SHOWS: Beauty and The Beast-Transformation Scene

[Craig SM]

Hi Folks, I'm Stage Managing, Technical Directing our show next year i'm doing the technical design for the show part of my National Progression Award Technical Theatre in Practice. our school/council fire safety officer is not permitting us to use smoke even just for this scene so i'm wondering if i could do with a few suggestions on how to execute this scene without anybody seeing the transformation of the beast?

Thanks

Edit to subject line-Rebbe

[loebtmc]

Not sure where you are, but check a magic shop for help - magicians do this all the time and might be willing to share some secrets w your technical people.

[MatthewShiner]

No smoke, but what about co2?  I would assume no atmosphere . . .  but check.

[amdram]

We did it with blinders along the front edge of the stage. Blinders on - actor dives under backcloth and different actor comes out the same way - blinders off. Needs good timing, swift movement and a couple of stagehands to lift the cloth, but worked a treat.

[maximillionx]

I recall my college doing it with strobes.  You get the creepiness factor and the timing of the strobe can be used to swap actors or slip on a costume.

[JMagill]

ok so I just finished my run of BATB last week.  A lot of the transformation all depends on the set.  Our Castle (we rented the set from Music Theater of Wichita) spun around so that the fight between Gaston and the beast was out side the castle and then After belle brought the beast back in the castle spun back around. Also there was a Beast double for the fight so that the actor playing the Beast could wash off the makeup and change in to the Prince costume over the prince costume the actor had a full face larger beast mask and a full wrap around cape so that when he transformed he could rip it all off to reveal that he was the prince. 


I would also see if you can do CO2 (Dry Ice) It will work like smoke from a smoke machine but will dissipate quickly and should not set any alarms off since it does not have the same hang time in the air as smoke.


if you want any other hints PM me and good luck with your production it can be a "Beast" of a production

[EFMcMullen]

Side note: Ooo that set alone is a Beast!  I worked on the original production at MTW.  Don't you LOVE those facings!

[kiwitechgirl]

I would also see if you can do CO2 (Dry Ice) It will work like smoke from a smoke machine but will dissipate quickly and should not set any alarms off since it does not have the same hang time in the air as smoke.

Sorry, CO2 does not work like smoke from a smoke machine.  It's heavier than air so it will roll along the ground. not float around in the air.  And as to whether it will set smoke alarms off, well, mostly they tend to be in the roof, so that is probably correct (the gas won't get to the detectors) but there's no guarantee.  And it can cause problems if you have an orchestra in the pit, because it'll roll off the front of the stage and drop into the pit, meaning you run the risk of the musicians a) not being able to see their music, or b) and this is worse, if you have enough CO2 it can cause breathing problems, if they can't get above it to breathe air.

[JMagill]

Side note: Ooo that set alone is a Beast!  I worked on the original production at MTW.  Don't you LOVE those facings!

Oh the horror of those facings. i still am having dreams that my crew couldn't get them on in time.  Luckily they during the shows they made it. We cut the number of times we were originally going to switch them out after we figured out how trouble some they could be.  The castle was our biggest beast as you can imagine.

Sorry, CO2 does not work like smoke from a smoke machine.  It's heavier than air so it will roll along the ground. not float around in the air.  And as to whether it will set smoke alarms off, well, mostly they tend to be in the roof, so that is probably correct (the gas won't get to the detectors) but there's no guarantee.  And it can cause problems if you have an orchestra in the pit, because it'll roll off the front of the stage and drop into the pit, meaning you run the risk of the musicians a) not being able to see their music, or b) and this is worse, if you have enough CO2 it can cause breathing problems, if they can't get above it to breathe air.

You can get CO2 to work like smoke it all depends on how you have it coming out of the container you are putting the water and dry ice in.  If it come out of the container from a 3" pipe its going to flow out and roll.  if you reduce the pipe diameter it will pressurize it and it will shoot out of the pipe. you have to be careful that you don build up too much pressure though or you could blow the lid off your container.  also there are CO2 cannons that they use in rock concerts that blast CO2 in the air. 

Yes you have to worry about the risks of cutting a lot of the Oxygen off from performers or the Orchestra but for the amount of time this effect will be needed (30sec or less) the risk is less than say you are doing a show where a performer comes up out of the ground that is covered in dry ice fog. (if any one has seen "Sing Faster" where they had to build oxygen tanks in to the set for the performers because they were using so much dry  ice fog you know what I mean)   

[Craig SM]

I recall my college doing it with strobes.  You get the creepiness factor and the timing of the strobe can be used to swap actors or slip on a costume.

Yeah that will be a good idea I was thinking of using the movers we are hiring in as a strobe effect for it aswell.

I didn't think of using Co2 instead i'll check with our Fire safety officer on Monday, Also our school doesn't have a pit which strikes that risk.

Thanks for the tips and we are having budgeting problems for hiring in set we have tons of flats I store I may just hire some cloths in.

[loebtmc]

don't forget the magician option - for help w a levitation gag  we paid a wonderful magician with a fabulous bottle of good whiskey as he didn't want to take cash 

[Craig SM]

The Co2 is out of the window! Strobe and blinding the audience i think maybe the option!