It’s about 30 minutes until show time and Paul Santos is scurrying around the Jackpot Saloon, 943 Massachusetts St. He’s wearing a black shirt bearing the famous white “HOLLYWOOD” lettering, which is appropriate, considering his work is about to take center stage.

Every light in the bar is dimmed except for the bright spotlights shining on the set. Crew members dressed in black from head to toe are conversing with each other and putting the finishing touches on the stage.

But the audience hasn’t come to see Santos or the rest of the cast. The characters they’ve come to see are three feet tall and made of felt.

Crouching down behind a wall, Santos holds a red devil puppet high above his head, controlling its every movement — the show has begun. As the devil’s jaw flaps, Santos’ voice fills the room. The dialogue picks up and laughter erupts throughout the audience. Although his talents are apparent, almost natural, Santos never thought he would be in this position.

Sure, he had always been a fan of Jim Henson, but puppets were never really his thing.

Now they’re practically his everything. Santos, 2004 graduate, directs, produces, acts in and writes for the adult-themed The Felt Show.

“He has his mind on The Felt Show most of his waking life,” says puppet maker Ben Rumback.

It all started when Santos spotted a puppet in Rumback’s car in the summer of 2004. Santos asked Rumback, a former KU art student, if he would make him a puppet. Since then, Rumback has made about 17 puppets for the show.

After efforts to produce a music video and other projects failed, Santos had a bunch of puppets — and no idea what to do with them.

Noticing the absence of any sort of “puppet theater” in Lawrence, he decided to create a live act.

He scored his first show when a friend who worked at the Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St., mentioned him to the bar’s booking agent. Santos put on the show virtually by himself and landed a similar gig at the Jackpot Saloon shortly after.

These days, Santos has a bit more help. The group now consists of more than two dozen people and its last show was a two-hour performance in front of a large audience.

His duty to the group is almost like a full-time job, says Santos, who also works for a freight company in Kansas City.

Sometimes he spends his breaks at work calling cast and crew members about the show.

“There’s maybe a couple hours of the day that I don’t think about it,” Santos says.

Because the shows are not yet profitable, cast members do not get paid. But Santos hopes that will eventually change. “My goal is to make this into something that people who are working on can be supported by,” he says.

The show earned $500 from its most recent performance. However, Santos recently spent $1,000 on wireless microphones. He pays out-of-pocket for everything, from promotional T-shirts to the puppets themselves. All revenue from the shows goes back to Santos, who says he’s still working toward making back his initial investments.

But maybe more importantly than his monetary contribution is his devotion to the group and his fellow members.

“He’s extremely driven, and I think he just wants nothing more than for the show to succeed, but he also wants everyone to succeed within the show,” says Gabe Dorsey, an actor in the show.

Santos hopes to soon book a show at a larger venue, such as the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St., or Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St. He says he would also like to take the show on the road, with possible performances in the Kansas City area and Norman, Okla.

For these goals to become reality, Santos says the group must recruit more members and adopt a more stringent practice schedule. Members currently meet when their schedules allow them to, usually about twice a week.

Looking ahead, Santos, who considers himself an “idea man,” wants to have creative control in whatever position the future holds for him.

“If you don’t want to have a regular job, you essentially have to create your own job,” he says. Judging from his dedication, it could be awhile before Santos puts down the puppet.