How could I make Elphaba fly for a talent show?

Question

Some of my friends and myself are considering doing Defying Gravity for our school talent show in May, as I like to have things like this worked out. Before we make any further plans; Does anyone have any suggestions as to how we could make Elphaba fly? I'm sure someones going to say it's just a school talent show she really doesn't have to fly, but I think that the flying effect completes everything, I mean could you imagine defying gravity, without the actress actually defying gravity. It's definatly something that we need to do! Keep one thing in mind the theatre that we do the show in is pretty small and a lift really won't fit in unless there is some small lift that I don't know about. Any answers welcome.

Answer 1

so....it's a little cheesey, but there's so much you have to do in order to make someone fly....the rigging, the professional rigger, the training...it's a lot. i would stay away from attempting this endeavor with out professional help. BUT you can go a different route. the spot light idea is cool. or you could do the block thing but make a moving background. i want to say it's an element they used in the old black and white movies to depict movement on a sound stage. but you take a piece of muslin, like 11 x (something long and ridiculous like...) 30. paint it and put it on revolving cylinders...like a fan belt, so that as you crank it, the background moves, and since it's all attached, it just keeps looping. then you put an actor in front of it....i know, i know...it's not really defying gravity....

but you know what is....having someone dress up as "gravity", actually personify the character, and then have someone else defy them. get it...play on words...i think it's funny and you don't have to spend 2 grand in order to do it. yeah!

Answer 2

in theatre we have big wooden blocks that people can stand on - what i suggest is stack 4 or 5 up high then when you go get ready to fly run behind the blocks and climb up a ladder and stand on top with a ginormaous cape covering the blocks. It is the only thing that you could really have access to. I know in Wicked on broadway they use a cherry picker, but those are hard to find that would be usuable and small enough.

Answer 3

well what kinds of things do u have access to?

then i'll answer

Answer 4

If you're talking about traditional stage flight, you can only do it if your auditorium is rigged with ropes for flying scenery.

Do NOT try to rig something with the pulleys used to open and close the curtains.  A fair number of schools have tried that for shows that require flying, like "Peter Pan," and injuries have occurred.

You could try the centuries-old technique of her having a large flowing gown that hides the tech crew member who hoists her on to his shoulders -- although that will lift her only 2-3 feet in the air, it still gives a sufficient levitation technique [it's how Fruma Sarah gets "flown" in the Dream in "Fiddler on the Roof"].

Answer 5

Remember that there have been episodes in the Broadway production where the lift hasn't worked (usually because the actress playing Elphaba couldn't get locked into the safety mechanisms, which means that the lift won't go up) and while it's not as spectacular, the show goes on.  Don't try and fly people from the rig in your theatre, as it's much too dangerous if you don't know what you're doing - possibility of serious injury or death is too high to risk it (there was an episode a few years back where an amateur company attempted the hanging of Judas in "Jesus Christ Superstar" themselves, it went wrong and he died on stage...).  If you use lighting cleverly, you could easily disguise the fact that Elphie is not actually flying - go to a blackout just before "So if you care to find me, look to the Western sky" (which, IIRC, is where she flies in the show), have a crew member bring on a ladder which has the front masked with black cloth, get Elphie to run up it and then hit her with a green spotlight from the front (you'll have to sort it out earlier, put marks on the floor for the ladder and then focus the light on Elphie up the ladder, then make sure your crew member can find the marks in a blackout!) and she'll magically be several feet up in the air!  I've just listened to the song and there is five seconds between the end of the previous line and Elphie starting to sing "So if you care to find me..." - if you rehearse it and have a good crew member to bring the ladder on, it should be very do-able.  This is fairly easy, very safe and if you don't have any other lights on, should be effective.  You could look at a small personnel lift (sometimes called a Genie, properly known as a vertical personnel platform) which are essentially a caged platform which goes up a mast - they fit through doors, but the disadvantage is you'd have to hire one, and they also go up pretty slowly and make a racket while they're going up, so you're going to defy gravity pretty slowly, and have to sing rather loudly to cover the noise of the thing!  The ladder system would be a lot more workable, and cheaper!

Answer 6

I think for your purposes, have the actor stand on a platform painted black. With a "spot" on the actor and good acting, that may be the most practical option.

Answer 7

There have been times when the hydraulic lift didn't work in the proffesional productions. Whether the bar wouldn't lock properly or something short circuited, there's always chances for mistakes in live theatre.

Use the blocks like other people said and cover it with lots of black material. A fog machine is a good thing to invest in, or you can ask if your school has one you can use. It's really good for effects.