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  • 1.  Any ideas on how to hang props from the ceiling?

    Posted 01-20-2022 16:15
    Hi everyone!

    I am ADSM for my college's production of Little Shop of Horrors. We're trying to emulate the original off-Broadway production from the 80s where they dropped hanging vines from the stage onto the audience during the finale. If anyone has any ideas on how to hang/drop these during the finale, that would be amazing! The current problems we are facing is trying to hide the vines from the audience until the finale, putting the vines back up after each production, and how to release them at the right time. Let me know if you have any ideas! They would be greatly appreciated!

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    Paige Staub
    College of St. Scholastica
    CSS Theater House Manager
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  • 2.  RE: Any ideas on how to hang props from the ceiling?

    Posted 01-23-2022 01:21
    Not knowing what you have to hang from & where you can conceal the vines makes this difficult to be specific.  Also it is important to know how you intend to construct the vines.

    Making the vines as thin and lightweight as possible is recommended.  Also, not lowering them below about 8' above the standing audience heads is recommended so audience members don't try to grab them and pull on them.  Maybe  pantyhose legs stuffed with random shades of green/brown fabric scraps, and with pipe cleaner fine root shoots sticking out of them?  Whatever you do, treat it with fire retardant.

    You could suspend the vines with black trick line or heavy-duty black thread?  Route all the threads through eye bolts and back to a common operator point where they are all tied together and run-out buy someone gripping a rope. The ends of the vines need to be just heavy enough so they provide some pull so they deploy from their storage location.  Maybe some small fishing weights inside the tips of the vines?  Attach the thread to the vines every foot or two through a small loop on the vine so they can bunch-up as they get pulled up into a bag or box above the ceiling.  If the  thread isn't strong enough, then you may have to use 1/16" black wire rope (a bit more expensive than thread or trick-line, but a lot stronger).

    To supplement the 3D effect from the ceiling, you could add projections on the side walls with the vines growing downward.

    Please post pictures of your solution!

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    Erich Friend
    Theatre Consultant
    Teqniqal Systems LLC
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