For about 10 years now, I've had the privilege of judging at an event called Teens Involved where teens compete in various ministry aspects, puppetry being one of them.
Each year I'm impressed with the quality and caliber of the presentations, but there are usually one or two teams that stand out.
In this article, I'll talk about three things that cause them to shine above the others.
Teamwork Teamwork is one of the first things I look for as a judge.
When the team is setting up, each member has a job to do and they jump right in and do it and when finished offer to help anyone else in need.
During the set up time there is usually positive banter back and forth that shows they like and care about each other.
That banter includes some joking around, asking for advice, offering suggestions in a positive manner, and sharing encouraging words.
They also gather together for prayer before the presentation and during the prayer time maintain an attitude of quiet reverence.
The teams usually have members with varying puppetry skills and those that are more skilled help out the newbies.
When they have a member who has professional quality skills, that person doesn't dominate or take over the presentation.
Even though they have better skills than some of the others, they don't draw attention to themselves, but the team.
You can see their teamwork and attitude come across in their performance, especially in live plays.
It's hard to put into words, but you can sense when puppeteers are at ease with each other and get along well.
Regardless of the skill level there is a kind of casualness in the conversation between the puppets.
By that I mean the conversation doesn't seem forced or strained but flows naturally.
While most of the audience won't pick up on these things, if they are part of your team you have a fantastic ministry potential.
Heart A second key ingredient I look for in puppet teams is their heart.
During the set up and preparation I observe their heart and attitude toward other team members and the director.
In the teams that shine, I don't hear whining or complaining or other negative talk.
Instead, there is light-hearted joking around and an attitude that says I enjoy being part of this team.
The puppeteers show respect for the team director but it's obvious they are also friends.
The director doesn't micro-manage but allows the puppeteers the freedom to fulfill their role on the team.
A second aspect of this focuses on their heart for God.
Are they excited about the presentation opportunity and giving their all or are they simply going through the motions? Do they see this as a ministry opportunity or a chance to show off their talents? I've observed presentations where I was drawn into the play, my emotions were stirred, and my heart was touched.
With some, the skill level was low, but the heart came through.
They connected with the audience in a meaningful way that goes far beyond solid puppet skills.
The heart for God aspect is seen during the presentation, but it's more evident during the introduction and application.
The teams that shine don't simply quote their introductions and applications from a memorized script that someone else wrote.
They speak from their hearts and not their head and as a result have a greater impact.
A third aspect looks at their heart for the audience? When introducing or applying the play, do they maintain eye contact with the audience? Do they rush through the application as though it's not that important? During the play, do they try to draw attention to themselves to show off their skills? The teams that stand out care about people and demonstrate it by putting on the best quality program they can.
Puppet Skills While the puppetry quality is important, notice that it's third in the list.
A quality puppet program requires great teamwork; skills alone aren't enough.
If the team doesn't like each other or refuses to work together, you may have great skills but won't have a great presentation.
A presentation that's all skills and no heart may entertain but won't touch people or move them to action.
You can have a great puppet team with a genuine heart for God and people but has weak puppet skills and God will use it to accomplish great things for him.
At the same time, that team still needs to work on improving their skills.
What things make for a solid puppet performance? The list includes: proper entrances and exits, quality lip sync, proper positioning, lifelike motions, voice quality, and good eye contact.
One thing I look for is the strength of the puppeteer's arms.
The puppets stay at a consistent height instead of bobbing up and down or weaving back and forth.
They keep the mouth closed when not speaking and bend their wrists a bit so the puppet looks at the audience instead of over it.
They maintain upright posture instead of leaning on the stage.
The teams that stand out have enough practice time in that arms don't fatigue in the middle of a play.
I've seen some high quality plays by both Junior and Senior High teams.
The caliber of their plays demonstrates that a lot of work has gone into the preparation and presentation.
These are teams with genuine hearts and proper puppet skills which is a winning combination.