Design a puppet theater stage to suit your needs. Since black light puppeteers do not have to hide below the stage, the stage doesn't need to be overly tall. A stage at table height is convenient for the puppeteers, but slightly elevate it for better sight lines for the audience if necessary.
Paint the stage flat black. Mask the stage "house" with black velvet draperies at the sides and along the back. A narrow table or ledge, painted black, can serve for placement of glow-in-the-dark backdrop set pieces. You can also fly sets using black nylon fishing line.
Use steel or PVC pipes to construct a stage house that is "knock down" portable from venue to venue. Build stages with folding legs for mobility.
Build a black light proscenium arch. Black light is not a very forceful light and its "reach" dwindles within just a few feet of the source. The minimum placement for black light tube fixtures is down the two "legs" and across the top and bottom of the upstage side of a hard proscenium arch. Build the arch with hard "Hollywood" style flats held in position with floor jacks or other engineering.
Install two 48-inch-long black light tube fixtures on each leg of the arch, staggering them slightly to span the height of the proscenium opening. Use two or more 48-inch-long tube fixtures, end to end, across the top and bottom of the arch. This configuration "frames" the entire proscenium with black light fixtures. Installing black lights over the top of the stage a few feet back from the proscenimum also is recommended, but is harder to build.
Block all stray light sources. Black lights are only effective in total or near-total darkness situations. "Total darkness" is achieved when you cannot see your hand held in front of your face.
If you will be touring, take extra black velvet blackout drapes with you and work closely with event hosts to extinguish stray lighting in the performance space. Use dark blue gel media material to "blue out" any room exit lights temporarily. Develop a routine that acclimates small children to the darkness before the performance begins. Avoid immersing the audience in total darkness for too long: As soon as the lights are out, start the show!
Mask the puppeteers. Puppeteers and stagehands should wear black velvet long-sleeved shirts, black velvet trousers, black socks and shoes, black velvet gloves and black velvet hoods that cover the face. Use black mesh inserts for the eyes and breathing holes in the hood. Black velvet material absorbs stray light: Avoid other materials that reflect stray light like denim or nylon.
Organize your "backstage" area. Mark off tubs and props tables with Glo Tape and glow-in-the-dark permanent marker pens. Store puppets and sets in predetermined areas for quick retrieval. Rehearse scene changes and puppet switches in total darkness. Equip any stage crew and puppeteers with small black light flashlights to help find objects in dark corners.