# Peter and the Starcatcher 'flying/floating'



## Ryan Albrecht (Dec 3, 2015)

We're piloting Peter and the Starcatcher in January, and we're doing it in the round, which is presenting some interesting challenges, particularly for when a female character 'magically floats a few inches off the ground'.

We can't use wires or flys to accomplish this. And the method I would've used - some sort of see-saw method - will be very visible, and we're trying to hide how we're doing this, which is difficult because it's performed in the round.

The actress is roughly 120 lbs, will be sitting cross-legged on a platform that is 12' by 8' by 6".

Any ideas?


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## bobgaggle (Dec 3, 2015)

Got $1,000?

http://pacospiralift.com/i-lock-en.html

On the cheaper end, maybe you could do some sort of cammed platform that she sits on. Inspiration is how a bolt action rifle locks. Since you're only lifting a couple (2?) inches. You make a mini platform that she sits on, flush with the bit platform. Under that you've got a cam attached to the mini platform. Under that you've got the other half on a big lever. Run a line from the lever offstage and have a couple hands pull it. Up she goes.


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## bobgaggle (Dec 3, 2015)

Rough Sketchup of the cam idea. Could be made by wrapping a couple laminated layers of wedge shaped bendy around pvc or something.




The easier and maybe more practical version of this is to just make a castered wedge (inclined plane), covered in UHMW tape or something slippery, that gets run under an opposing wedge that's attached to the bottom of the mini platform. Again, hands pull a rope, she goes up


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## Amiers (Dec 3, 2015)

You could try one of these.


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## josh88 (Dec 3, 2015)

Dobama over in cleveland is doing it right now. They're doing it in thrust and I know someone who works with them so I'll ask if they ran into a similar problem.


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## icewolf08 (Dec 5, 2015)

PATSC is all about "theatre magic" in that they are actors putting on a show. That is a conceit in the script at the beginning. My point is that it is almost over-thinking to try to design an "invisible" effect. A simple, actor-driven sea-saw, even if seen by some audience doesn't break the style of the show.

This is how we did the effect last season. The actress sat on the end of a ladder (used elsewhere in the show) that was propped over a crate as the fulcrum. One of the other actors could just step on the back of the ladder to create the levitation. The actress' dress covered the end of the ladder where she sat.




In a thrust space, just stage the other actors in such a way as to block as much of the mechanics as possible. And of course it is a dark scene anyway. Don't forget that it is still a story about actors putting on a show using whatever they had available.


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## themuzicman (Dec 6, 2015)

Ryan Albrecht said:


> We're piloting Peter and the Starcatcher in January, and we're doing it in the round, which is presenting some interesting challenges, particularly for when a female character 'magically floats a few inches off the ground'.
> 
> We can't use wires or flys to accomplish this. And the method I would've used - some sort of see-saw method - will be very visible, and we're trying to hide how we're doing this, which is difficult because it's performed in the round.
> 
> ...



Don't worry about it being super visible, totally defeats the purpose of the play. The Broadway and Off-Broadway versions were super low-tech, super visible, if I recall it right the flying was either done by them standing on their toes or a see-saw. I'll ask folks in the know when I see them this week.


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## josh88 (Dec 20, 2015)

Dobama definitely used the see-saw method and made no real effort to hide it. You could see it all get set into place and just had a special on the end of the board to light Molly, dimmed out the rest of the cast and you forget they are even there once she's the only one lit.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## What Rigger? (Dec 21, 2015)

josh88 said:


> Dobama definitely used the see-saw method and made no real effort to hide it. You could see it all get set into place and just had a special on the end of the board to light Molly, dimmed out the rest of the cast and you forget they are even there once she's the only one lit.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


I just love the way that sounds. Guess I better not be slippin' next time this comes to my neck of the woods.


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## Ryan Albrecht (Jan 4, 2016)

Thanks all!

I was able to convince the director that the see-saw method was the best way to go about this.


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