Rods
The most important thing I leaned: practical notes about what works and what doesn't. For one thing, the rods: online tutorials recommended a thin, steel rod; in actual practice, the puppets were so large and their acting so animated that MUCH thicker rods were needed. Also, having that little handle helped the performers know how the hand was positioned when they couldn't see the actual arm/hand.
Rods
The most important thing I leaned: practical notes about what works and what doesn't. For one thing, the rods: online tutorials recommended a thin, steel rod; in actual practice, the puppets were so large and their acting so animated that MUCH thicker rods were needed. Also, having that little handle helped the performers know how the hand was positioned when they couldn't see the actual arm/hand.