Author Topic: COSTUMES: Tieing actors up onstage?!  (Read 6556 times)

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Rosemary

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COSTUMES: Tieing actors up onstage?!
« on: Mar 09, 2006, 03:58 pm »
I am doing a show that requires an actor to be tied to a chair (while sitting it in), and his mouth taped closed for over half an hour onstage.  During the scene, he gets hit several times in the head with a hammer so we needed for the ropes to be able to have tension so that he could react with his hands and legs.

We've figured out a way to tie him up without him actually being bound to the chair but I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on knots to use or a way to rig rope so in emergency situations, the actor could get loose. Our method was not ideal but it was the best we could come up with.

Thanks!
« Last Edit: Jun 08, 2009, 11:13 pm by PSMKay »

Mac Calder

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Tieing actors up onstage?!
« Reply #1 on: Mar 09, 2006, 06:00 pm »
Generally, this is how I would ask to see it done:

Start with a long piece of rope. Bindee has both hands placed behind the chair back. Binder places the tail end of the rope in bindee's hand, then wraps a few times arround the wrist. Binder continues to create loops arround the chair, moving from the bottom UP - NO CROSSING OVER (Very important). When they reach the top, bring the rope across the chest, and arround to the bindee's hands behind the back where the bindee actually holds the other end. In the event of an emergency, the bindee can drop both ends of the rope, which can then be quickly pulled off by another actor, or worked out of by the bindee.

loebtmc

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Tieing actors up onstage?!
« Reply #2 on: Mar 10, 2006, 02:52 am »
you aren't, by any chance, doing Orphans?

the actor being tied up shd have control of the inside end (and if the tie-off is out of view, both ends) - but if you are too close and no one knows how to do a proper slip knot, go to a magic shop and have them help you.

we never had any probs w this, making sure the knots were well-rehearsed outside of the action as well as in real time before we saw audience, and that control always rested w the actor being tied up

hope this helps

hbelden

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Tieing actors up onstage?!
« Reply #3 on: Mar 10, 2006, 11:29 am »
Quote from: "loebtmc"
you aren't, by any chance, doing Orphans?


you mean there's more than one show with this action?   :wink:

I'll have to keep my eye on the listings for this one...
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juliz1106

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duct tape
« Reply #4 on: Mar 10, 2006, 02:14 pm »
Another useful note - in regard to the duct tape (or whatever kind of tape is used for the binding of his mouth), make sure very little of the tape is actually sticky.  Create a tab where the actor's mouth will be, so that it is more like a bandaid - and therefore comes off just as easily (and is more comfortable for the actor).  Hope that helps!

Kestrel_Childers

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Tieing actors up onstage?!
« Reply #5 on: Mar 10, 2006, 11:15 pm »
There are a few methods that usually involve props to rig something so it looks like it's a knot, but actually it's not.  Instead the knot is pretied and glued so it stays, but the loop is cut and attached back to the underside of the knot with a quick release like a caribeener or dog leash type connector.

Another method we've used is the fake knot, but you use thread and sew the end of the cut loop to the knot so if the actor needs to break free, he just tugs hard and the thread breaks, freeing them.

Staylor

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Tieing actors up onstage?!
« Reply #6 on: Mar 30, 2006, 04:01 am »
Quote from: "loebtmc"
you aren't, by any chance, doing Orphans?



My guess was "Extremities," but I did that almost 20 years ago, so I can't remember how we tied him up... you'd think you wouldn't forget a thing like that...

 

riotous