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Big Fish

  • 1.  Big Fish

    Posted 05-14-2018 08:33
    Anyone have any experience either pro or con regarding BIG FISH, THE MUSICAL?

    Thanks in advance for your feedback.


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    Jacquelyn Stevens
    Drama Coach
    Conrad IA
    jstevens@bcluw.org
    641.366.2001
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  • 2.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 05-15-2018 07:11
    Hi,

    My students loved the show as did our staff. It is a challenge for the director in that Edward and other characters need to seamlessly shift in time and space. (a challenge for the audience too if not done well.) 

    Thanks,

    Dana

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    Dana Taylor
    MSD of Mt. Vernon
    Evansville IN
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  • 3.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 05-15-2018 13:38
    We loved it.  We performed it in Nov 2017 and people still talk about it.  We also performed it at our State festival.  If you have specific questions or concerns, I'd be happy to chat.

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    Laura Steenson
    Theatre Director
    Reynolds High School
    Troutdale OR
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  • 4.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 05-15-2018 13:13
    Hello,

    We did Big Fish  a couple of years ago.  It is a very emotional show and one of my favorites, so I would definitely recommend it. 

    From my experience though, it is not a show with as big a name recognition as some shows, at least not in my area, and some students were leery about doing it at first.  Also, I don't think our community was that familiar with it, so our audiences were a little smaller than expected, but they seemed to enjoy the show.

    On the technical side, if you are going to use stilts for the giant, I would recommend getting them as soon as possible so that the actor can practice and become comfortable.  We used painter's stilts and had some difficulty obtaining them.  Some rental places would not rent them to us because of safety concerns.  We actually had a painter finally donate a pair to us.  It will take your actor some time to get used to them and balance himself, but once he does, the end result will be worth it.

    Also, we are a small school, so we did not have the ability for projection which I think most productions use for the fish and daffodil scenes.  For the fish, we ordered rubber fish and stuffed them to fill them out.  Then using paper that looked like water, we created a river on the floor in front of the stage and had stagehands hidden in the river actually throw the fish onto the stage during that scene.  The scene with daffodils would probably look better if you can project them so that the stage looks covered in flowers, but again we were unable to do that, so we again we had stagehands behind the university sign hold up and throw out as many daffodils as possible.  

    Big Fish has a lot of opportunities to expand the ensemble as well with townspeople, circus performers, and western characters, so you can get a good number of kids involved.

    My favorite aspect of the show is the music.  It is a show where the songs really are a part of the storyline.  

    Yes, there are challenges, but you really won't regret doing the show.  Break a leg!







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    Kenneth Robinson
    Drama Club Sponsor
    Wapahani High School
    Selma IN
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  • 5.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 12-09-2019 11:03
    We are currently producing Big Fish and just started rehearsal.  I had a couple questions about your Karl (Giant).  How tall did you ultimately make him and did you use a staff?  I am trying to find something to use as a long (9-10ft) staff but struggling.  I have some painter's stilts from when we did Addams Family but they only make him 8ft which doesn't seem tall enough on my stage. 

    Thanks
    Debbie Prost
    Theatre Director
    Johns Creek High School
    Johns Creek, GA

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    Debbie Prost
    Johns Creek GA
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  • 6.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 12-09-2019 12:28
    Debbie,

    We also used painter's stilts, so I our Karl was probably about 8 feet tall as well.  As long as he is sufficiently taller than anyone else in the show, it should work.  Yes, he carried a staff.  It was actually a sturdy branch from a tree.  I don't have it anymore and do not remember how long it was. but I don't think it was 9-10 feet tall.  As I said in my original post, the key is to have the actor practice early on with the stilts if that is what you go with.  The sooner he gets used to them the better.  Hope I have helped some.  Let me know if you have any other questions.

    Break a leg,

    Ken

    Kenneth Robinson
    English 11/Speech Teacher
    Drama Club Sponsor
    English Department Chairperson
    Wapahani High School
    10401 E. Co. Rd. 167S
    Selma, Indiana  47383







  • 7.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 12-09-2019 12:33
    We used drywall stilts for Carl the Giant. Make sure you have somewhere tall for him to sit down during rehearsals. It is also helpful when taking the stilts off. Part of my set was permanently on stage and was about 5' high, so it was easy for him to sit without having to take the stilts off.

    As for the staff, I bought a 6' or 8' dowel (don't remember) that was 2" wide at Menards and that worked fine for him. It reached just about waist high if I remember correctly.

    As for the flowers, we had students drop them from the catwalk onto the audience and we created a snow sleeve out of fabric and dropped flowers from two battens on the stage. After my show, I read about someone who had flowers attached to rolled up fabric runners that were run up the aisles of the house that sounded like it worked well.

    --
    Ann Hileman, M.A.
    Executive Board of Indiana Thespians
    Indiana Thespian Hall of Fame
     
    Maconaquah High School
    256 East 800 South
    Bunker Hill, IN 46914
    765-689-9131 x 5550 (phone)
    765-689-9528 (fax)

     





  • 8.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 05-16-2018 12:50
    We just produced Big Fish in April. We had a great time.

    As you read the script, there a lots of places where you think, "What have I gotten into?" A Giant? A Mermaid? even the descriptions of stage movement and costumes can feel overwhelming, but that becomes part of the poetry of the script. I think it is really great material.

    I felt a lot of pressure from parents and students to divide the Edward role into multiple parts-- older Edward, Middle Aged Edward, etc. But that is not the way it is written. I stuck to my guns(and the contract, and the author's intent) and cast Edward as one actor. HE WAS PHENOMENAL. When we were REHEARSING the curtain call I actually cried when he came out because he really carried the show. I don't think that is because of the way I directed the show-- I think you HAVE TO HAVE AN EDWARD or the prospect of one.

    Our set was a unit set and it was simple, but I find simple to be very challenging. I think you could go all out on the set, but it isn't necessary because the story and characters are so rich. You can have a lot of fun with costumes because the show takes you to so many places and times. Costumes were one of the "threats" to the show's success when I was picking shows, but because I knew that going in I was fine with it.

    I have lots of boys-- I don't know if that makes a difference because it is not something I have to worry about right now.

    If you want to talk more about Big Fish, let me know. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS SHOW...and we have LOTS of daffodils!

    Also, from my experience TRW is AWESOME to work with!

    Harvey Stone

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    J. Harvey Stone
    Teacher/Director
    Williamsburg VA
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  • 9.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 05-17-2018 16:10
    I would be interested in your daffodils.

    Thanks,
    Ann

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    Ann Hileman
    Indiana Executive Board
    Maconaquah High School
    Bunker Hill, IN
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  • 10.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 05-18-2018 10:28
      |   view attached

     

    Attached is the patter we used to make thousands of daffodils.  You can get two flowers on each page.  Copy the pattern on yellow paper.   Cut the pieces out.  Cut the center mark on the round piece fold and tape to form cone.  Put a hole in the center of the petal section big enough to feed a pipe cleaner into.  Feed the pipe cleaner through the petals then the cone and make a little hook in the center so the pipe cleaner doesn't come out.  And voila you have daffodils.  We dropped them from overhead onto the stage and the audience.  My kids had made thousands of them and were pretty sick of making them, but when they saw the moment on stage in rehearsal,  they all said we need to make more.  It was an amazing moment in the show.  Well worth every second it took to make them.  Check out the pictures of this on poteetpirateplayers.weebly.com.

     

     

    Break a leg and may all your theatre seats be filled.

    Kelly M. Thomas

    Department of Theatre

    Dr. Ralph H. Poteet High School

    3300 Poteet Drive

    Mesquite, Texas 75150

    972-882-5300

    Kthomas@mesquiteisd.org

     

     






  • 11.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 12-10-2019 10:39
    As a follow-up to Kelly and others who asked about the daffodils, I was told about a high school production where the stage crew made as many daffodils as Kelly's students, but the twist was that the ushers handed a daffodil to each audience member with their program, telling them that when Edward Bloom points to their section of the audience and says, "these", they should slowly raise their daffodils as if they were blooming. Another option are the animated projections available from BMD (Broadway Media Distribution). I attended a production that used them and they were beautiful. 

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    Jim Hoare
    Vice President, Education & Community Initiatives
    TRW
    Levittown NY
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  • 12.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 12-11-2019 20:08

    Thanks for the mention, Jim.

    The Big Fish projections are some of my favorite from the BMD catalog. They add visual engagement to the story and provide good solutions for moments that might be difficult to stage. 

    I don't want to use this forum as an advertisement for our services. But I do want to share how theatres have used our projections in their productions of BIG FISH. If you are considering BMD projections (or making your own), they are a game changer! This is especially proven with the daffodil scene. 

    Here's the projection image we recommend using, which is animated. 


    Here are some great examples of how theatres have staged the Auburn University scene: 

    At the end of the scene, the university fades off and the intermission curtain warmer features the logo. 

    I really liked how this theatre staged the scene:


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    Quentin Sanford
    President
    Broadway Media Distribution (BMD)
    Fresno CA
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  • 13.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 12-11-2019 08:09
    I did Big Fish last April and it was a wonderful show with lots of opportunities. It was very well received by our community. We performed at a local theatre festival as well and had positive feedback. I have a variety of things from the show that are available to rent including many silk daffodils (both loose for window boxes and in pots), rubber fish, numerous red, white and true costumes for both boys and girls in variety of sizes, witch capes, etc. Some of the things could ship, others would need to be picked up because shipping would be unrealistic. I really enjoyed this show and although there were lots of creative problems to solve, it was well worth it.

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    Nancy Lomas-Reynolds
    Director and Theatre Coordinator
    Voorhees High School
    Glen Gardner, NJ
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  • 14.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 03-02-2023 00:08

    Nancy,

    Do you still have things to rent for Big Fish?  We need the Giants Costume.

    Melinda Carlson



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    Melinda Carlson
    Music/Theater Director
    VCHS

    Edwards, CO
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  • 15.  RE: Big Fish

    Posted 03-02-2023 06:18
    I rented the giant costume from Scaramouche in Chester