Tech Theater help--Cinderella

Our community theatre is gearing up for Cinderella. The 'magic' appear/disappear/transformations are a key part of this production. We are a small community and the production has a small budget . Any suggestions as to any way to do 'magic' on a tight budget in live theater.

Any thoughts are welcome, even what might be obvious.

You might do a bit of research on SKRIM. It is a net like material used in theatre effects. Sharktooth Skrim is widely available online. Though it's not cheap many vendors will sell it by the yard.

EDIT: I know that your kinda out in the boonies but if you have someone who makes regular trips to Duluth or Mpls/St. Paul you may consider calling the Technical Directors of some bigger theatres there (both community and professional) and telling them who you are and that you need some black skrim for a production and you were just wondering if they had any odd pieces that were cut from bigger ones or even big ones that had tears in them. (It tears eaisily and that may make it worthless to them but you could just use some of the good part.) We would give away stuff like that for free sometimes. Be sure to only ask the Technical Director of the theatre.
/EDIT

Skrim is all about light.

Often one builds a box with a black skrim front -- or even just a skrim covered flat -- and the object is placed behind it. When the object is not lit and light shines on the skrim from in front, the object disappears. When the front light to the skrim is cut and the object is lit from a light behind the skrim, the object reappears.

Skrim may also be painted from the front with a design that will go away when the scene is lit from behind it. If you watch the opening of Letterman closely, when he walks out to do his monologue a huge skrim descends very slowly to the floor as he steps into place. There is a city scene painted on it but it can't be seen because at that point everything behind it is lit from behind it. On the other hand, when they play "Will It Float?" it is lit from the front and you can't see what's set up behind it until they fly it out.

You may reuse it for other productions as long as you don"t paint it.

There is even a 'Mirror Skrim' for vampire plays that enables a gag where depending on how it's lit, the audience may see everyone's reflection in the mirror but the vampire's.

Good luck.

What is your theatre like? How much wingspace? Flyspace? Approx stage size?

The Scrim idea is often used even in larger productions. Another trick is blinding the audience, a flash of light then a blackout will buy you a couple of seconds to move things or people.

As Keygrip said though it all depends on your space and what is even possible to do in it lighting, tech and financially.

It is also a great idea if someone in you group has contacts at UW Superior, I know they have a theatre program so they might even send a student your way to help out and the student could earn some credit and everyone learns things in the end.

If possible, you could build up a false stage and have the actors go through a trap in the floor. We did something similar to this in a production of The Wiz to make the bad witch "melt"

Watch the movie "The Prestige". Lots of good ideas there.

Don't know if its commercial available yet, but I've heard of some research with metamaterials which would bend light around an object, essentially rendering it invisible. But it's probably expensive if it even exists.

All good ideas, I'll get measurements. I'm currently not involved in the production but I am friends with the director, and I have some small tech experience ~30 years ago (old, me?) and an interest in illusion. So I was talking to him a bit about it.
My concern with the scrim is that it will deaden the visual impact of the rest of the stage, is that a concern?
Making someone appear only happens a few times and we may be able to hang a small scrim upstage have the lights come up and then they walk downstage--work?
How about transformations?
Cinderella to Cinderella the belle of the ball-Have the Cider costume a pull-off with Cinder underneath-then wand waves, bright flash and a rumpled but lovely Cinder stands revealed? The typical hoop gown seems unlikely to be under a Cinder costume--better idea? Identical twins would be handy However a transformation double might be workable, I'm not sure what the staging is at that point.

How about a pumpkin to coach? Coach would probably be just a cutout (my guess).

Again any thoughts welcome.

BTW budget probably wouldn't allow a false floor, I remember a production of "Death of a Salesman", in college, we built a set of stairs coming up from the drop down orchestra pit. Never mind the turntable built for "Roar of the Greasepaint". The Theater Department head was the tech guy, so the budget sometimes skewed to big production pieces. He could hand saw a board faster than most guys could cut with a skill saw

jtr1962 said:

Watch the movie "The Prestige". Lots of good ideas there.

Don't know if its commercial available yet, but I've heard of some research with metamaterials which would bend light around an object, essentially rendering it invisible. But it's probably expensive if it even exists.

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Never heard of the movie--LOOKS LIKE ONE I WANT TO SEE!!! Thanks

Scary thought about the metamaterial

Brock said:

...Another trick is blinding the audience, a flash of light then a blackout will buy you a couple of seconds to move things or people...

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That is SO good...as long as you've got the instruments. I've thought about that but I've never seen anyone do it. It's much more clever than a 'whiteout' and will work in so many more shows.

I have worked Copperfield to many times to say I came up with the idea I can't say more then that becasue of the agreements we all signed when working the event

Wits' End, it sounds like a double might be the way to go for the costume change, even if it is as simple as Cinder walking behind the pumpkin and having the double walk out the other side. If you using wireless mic's just keep the lead on mic and let the double "lip sinc" until they can switch back. Or depending on the scene maybe the double is first one you see if the majority of the scene is after that point.

Brock said:

I have worked Copperfield to many times to say I came up with the idea I can't say more then that becasue of the agreements we all signed when working the event

....... Or depending on the scene maybe the double is first one you see if the majority of the scene is after that point.

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Copperfield!
yes as far as double.
Other option is to have outfit float in and she puts up her arms into it. Not as spectacular but easy to work--maybe

Still waiting on stage dimensions.

KeyGrip said:

What is your theatre like? How much wingspace? Flyspace? Approx stage size?

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Small town High school theatre
54 feet wide proscenium, 28' deep, about 12' fly space and 12' wings. Scene shop upstage w/~12 wide door, however the back of the house can't see anything in there.
Sorry it took so long, thanks

I gotta say, a double would be a very elegant solution. I would still love to think up some technical trickery, but I doubt it would be time/budget effective.

the Prestiege is one of the best movies i have ever watched. Seriously. And alot of foreshadowing, remember to pay attention to everything, even during the title credits.

Have you considered smoke machines? depending on the type of fogger, and the type of chemical used,the smoke can be really opaque...

Crenshaw

KeyGrip said:

I gotta say, a double would be a very elegant solution. I would still love to think up some technical trickery, but I doubt it would be time/budget effective.

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I agree, the best would be to try and work a double out. Barring that, my thoughts are going to a pull off, rags to 'proper underclothes' then 'magically' bringing in the ball gown [fly or black carry], as a slip in costume, the hooped skirt should make it easy to drop it down. --any thoughts?

Crenshaw said:

the Prestiege is one of the best movies i have ever watched. Seriously. And alot of foreshadowing, remember to pay attention to everything, even during the title credits.

Have you considered smoke machines? depending on the type of fogger, and the type of chemical used,the smoke can be really opaque...

Crenshaw

Click to expand...

I enjoyed the Prestige, though it was a little dark for me. I didn't like the way the multiple killings were glossed over. [if that is a spoiler, comment and I'll delete it]
I don't think a heavy smoke would work, it would be to much for this light, children's production.