A Story of Noah’s Family
Based on Genesis 6,7,8, and 9
Preparation: Scene 1
Puppets
- Noah and his wife
- their son Shem and his wife
- their son Japheth and his wife
- their son Ham and his wife
- a group of observers
- the giraffes, hippos, birds, snakes, sheep, and kangaroo puppets
Props
The ark pattern is smaller than needed. Enlarge it to the correct size for your puppets. Brown poster board would work well. Attach the ark to the end of an inverted shoe box that is slightly smaller than the ark. The ark should face the audience. Cut small slits in the upturned bottom of the box so the sticks on the animal puppets can be slid into the slits. They will then be held upright without the aid of a puppeteer. The ramp can be attached to the side of the ark for animals to “walk up.” Attach it to the side so the animal puppets can go up face first. Take it off when all are inside.
Backdrop
Blue poster board with a bright sun.
Tips for this scene:
Have the audience make hammering and sawing motions at the appropriate time.
Story
The narrator stands to the side of the stage.
When the world was still young, there lived a family that loved God. Enter Noah and wife puppet, and all three sons and wives puppets.
Noah’s family tried to live as God asked. Now this was not easy. All the other people had chosen not to live that way, and many chose to be very bad. Enter the observers puppet
God looked sadly at this world of evil. God decided to start over. He would send a great flood to cover the earth. Only the people who loved God would survive. They would have to build a huge boat, called an ark. God told Noah’s family to do this. Bring up the ark and place it in the center of the stage.
They hammered and sawed and measured. They smeared tar on all the cracks. This kept water from leaking in. All the Noah puppets are busy, scurrying about the ark. The observers puppet stands to the side.
While they worked, the other people made fun of them. “There’s not a cloud in the sky!” they jeered. “You are crazy!” Still, Noah’s family kept on working. Finally the ark was finished. Exit observers puppet.
And then the real work began! God told them to gather all the animals of the earth and skies. God said to bring two of each animal onto the ark. Attach the ramp to the ark with a piece of tape. All the puppets that are Noah’s family go below and each brings back animal pairs and brings them into the ark, placing the animals into the slits in the box. Puppeteers can make animal sounds.
Finally all the animals and Noah’s family were in the ark. Then it began to rain. Pull ramp into the ark. All remain on stage. Change backdrop for Scene 2.
Preparation: Scene 2
Puppets
- The Noah family puppets
- the animals puppets (except the dove)
Prop suggestions
Use a rain stick to add auditory interest to this scene. To make a rain stick: Take a long cardboard tube from gift wrap and push many straight pins through the sides until the tops of the pins are flat with the tube. Then fill one-third of the tube with dried beans and rice. Cover the ends of the tube with plastic wrap and secure securely with rubber bands. The rain stick can be decorated with markers or paint To “play,” slowly move the stick so the contents slip down, imitating the sound of rain.
Backdrop
Gray poster board with clouds drawn on it.
Tips for this scene:
As there is not much action here, engage the audience with sounds as indicated.
Story
Narrator begins using the rain stick:
It rained, and rained, and rained, and rained.
Encourage audience to repeat: It rained, and rained, and rained, and rained.
Then it rained and rained and rained some more!
Continue with rain stick.
Sometimes it thundered.
Have audience make clapping sounds. A puppeteer can gently move the ark back and forth as if it were floating.
It rained for forty long days and forty long nights. Noah and his family and all the animals waited. They wanted so much to see dry land and sunshine.
Scene ends with people, animals, and ark remaining on the stage. Change backdrop to Scene 3.
Preparation: Scene 3
Puppets
- All the puppets from Scene 2
- The dove puppet
Props
- Have the rainbow ready with tape on the back of it. One puppeteer can reach up and place die
- Have the rainbow ready with tape on the back of it. One puppeteer an reach up and place the rainbow on the backdrop at the appropriate time.
- The ramp will need to be put back on.
Backdrop
Blue sky with sun shining. Plan for where you will place the rainbow.
Story
Finally, the rain stopped. Slowly the water went down. Noah let a dove go.
Dove puppet flies beyond ark and returns.
The dove came back with a branch with green leaves. This meant plants and trees were growing again! Noah and his family cheered!
Puppets dance a bit.
It was time to let the animals out.
Put the ramp back out on the opposite side so the animal puppets run down or fly off, including the dove. The animals all exit the stage as they leave the ark.
Oh, what a noise!
Audience can make thundering sounds by stamping feet.
And then, it was quiet and peaceful. Noah’s family got off the ark and thanked God.
The people puppets standnext to the ark and thank God.
And God said, “I will make a promise, a covenant, with you, my people. I will never again send another flood like this. I will place a rainbow in the sky.”
Place rainbow onto the poster board.
“The rainbow,” God said, “will always be a sign to everyone of this promise.”
Now every time you see a rainbow, you can remember God’s great love for us.
Exit all puppets.
All: Amen.