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Illusionist11 Loyal user 220 Posts |
Our school is doing the musical "The Wizard of Oz." The problem we are having is making Glinda come in. We don't just want her to walk in, we want her to float in a bubble like in the movie, any ideas on how this could be accomplished, magic or not??
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Frank Simpson Special user SW Montana 883 Posts |
First of all, I would encourage you to do a little bit of thinking outside the box. There is nothing in the storyline that requires a bubble. Don't be afraid to stray from the "sacred cow" of the movie.
Really there are many kinds of illusions that could be "contextualized" for her appearance. A vertical shadow box might work. If you're stuck on a bubble idea you might consider something like the entrance of a floating ball (ala Don Wayne's) which could float about for a few seconds, duck behind a piece of scenery (which Glinda would also be preset behind coincidentally), set off a flash pot or strobe cluster and then have Glinda simply walk out implying a transformation. In theatrical contexts audiences are much more likely to accept an implied illusion rather than a head-scratcher. (Everyone can see the wires in Peter Pan.) Also be aware of dong effects for the sake of doing effects. The pace of the show must not be bogged down by having to stop the action to do a trick. Yes, it's nice to pepper the show with some illusions, and in fact the Harbin book has an entire section devoted to The Wizard of Oz. But really there's absolutely nothing wrong with her doing a simple walk-on entrance. When I played Applegate (the Devil) in Damn Yankees years ago I "appeared" simply by having a fogger in the orchestra pit aimed into a fan directed straight up. On the musical cue we shot about a 5 second burst of fog during which I simply hopped up onto a chair to put my waist at about stage level. The fog cleared, I said my first line; big laugh; then I climbed the rest of the way onto the stage. An implied illusion that fooled no one but delighted everyone. |
pepka Inner circle Uh, I'm the one on the right. 5041 Posts |
What kind of school is this? High school, college? If you have any decent drama coach, they should know about a Foy system. This is used by schools, universities, community and professional theatres to make Peter Pan fly all over the world. We used one when I was in high school for our passion play. http://www.flybyfoy.com
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Frank Simpson Special user SW Montana 883 Posts |
If "conventional" flying is being considered, Foy is certainly not the only game in town anymore. Nowadays there's also ZFX and Paul Rubin, The Fly Guy. Paul's the one who did the absolutely stunning flying for Cathy Rigby's Peter Pan.
Most of these companies offer a complete "package" for specific shows like Peter Pan, A Christmas Carol and The Wizard of Oz to name but a few. But they are always willing to customize to meet your needs. |
magic-taylor Regular user 180 Posts |
We did a wizard of oz sequence for years. I would walk out with an un opened wizard of oz book, open it and a small house would float spinning out of it. It would float around and then off stage and would return a doll house illusion. I would open it up, place the rubie slippers in the empty house, and Dorothy would pop out. After a bit of play, we did a cloak type vanish and sent her back to Oz.
It was a blast |
coachc Regular user WV 130 Posts |
Use bubble machines and a quick appearance.
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