by Richard Coombs » 29 Jan 2007, 12:34
Hello jimdevo ...I guess everyone that answers your post will say the same the same thing ..its all a matter of personal comfort and getting the best movement out of your puppets.
If you are buying a second hand booth , I would think it best to actually go and try-before-you -buy , taking some of your own puppets with you.
If the working height is wrong for you , even by an inch or so , it will mean unecessary back or shoulder strain. ( if you are very short and the prosc height is quite a few inches too high , this is actually less of a problem : build a wooden case to transport either your puppets , or the sound equipment and the canvas cover ..and stand on it inside the booth , so that the performing height is just right for you )
But as you are thinking of buiding your own theatre , then you can get the dimensions just right first go.
In my booths , I work hands in front , and my elbows are very slightly below shoulder height. .. The difference betwen this posisition , and level with shoulders , or worse, just above is huge for the amount of ache it puts across the top of my back....but again this is only my own personal take on it : others will swear blind it is easier to have the figures a bit higher . And they are right ..for them , with their puppets , in their booth it is exactly how it should be.
I stand on the floor in my indoor 'quick-up' booth for Parties , and on wooden cases in my outdoor canvass booth. My wooden 'permenant' leave-it there- for-a-season booth is also used with me stood on the floor.
But this year I plan to build a 'raised' plinth for it to sit on , raising it up to a more grand height fo the audience ( as the apearance of it is a bit 'squat'). But both me and the booth will be elevated , keeping the relativity to the playboard the same. In all 3 theatres , my workling height , position of exterior playboard , and inner props shelf , and the 'gap' through which the Crocodile etc. appears , all stay constant. So it feels the same whichever one I am performing in.
I would say getting the height right for yourself is crucial. But I wouldnt dream of giving a measurement , even if I knew your exact height. It is your own comfort , so 'How long is string of Sausages ?'
Good Luck with your building. Best Wishes Richard