Open Forum

  • 1.  Creating Water On Stage

    Posted 03-13-2014 07:37

    Hello!

    Our school is doing a production of The Little Mermaid this year.  I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for how to create "water" on stage aside from stretching fabric across the stage and waving it.  There are quite a lot of scenes that happen above water, and I don't know if I have enough stage crew to cover having students do that for every scene.

    Thanks!
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    Nicole DePietro
    Drama Teacher

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  • 2.  RE:Creating Water On Stage

    Posted 03-13-2014 10:47
    When we did The Little Mermaid last year, we used the fabric trick only when the ship was on stage. When characters were on or near the shore, we used the stage as the ocean and a set of raked platforms as the land. We also used colored lighting to differentiate between land & sea.

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    Jeremy Williams

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  • 3.  RE: Creating Water On Stage

    Posted 12-06-2015 11:44

    Any new ideas with creating the ocean to the shore for Mermaid? I don't think fabric stretched across a forty foot stage will work. I'm going to "fly" Eric and Ariel to the top of the ocean, then they will be running out from the ocean. Any new thoughts or experiences? 

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    Nancy Thomas



  • 4.  RE:Creating Water On Stage

    Posted 03-14-2014 06:36
    We did Little Mermaid, Jr. this past summer...How many students do you have in your production on stage? I had a cast of around 60 (2nd grade through high school)

    Although I did use 2 large sheets of fabric - I had 4 actors in their sea chorus costumes creating the waves...we also did a lot with lighting effects and dropping in a baton with fish and seaweed hanging from it. Whenever we were above land and on the sea, the waves came on. When we were below the waves, the fabric waves were off stage (as you don't see waves when you're under them!), the fish came down and the lighting changed. 

    Feel free to e-mail me directly at glenn.morehouseolson@isd15.org.


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    Glenn Morehouse Olson
    Theater Teacher, Director

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  • 5.  RE:Creating Water On Stage

    Posted 03-14-2014 10:24
    There are fun lighting effects that can work Gam has an effect projector that works with your Ellipsoidals see it here: http://www.productionadvantageonline.com/Products/206%2025801%200120.aspx

    But there are also effect projectors like Rosco's x-24 (http://www.productionadvantageonline.com/Products/205%2037015%200120.aspx)

    Call your local rental house (probably where you go to buy last minute gel) and ask what they have and how much rental costs are.

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    Matthew Smith
    Director
    Atlantic HS
    Atlantic, IA
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