Last year our projection screen television died.  It was quite exciting.  What sounded like static during a TiVo show quickly escalated into electrical zapping and smoke coming from inside the big box.  After many phone calls, we learned that our model was not worth repairing and we had to get rid of an enormous and heavy TV.  We decided to take as much out of the inside of the TV as we could to make it lighter and easier to move.  As soon as we took out the inner components, my Rooster and I both had the same idea – with minimal effort we could turn this empty frame into a beautiful puppet theater!

This project was amazingly easy and low cost. We already had a few basic tools and I went to the local big box store for inexpensive accessories.  Our kids love the theater and our friends are calling their neighbors who own projection screens to put “dibs” on their TV when it goes.  What a great way to reduce, reuse and recycle!  Here’s how we made our theater:

Empty inside of television

After removing the back panel we found out that most of the components are in a large wood box at the base of the TV.  We just had to remove a few screws to slide the box out.  We used a screwdriver (and a hammer and chisel in some spots) to take out as much as we could inside the frame.  Turns out that dismantling stuff is fun!  We left the speakers in place and removed the wires with wire cutters.  We saved the front screen (it makes a great ramp for remote controlled cars) and the reflector panel (I decorated it with markers and the kids use it as a mirror).   We left the side speaker cabinets in the frame as they made great seats for the kids.  Finally, I flipped the front screen rails to hide any sharp edges.

Prepare frame

We used a jig saw on any wood pieces that were sticking out, and a hammer and pliers to remove anything sharp.  All that remained was to lightly sand any rough spots inside.  We were lucky that the inside of our frame was already painted black – perfect!

Accessorize

This is where you can spend a little or a lot on this project!  I used a staple gun to cover everything from the side seats to the floor with heavy-duty fabric.  I purchased three sets of inexpensive curtain rods, and used a drill to mount one on the outside front panel, one on the inside front panel and one on the back.  I also picked up some cheap curtains, two sets of black and one red.  I hemmed the curtains to length and hung the red set on the front and the black sets on the inside and on the back.  I also drilled pilot holes to install small eye hooks for the curtain tie-backs.  I used larger eye hooks to hold a piece of picture wire across the inside of the theater and used small binder clips to hang homemade backdrops from the wire.  Finally, I put two stick-up lights inside the theater so the kids can have backstage lighting.

All that was left was to pop the popcorn and give out tickets to the upcoming show!

Check out the lightbox slideshow below for images of our projection TV Puppet Theater.  Simply click on a thumbnail to start the slideshow. Details and information for each picture are located at the bottom of the image in the slideshow.