Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup: Alice big

Print Page | Close Window

Alice big > small

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=3915
Printed Date: 5/14/25 at 7:19am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Alice big > small

Posted By: David McCall
Subject: Alice big > small
Date Posted: 4/01/09 at 11:12am

I'm looking for clever ideas on making Alice bigger and smaller?

This is for a middle school.

My current thought is to project a video background that gets larger, but I'm not certain that the projector will do the job. They are putting most of action pretty far downstage so I may be able to keep a lot of the light off of the screen.

-------------
David M

Replies:

Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 4/01/09 at 6:10pm

When we did Alice (using the LaGallienne text), we had the table on telescopic legs - so the table grew and got smaller, but Alice stayed the same. Along with some clever lighting, it really did look as if Alice shrank and grew.

I can't recommend the Le Gallienne script (samuel french) enough for the remarkable appendix in the back with directions for making the special effects in the play. It's pretty thorough and contains wonderfully clever ideas.

Posted By: Figetje
Date Posted: 4/09/09 at 10:48am

Hi. If you are comfortable with projectors, try using three as we just did in the ITG's production of Edith. These were hung form the ceiling so that the actors imposed minimally on the image. It will mean using an extra two laptops which can be hung with the projector or you can use extra long VGA cables to keep the laptops at the lighting desk. The advantage is that the same image can be seamlessly stretched to cover the entire back wall or reduced to 2/3 or 1/3 depending on who or what has to get smaller and when. The shrinking/growing effect is very effective indeed. Good luck!

Posted By: Chiment
Date Posted: 3/14/10 at 10:37pm

We did Alice a few years ago and did some "low budget, low tech" solutions. We had two identical doors behind our black traveler, one miniature and one full size. Alice would pull aside the curtain to reveal the appropriate door.
The table was a round piece of plywood on a mop handle and was held by our tallest student. He crouched down for the regular height and stood up and raised the mop handle to make the table "grow." (The bottle & key were held in place with hook & loop tape.) We had an extra long tube-shaped tablecloth that hid the techie as he stood.
Our front teaser was the same color as Alice's dress, so when Alice was huge, we made it look like the teaser was her hem. We had two legs cut out of muslin (ok, actually bedsheets) and painted to look like stockings and maryjanes and hung them from a batten. The actor stood behind the legs with a mic and did her lines. The audience loved the effect and my friend's little one still calls the play "the one with the legs."

Hope this helps.

-------------
Angela Chiment
Drama/Math Teacher

"You don't have to be crazy to work here, but it helps."