Visual Guide
The Elves and the Shoemaker
This visual story is intended to help prepare you for your visit to “Elves”. Here is a short guide to what you will see if you come along and watch the show.
We took these pictures in 2022 and since then, some things about the show have changed. The actors are different. This is because actors do lots of different jobs for different companies. The puppets are a bit different now too. Their noses are smaller and they have blue eyes.
We’re going to take some more pictures and put them on here, but for the moment, these pictures will help you to have an idea of what to expect.
This is what you will see when you first arrive.
A red screen at the back, the floor is black and white squares. There are two green step ladders.
A narrator is standing on a ladder behind a red screen. Two elves are leaning on ladders in front of the screen. They are eating cheese.
Sometimes the characters will appear behind the screen. They are standing on a ladder. They have practised this and it is safe. You will see the actors dressed as Elves. They are pretending. They are wearing costumes and hats with big ears.
Two elf puppets are coming out of a blue suitcase.
These are the elf puppets. The actors operate them and make them move about. You might be surprised when the actors take them out of this suitcase.
A shoemaker is standing in front of his workbench. He has a giant tape measure around his neck.
This is the shoemaker. He has a big tape measure. His shop is called Happy Feet. He is friendly.
An actor is dressed as a dog. She is kneeling by a suitcase. On the suitcase it says “Happy Feet”
This is the dog. It’s called Fenton in the story. It is an actor pretending to be a dog. She is wearing a dog costume. She is friendly.
Three spider puppets. They are made of black gloves with fluffy tops.
These are the spider puppets. They are made of gloves. The actors hide behind the bench so we can only see their hands. The spider puppets tickle the shoemaker and make him laugh. They are friendly.
A leather salesman stands on top of a ladder. The shoemaker is on the ground next to him. He is holding his money box.
Sometimes the characters climb up the ladders. They have practised this and it is safe.
An elf is hiding behind two giant cotton reels. He is hiding from a big grey mouse.
A big grey mouse chases Elvis the elf. They are pretening. The mouse might seem scary but it is not real. Elvis the elf asks everyone to help him. Nobody has to help but you can if you want to.
Three actors. Twp of them are sitting on green laddres. One of them is standing in the middle.