The title character of Vertigo Productions’ show “BFG” is not a typical dramatic protagonist. His face is wrinkled, his eye sockets are cavernous and his skin is puffy.

But most importantly, he can’t move on his own. He is a puppet.

The script of “BFG,” adapted and directed by Speech seniors David Sabel and Shannon Scrofano, is adapted from the novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. The popular children’s story spins the tale of a young orphaned girl who is kidnapped by a big, friendly giant – a BFG. Together, they persuade the Queen of England to embark on a mission to rid the world of a group of malignant, man-eating giants.

Dahl’s story is uniquely brought to life in Sabel and Scrofano’s adaptation by its use of puppetry. Scrofano explained that because the puppets are the primary source of the storytelling, she and Sabel constantly were changing the script to work with their medium.

Sabel added that altering the acting to accommodate the puppets soon became their main focus. “In puppetry, the text becomes secondary,” he said.

To help the performers bring the puppets to life, Sabel and Scrofano designed and crafted the puppets themselves. Many of the puppets are a combination of actor and costume, enabling the performers to create the illusion of life in the puppets and, at the same time, allow them more freedom to move.

The puppets themselves attract attention with their fantastic appearances. While the BFG is life-size and has a craggy, sculpted face, the other characters range from doll-like marionettes to disfigured giants made of masks, leg and arm pieces. Still others are composed of various materials such as metal objects and brightly colored fabric.

The puppeteers’ aim is to emphasize the movements of the puppets and to ensure that the human performers don’t steal the show from the inanimate but compelling stars.

“It’s different from acting because you can’t use facial expressions,” said Matt Wells, a Speech junior, who controls one of the evil giants and the Queen’s butler. “The main thing is to look at the puppet and forget it’s false; you have to look at it as a person and infuse it with life.”

Scrofano also emphasized the importance of the puppets’ movements over their physical attributes when bringing them to life.

“Because puppets are not human, we had to find the simplest and purest way to express movement,” she said. She and Sabel wanted the actors to find “one gesture to express what the character does” to avoid too much complexity and instead highlight the “essence” of the character.

Although they adapted the script from the children’s book and use puppetry instead of conventional acting, Sabel and Scrofano said their show is geared toward adults.

“The story is fun and great for kids, but this is oriented toward adults,” Sabel said. “We play into Dahl’s dark, satirical nature. The heart of the story is dreams, but the book handles dreams in a fascinating, non-clich