faithfully Fables readers! Mark Buckingham, regular series artist, here with a few helpful hints on how to assemble my Paper Puppet Theatre which comes as an extra in FABLES #100. The FABLES Paper Puppet Theatre was an idea I had been developing for a while, but when plans began to take shape, back in the Summer of 2009, for FABLES #100 it seemed like a perfect extra for our one hundred page anniversary special. THEATRE ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS Step 1 I highly recommend you glue all six pages, or good color photocopies, on to a thick paper or card stock. Step 2 Cut around each of the Theatre pieces (A1, A2, B, C, D and E ) carefully following the solid blue outlines. Step 3 Fold the side panels of the Theatre (parts B and C) along the dotted lines, as shown in the photo below. If you have used a thick card to mount the pages on, you may find it necessary to score along the dotted lines first to help you bend them into shape. Step 4 The Theatre comes with two title banners (parts A1 and A2 ). I thought it might be fun to give you a choice between the original and more recent styles of Fables logo. Pick your favorite, add a spot of glue on the front of each tab, and adhere to the back (at the top edge) of the main curtains on parts B and C. Step 5 Now glue the tabs on the side panels (B and C) to the back edges of a back drop (D or E). Two alternatives are included in the theatre, the Farm (D) and the Business office (E). Step 6 Which ever you choose, the remaining back drop can be slid in front of the other to create an alternative scene for your characters to inhabit. The theatre’s side panels (B and C) feature two further mini backdrops, one of Castle Dark and the other of Wolf Manor, to give you additional locations to stage your stories. FIGURE ASSEMBLY Step 1 As with the theatre parts, cut carefully around each character following the solid blue outline. Step 2 Fold back the tabs along the dotted line to stand up. If you find they keep falling over, try bending the figures back slightly, as shown in the photo below. This helps to better distribute the weight over the tabs for improved balance. Congratulations! Your FABLES Paper Puppet Theatre is finished and the cast are ready to perform. Re-enact your favorite Fables stories or invent brand new ones! Have fun building your Theatre! Mark Buckingham (Photo credit: Irma Page)