This is a behind the scenes look at how we made the Ruby Slippers disappear on stage for the 2022 BHS Musical production of the Wizard of Oz.
We started with some mannequin legs that we found on Craigslist for $10. These were mounted to a plywood board. The board slide out from under Dorthy's house on a pair of pipes. PVC pipe strapped to the ends of the board road on the pipes. Two ropes are used to pull the legs out and then back in. For the "out" rope, a cam cleat from a sailboat is used to hold against the tension of the shock cords.
The slippers were some off the shelf house slippers that the costume lady found. The top of each slipper was cut down to the toe and bit to each side. 1/32" music wire runs inside each leg and exists on top of the ankles. The wire laces the slippers back together and holds them on the feet. This method was a little cumbersome to rig each night, so we sewed some ribbon loops on each side of the cut. 1/8" shock cord sewn to the heels of each slipper pulls each slipper off the feet when they are released.
Dorthy's house moves and spins across the stage, so some threaded furniture pads underneath each leg holds them up a bit and slide nicely across the stage.
Before each show, the slippers are rigged. The legs are brought out and locked into place with the cam cleat. The shock cord is relaxed so the slippers can be laced back together easily. The slippers are put on the feet and the shock cord is tensioned. The cord comes up through the bottom of Dorthy's house under her bed. A simple over hand knot holds the tension. The legs are retracted and are ready for the show.
During the show, the operator is under Dorthy's bed for the tornado scene. When the front of the house is away from the audience, they pull the rope to extend the legs. On cue, they pull a cord to release the slippers, and then retract the legs. The feet would hang up on the "door", so we added a PVC pipe that hold the door open until the feet are clear.
Once the slippers "disappear", they are under the house with a few feet of shock cord. The operator then pulls the shock cord so that the slippers are tight against the bottom of the cart to make sure they don't get caught in the casters.
While I don't want to spoil the magic, I hope this helps someone with their production of the Wizard of Oz.
Негізгі бет Тәжірибелік нұсқаулар және стиль The Ruby Slippers
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