Open Forum

Looking for some advice and help. Tonight is opening night of Radium Girls in a proscenium stage.
We have been working all week with blood capsules to make an actress appear to be bleeding from the mouth. It is in a dream sequence, and Kathryn is suppose to have blood pouring out of her mouth.
At first, the best the actress could do was spit a small glob (blood clot looking) due to not having enough saliva.  At final dress last night, we had a glass of water on stage for her to drink to help with the saliva, and all she could get was a very tiny thin stream (which could not be seen from the audience).
Are we doing something wrong? Or is this all the better the capsules work?
Is there a better method to have blood flowing from an actor's mouth? Or are we asking too much for a proscenium production?
We even tried filling an empty capsule with stage blood, but it wouldn't shut, and exploded all over the make up crew head.
Help! The show runs for two weekends, so any advice may come in handy eventually.

------------------------------
Valerie Farschman, Drama Director
MLS Theatre Company, Troupe 1422
Marion L Steele High School
Amherst, Ohio
------------------------------

Blood capsules aren't really very reliable.
Try hiding a small pot of stage blood or shiny red makeup onstage where the actress can touch a finger to the makeup then put her hand to her face, smearing the blood on the corner of her mouth. You can hide all sorts of things from the audience by just doing them with an upstage hand.

------------------------------
Billy Houck
Theatre Teacher
Sunnyvale CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-09-2017 10:25
From: Valerie Farschman
Subject: Having trouble getting blood to pour in Radium Girls

Looking for some advice and help. Tonight is opening night of Radium Girls in a proscenium stage.
We have been working all week with blood capsules to make an actress appear to be bleeding from the mouth. It is in a dream sequence, and Kathryn is suppose to have blood pouring out of her mouth.
At first, the best the actress could do was spit a small glob (blood clot looking) due to not having enough saliva.  At final dress last night, we had a glass of water on stage for her to drink to help with the saliva, and all she could get was a very tiny thin stream (which could not be seen from the audience).
Are we doing something wrong? Or is this all the better the capsules work?
Is there a better method to have blood flowing from an actor's mouth? Or are we asking too much for a proscenium production?
We even tried filling an empty capsule with stage blood, but it wouldn't shut, and exploded all over the make up crew head.
Help! The show runs for two weekends, so any advice may come in handy eventually.

------------------------------
Valerie Farschman, Drama Director
MLS Theatre Company, Troupe 1422
Marion L Steele High School
Amherst, Ohio
------------------------------

I'm not sure if this will help but I'll throw it in the mix to see if anyone can add to it.
When we did Bang, Bang, You're Dead we used toothpaste mixed with red and a bit of blue food coloring for the final scene. The students could hold it in their hand and rub it on them at the appropriate time. I just squeezed the toothpaste into a ziploc bag and put in the food coloring and kept squeezing it back and forth to mix it. Luckily we were doing a blood drive at school and I was able to compare it to real blood that had been pulled.
Be sure and use the flavorless toothpaste, you can smell the mint flavoring on stage.

------------------------------
John Perry
Drama Instructor
Atherton High School
Louisville KY
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-10-2017 06:28
From: Billy Houck
Subject: Having trouble getting blood to pour in Radium Girls

Blood capsules aren't really very reliable.
Try hiding a small pot of stage blood or shiny red makeup onstage where the actress can touch a finger to the makeup then put her hand to her face, smearing the blood on the corner of her mouth. You can hide all sorts of things from the audience by just doing them with an upstage hand.

------------------------------
Billy Houck
Theatre Teacher
Sunnyvale CA

Original Message:
Sent: 11-09-2017 10:25
From: Valerie Farschman
Subject: Having trouble getting blood to pour in Radium Girls

Looking for some advice and help. Tonight is opening night of Radium Girls in a proscenium stage.
We have been working all week with blood capsules to make an actress appear to be bleeding from the mouth. It is in a dream sequence, and Kathryn is suppose to have blood pouring out of her mouth.
At first, the best the actress could do was spit a small glob (blood clot looking) due to not having enough saliva.  At final dress last night, we had a glass of water on stage for her to drink to help with the saliva, and all she could get was a very tiny thin stream (which could not be seen from the audience).
Are we doing something wrong? Or is this all the better the capsules work?
Is there a better method to have blood flowing from an actor's mouth? Or are we asking too much for a proscenium production?
We even tried filling an empty capsule with stage blood, but it wouldn't shut, and exploded all over the make up crew head.
Help! The show runs for two weekends, so any advice may come in handy eventually.

------------------------------
Valerie Farschman, Drama Director
MLS Theatre Company, Troupe 1422
Marion L Steele High School
Amherst, Ohio
------------------------------

Can she get a mouthful of chocolate syrup in without the audience seeing? (turn her back, put it in before entering the stage, etc.) As long as the stage lights are not too bright, the chocolate will look like blood and the actress shouldn't mind doing that every night for a couple of weeks. :)

------------------------------
Ann Hileman
Indiana Chapter Director
Bunker Hill IN
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-09-2017 10:25
From: Valerie Farschman
Subject: Having trouble getting blood to pour in Radium Girls

Looking for some advice and help. Tonight is opening night of Radium Girls in a proscenium stage.
We have been working all week with blood capsules to make an actress appear to be bleeding from the mouth. It is in a dream sequence, and Kathryn is suppose to have blood pouring out of her mouth.
At first, the best the actress could do was spit a small glob (blood clot looking) due to not having enough saliva.  At final dress last night, we had a glass of water on stage for her to drink to help with the saliva, and all she could get was a very tiny thin stream (which could not be seen from the audience).
Are we doing something wrong? Or is this all the better the capsules work?
Is there a better method to have blood flowing from an actor's mouth? Or are we asking too much for a proscenium production?
We even tried filling an empty capsule with stage blood, but it wouldn't shut, and exploded all over the make up crew head.
Help! The show runs for two weekends, so any advice may come in handy eventually.

------------------------------
Valerie Farschman, Drama Director
MLS Theatre Company, Troupe 1422
Marion L Steele High School
Amherst, Ohio
------------------------------

I am working on this show right now as well - we are using a specially constructed paintbrush (overly large in keeping with the nightmare idea) that has a hollow handle.  We preset that filled with Ben Nye Zesty Mint flavored blood and so far it seems to be doing the trick.  It took a couple of days to crank it out so not sure it's going to help tonight but maybe for next week?

g

------------------------------
[George] [Brock]
[Theatre Program Coordinator]
[Episcopal High School]
[Bellaire] [TX]
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-09-2017 10:25
From: Valerie Farschman
Subject: Having trouble getting blood to pour in Radium Girls

Looking for some advice and help. Tonight is opening night of Radium Girls in a proscenium stage.
We have been working all week with blood capsules to make an actress appear to be bleeding from the mouth. It is in a dream sequence, and Kathryn is suppose to have blood pouring out of her mouth.
At first, the best the actress could do was spit a small glob (blood clot looking) due to not having enough saliva.  At final dress last night, we had a glass of water on stage for her to drink to help with the saliva, and all she could get was a very tiny thin stream (which could not be seen from the audience).
Are we doing something wrong? Or is this all the better the capsules work?
Is there a better method to have blood flowing from an actor's mouth? Or are we asking too much for a proscenium production?
We even tried filling an empty capsule with stage blood, but it wouldn't shut, and exploded all over the make up crew head.
Help! The show runs for two weekends, so any advice may come in handy eventually.

------------------------------
Valerie Farschman, Drama Director
MLS Theatre Company, Troupe 1422
Marion L Steele High School
Amherst, Ohio
------------------------------

Thanks to everyone for your quick responses.
With little time, it was easiest to try the chocolate syrup.
So, last night we had the actress hold chocolate syrup in her mouth, we gave her two lines to the other character in the scene, so she didn't have to talk. The syrup looked pretty good when she spit it out on cue due to darker lighting for this dream sequence, and it more importantly, it could be seen from the back of our cafetorium.

Now all we have to do is get her to make some kind of sound as well, which she claims she tried but couldn't do.

This is a great forum, so glad we have this for advice.

------------------------------
Valerie Farschman, Drama Director
MLS Theatre Company, Troupe 1422
Marion L Steele High School
Amherst, Ohio
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-10-2017 10:00
From: George Brock
Subject: Having trouble getting blood to pour in Radium Girls

I am working on this show right now as well - we are using a specially constructed paintbrush (overly large in keeping with the nightmare idea) that has a hollow handle.  We preset that filled with Ben Nye Zesty Mint flavored blood and so far it seems to be doing the trick.  It took a couple of days to crank it out so not sure it's going to help tonight but maybe for next week?

g

------------------------------
[George] [Brock]
[Theatre Program Coordinator]
[Episcopal High School]
[Bellaire] [TX]

Original Message:
Sent: 11-09-2017 10:25
From: Valerie Farschman
Subject: Having trouble getting blood to pour in Radium Girls

Looking for some advice and help. Tonight is opening night of Radium Girls in a proscenium stage.
We have been working all week with blood capsules to make an actress appear to be bleeding from the mouth. It is in a dream sequence, and Kathryn is suppose to have blood pouring out of her mouth.
At first, the best the actress could do was spit a small glob (blood clot looking) due to not having enough saliva.  At final dress last night, we had a glass of water on stage for her to drink to help with the saliva, and all she could get was a very tiny thin stream (which could not be seen from the audience).
Are we doing something wrong? Or is this all the better the capsules work?
Is there a better method to have blood flowing from an actor's mouth? Or are we asking too much for a proscenium production?
We even tried filling an empty capsule with stage blood, but it wouldn't shut, and exploded all over the make up crew head.
Help! The show runs for two weekends, so any advice may come in handy eventually.

------------------------------
Valerie Farschman, Drama Director
MLS Theatre Company, Troupe 1422
Marion L Steele High School
Amherst, Ohio
------------------------------

George, Do you happen to have a picture of this? Thanks!

------------------------------
Taylor Horne
Upper School Theatre Director
Jacksonville FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-10-2017 10:00
From: George Brock
Subject: Having trouble getting blood to pour in Radium Girls

I am working on this show right now as well - we are using a specially constructed paintbrush (overly large in keeping with the nightmare idea) that has a hollow handle.  We preset that filled with Ben Nye Zesty Mint flavored blood and so far it seems to be doing the trick.  It took a couple of days to crank it out so not sure it's going to help tonight but maybe for next week?

g

------------------------------
[George] [Brock]
[Theatre Program Coordinator]
[Episcopal High School]
[Bellaire] [TX]

Original Message:
Sent: 11-09-2017 10:25
From: Valerie Farschman
Subject: Having trouble getting blood to pour in Radium Girls

Looking for some advice and help. Tonight is opening night of Radium Girls in a proscenium stage.
We have been working all week with blood capsules to make an actress appear to be bleeding from the mouth. It is in a dream sequence, and Kathryn is suppose to have blood pouring out of her mouth.
At first, the best the actress could do was spit a small glob (blood clot looking) due to not having enough saliva.  At final dress last night, we had a glass of water on stage for her to drink to help with the saliva, and all she could get was a very tiny thin stream (which could not be seen from the audience).
Are we doing something wrong? Or is this all the better the capsules work?
Is there a better method to have blood flowing from an actor's mouth? Or are we asking too much for a proscenium production?
We even tried filling an empty capsule with stage blood, but it wouldn't shut, and exploded all over the make up crew head.
Help! The show runs for two weekends, so any advice may come in handy eventually.

------------------------------
Valerie Farschman, Drama Director
MLS Theatre Company, Troupe 1422
Marion L Steele High School
Amherst, Ohio
------------------------------

Hi there,

I'm a little late to this thread but I just wanted to say that I don't think it's at all necessary to have blood pouring at this moment in the play. There's no need to be that literal. It's a dream -- it's surreal. There can be a little blood; there can be no blood at all. All you really need to convey is that Kathryn is suddenly ill -- and that Grace is blamed for it because she warns Kathryn about the lip-pointing. She's blamed in an outsized way. You don't need to see Kathryn actually bleeding all over the dials if Irene's line tells us that's what is going on. But is it actually happening? Or is Irene gas-lighting Grace? The point of the whole sequence is that Grace is struggling with her sense of guilt towards Kathryn over what she is about to do. 

Will add I'm not excited to read that anyone is re-assigning lines to other characters. Not sure that's a viable solution under the terms of your contract with the publisher.

DWG

------------------------------
D.W. Gregory
Silver Spring MD
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-09-2017 10:25
From: Valerie Farschman
Subject: Having trouble getting blood to pour in Radium Girls

Looking for some advice and help. Tonight is opening night of Radium Girls in a proscenium stage.
We have been working all week with blood capsules to make an actress appear to be bleeding from the mouth. It is in a dream sequence, and Kathryn is suppose to have blood pouring out of her mouth.
At first, the best the actress could do was spit a small glob (blood clot looking) due to not having enough saliva.  At final dress last night, we had a glass of water on stage for her to drink to help with the saliva, and all she could get was a very tiny thin stream (which could not be seen from the audience).
Are we doing something wrong? Or is this all the better the capsules work?
Is there a better method to have blood flowing from an actor's mouth? Or are we asking too much for a proscenium production?
We even tried filling an empty capsule with stage blood, but it wouldn't shut, and exploded all over the make up crew head.
Help! The show runs for two weekends, so any advice may come in handy eventually.

------------------------------
Valerie Farschman, Drama Director
MLS Theatre Company, Troupe 1422
Marion L Steele High School
Amherst, Ohio
------------------------------