Wilting Plant needed
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup
Forum Discription: For how-to's and where-can-I-find
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2326
Printed Date: 4/28/24 at 8:39pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Wilting Plant needed
Posted By: txhern
Subject: Wilting Plant needed
Date Posted: 4/02/07 at 12:17am
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Greetings all,
I'm needing a bit of help. I'm directing a comedy "Gumshoe Rendesvous". In the second act a cup of poisend tea gets poured on the potted plant, and I would like to have the plant wilt on cue.
Has anyone here constructed something like this, or know where I can get one cheaply? I'd rather build it if possible. We open May 11, 2007.
Any help at all will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Richard C.
StageWest Community theater
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Replies:
Posted By: neilfortin
Date Posted: 4/02/07 at 1:14pm
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We experiemented with some self wilting plants for a show in college, the first we built a wire armature from coat hangers and used tissue paper for leaves, sprayed with a stiffener to make it look slightly more realistic, the only problem with this is more than one had to be made becuase it was a single-use only prop. When the liquid was poured over the top it made all the tissue paper leaves wilt, but not disintegrate becuase of the stiffener that had been previously sprayed on. We also experiemented with using some small PVC pipe rigged with elastic cording inside of it, while the plant was "Fresh" the cording was pulled tight making straight stiff branches, when the liquid was poured into the pot the elastic cording went slack and the joints of the pvc wilted. This was all controlled from beneath the stage. We like the look of the tissue paper one better becuase it looked as if the entire plant was dead, but according to our story line the liquid was only poured into the soil, not over the leaves, so it left us using the mechanically rigged one. Hope this helps!
------------- Community Theater makes us smile |
Posted By: txhern
Date Posted: 4/02/07 at 7:12pm
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Thanks for those suggestions!
I was thinking of using tubing kept stiff with air-pressure and then just release the air at the right time.
After reading your post I'm thinking your coat hanger idea might be better. Do you have any drawings you could email me for that?
Thanks
Richard C.
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Posted By: TimW
Date Posted: 4/02/07 at 10:21pm
| Instead of using air pressure in the tubing, try wire. Have the wire inside the tube for the "live" plant. When it is time for it to wilt, pull the wire from the tubing. You should be able to control it by how fast the wire is removed. |
Posted By: txhern
Date Posted: 4/03/07 at 7:46pm
| Thanks, I'll have to build a couple of prototypes to get it work. |
Posted By: MikeO
Date Posted: 4/10/07 at 5:32pm
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This might work.
http://www.magicmasters.com/store/product.php?productid=47&cat=4&page=1 - http://www.magicmasters.com/store/product.php?productid=47&cat=4&page=1 ------------- I'd rather act, but they found out I can do tech & sets!! |
Posted By: neilfortin
Date Posted: 4/11/07 at 8:45am
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hey txhern, sory i don't have any drawings...we just sort of experimented with some different designs. Hope it turns out for you. ------------- Community Theater makes us smile |
Posted By: brendan
Date Posted: 4/29/07 at 1:18am
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there is a special breed of fern that turns brown and wilts when contacted to act as a form of self defense. I'm sure you can get info on it at any flower or garden store.
I've played with one before, and it shrivels and falls when you touch it, its pretty incredible. The effect lasts for a few minutes, so a switch would have to be made.
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Posted By: txhern
Date Posted: 6/28/07 at 2:00pm
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Greetings all!
Just wanted to let you know that I did get a plant constructed, and for the most part it worked. Having done this one I know what I'd do different in future. But, it did look great on stage.
(I was going to put pictues in with this post, but the message board won't let me
 )I was reminded of K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid), and I got to thinking about those kids puppet toys where you press on the bottom of the stand and the figure goes all limp. So I got some bungy cord, bamboo, fake silk plants, a couple disks of florest foam, and some fabric paint. Oh and a plastic container that would fit into the planter, and plaster of paris.
I cut the bamboo into uneven lengths (change for future, only 1 or 2 joints are enough). Make sure one of the sections is long enough to reach from the bottom of the container to about an inch or two above the rim of the container. On the bottom of that section you'll need to cut a slit in the length of the bamboo so the cord can come out the side.
Run the cord through the bamboo, fasten securly at the top, and make sure it can move freely through the hole you made in the side at the bottom. Secure the bamboo to the bottom of the container, styrofoam, or florest foam can help with this. You'll need to carve out a small channel for the cord. I also found that I was going to have to weight it down, and so cut a small length of bamboo in half to go over the cord to make a tunnel in the plaster of paris when it got poured in.
While your waiting for that to dry take apart the plants (I used ferns, and some strange thing with a pointy flower spike), and paint them what ever you like. Since this was a poison hybred I used bright red for the stems, and yellow specks over the leaves.
Cut a hole in the middle of the remaining disk of florest foam to slide down over the bamboo, and a small hole on one side for the cord to come through. Glue in place. On what ever edge the hole is cut in the foam, cut a small notch in the plastic container to hold the cord. When everything is dry (leave set over night would be best). Hold the bamboo sections upright and together, then pull the cord as tight as you can. You should be able to let go of the stalk and the tension of the cord should keep it together. Put a mark on the cord at or about a 1/2 inch towards the stalk, now tie a knot in the cord and cut off the extra.
keeping tension on the stalk glue the plant bits onto the stalk. I did add some rolled green fabric with red highlights painted on to help as a hinge, add some stability (at least in theory, grin), and to have something for the leaves to grow from.
To make the plant die on cue just release the knot from the slot in the pot, and the lack of tension on the cord makes it fall over at the joints.
If I can figure out a way to post the pictures I'll do that, but hope this helps someone else at some point.
Break a leg!!!
Thanks,
Richard C.
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Posted By: POB14
Date Posted: 6/28/07 at 2:07pm
Richard,
Put the pictures on the Net somewhere free, like Photobucket or someplace similar. Then come here, hit reply, then hit the little button that looks like a tree (above the window where you're typing your post); copy the url of the picture into the proper place, and . . . .
 . . . voila!
Those are the kids from our recent production of Mockingbird. The red pants became famously known as the "Dill-Jammies." ------------- POB Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard |
Posted By: neilfortin
Date Posted: 6/28/07 at 4:46pm
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thats awesome you figured it out!!! It was a tough, but great effect to try to figure out! Pics would be great ------------- Community Theater makes us smile |
Posted By: txhern
Date Posted: 12/26/07 at 1:03am
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At long last I have pictures of the basic construction, and some of the plant on stage posted on flicker.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14236128@N02/sets/72157603548660909/ - http://www.flickr.com/photos/14236128@N02/sets/72157603548660909/
Hope this helps, and again thanks for all the help!
Happy holidays to you all.
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