Stanley’s Paper Giant

Stanley and Grace are making a giant for a puppet scene. Their giant must lean over a wall, find a lost bird and lift it gently. Stanley draws an enormous paper head. Grace makes long arms that fold at the elbows.

Behind the low screen, Stanley holds the head while Grace moves both arms. The giant waves wildly. When it bends towards the bird, an arm folds the wrong way. The audience would see a frightening giant instead of a careful one.

Mr Reed asks them to try the movement without their puppet. Stanley bends slowly and opens his hands. Grace notices that his head moves before his arms. They divide the movement into smaller parts rather than trying everything at once.

They strengthen the puppet with folded paper supports and attach rounded handles. Grace takes one arm; Stanley holds the head and the other arm. It is awkward. They stop to decide who will begin each movement and how the other will follow.

Grace gives a quiet breath as a cue. Stanley lowers the head. After a pause, both arms reach towards the paper bird. For the first time, the three parts seem to belong to one character. The giant looks as though it is listening.

Now they need to lift the bird. A quick movement makes it fly across the screen. They laugh, retrieve it and try again. Grace supports it with an open paper hand while Stanley raises the head just a little.

Two classmates watch a rehearsal. One thinks the giant is worried about dropping the bird. The other thinks it is surprised by something so small. Stanley likes both ideas. He adds a pause before the bird settles in the hand.

During the performance, nobody notices the quiet breath behind the screen. They watch a great paper face bend towards a tiny bird. Afterwards, Stanley and Grace show how they shared the movement. Their giant needed two people to become one.