Above is the set design for A Midnight Cry.

I am currently finishing up the plot for both of the shows tonight. Rehearsal today was pretty hectic, since both shows were rehearsing at the same time; one on stage and the other in the rehearsal room. I was back and forth between the shows all day trying to catch the more important moments of each show. Another kind of last minute surprise was how big the puppet for the BFG would be in the last part of the show. I would estimate it to be around 9’0”. This would not be as much of a concern if the dead-hung truss height was higher than it’s current at 15’0”. Getting light on the giant is certainly possible, but it’s not the ideal use of my limited instruments that have to work for two shows. Needless to say, something will get worked out.

Now for any gear heads out there wondering what type of luxurious gig I’ve got going on below is a rough list of what I’m working with.

Instrument  Qty.    Wattage

6×16 ——–6—-1000 watts

6×12 ——–12—1000 watts

6×9 ———2—-500 watts

6” Fresnel –24—500 watts

6” Fresnel –4—-1000 watt

Par 64 ——14—500 watts

Par 56 ——2—-300 watts

Par 38 ——4—-200 watts

Mini-Strips -4—-3-cell

AND!!!!

A glorious 24 – 6K Dimmers

Just a quick update. Today was the first day of rehearsals and production meeting for the BFG (Big Friendly Giant). I got the script earlier this week and read through it. It is a pretty condensed version of the original book by Roald Dahl, but it hits on the main points. It is a kid’s story after all. It was nice to talk with the director and see some concepts for the set design. Seeing the set always gets me motivated to start designing, so today was a good day in that sense. The show has a meager budget, so anything to make the play seem more magical and let the kids expand there imagination helps a lot. So how does one do that exactly? Well, one of the big ideas I wanted to bring into the show was the “glowing jars” that hold the dreams the BFG catches. (It’s the BFG’s job to do this) The director had some other ideas about using black lights and fluorescent cloths for this look. He had never considered the jars lighting up at all, because he didn’t think it was a possibility. Well, I sure changed his mind, and explained my ideas about the jars. We’re going to combine the two elements now to make the dream sequence in the show a real hit with the kids.

So how do you make jar glow on a small budget?

I ran out to the store two days ago and bought a variety of leftover Christmas lights, particularly the new LED lights, and all at 75% off! When I got home and started cutting, splicing and stripping wires to connect the mini light bulbs to a 9V battery. I have been pretty satisfied with the end result, but I’m still going to mess around with the LED strands more. The normal incandescent Christmas lights work well, but the LEDs are just as bright, produce no heat, and won’t eat up battery life. They’re perfect for my budget!

I also quickly stopped in at A Midnight Cry’s rehearsal which will be in rep with the BFG. Things are going well there, and since it’s being reproduced from last year when I designed it, I can afford to pay more attention to the BFG. As a side note, I was never aware about reproducing the show, so thankfully I have an extensive amount of paperwork from last year to work from. So to reiterate what has been drilled into me at school, the lesson to remind everyone is: Always do your paperwork!