Author Topic: Kids. Fog.  (Read 4299 times)

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PSMKay

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Kids. Fog.
« on: Sep 25, 2007, 08:59 am »
(submitted by Brooke)


I was once stage managing a children's musical, 'Into the Woods Junior."  I was trying to coral 20 little elementary kids as well as about 10 back stage crew members who were attempting to help out.  First off, it was a small stage and about zero back stage and no fly space.  So we were cramped.  Although we had a green room nearby the monitors weren't properly working.  That was our first problem, and it gets better.  Some kids didn't have their clothes with them, one girl lost her wig on stage and so on.  We ended up having to stick some kids in the dressing and tech rooms and pulling them out as need be.  On top of that, there was a scene where a fog machine had to be turned on and fog pumped on to the stage.  It was only a three night performance, and I think we only got it right once.  The mechanics of the fog machine were a little odd.  It was about a 40 gallon bucket that had to be turned on 4 hours in advance in order to be ready on time.  We also had a huge cooler of dry ice.  The only place we could put all this
equipment was in an un-used stairwell along the side of the back stage,
accompanied with a very big hose to get the fog on stage.  One night with all the other chaos reigning down on me, one of the fog machine guys
dropped a huge block of dry ice into to bucket.  (Usually it's lowered in a tray)  All of a sudden a few minutes before the fog is supposed to go on, I hear muffled shouting, swearing, and laughing.  I open the door and look down to see and smell nothing but fog!!  It was spewing out everywhere and the guys are shouting obscenities.  After getting them to stop shouting and open a door to the outside to get the fog out I had other people to deal with.  Over the rest of the night, I had to explain to the police who came to the door with the fog why there was 'smoke' coming out, to the TD and Director why there was so much noise backstage, and to the kids that what they heard should not be repeated.  All in all, it was one crazy night.  I almost decided that night that I was never working with nor having kids ever again.



 

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