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Flying High—Fairy Dust Not Required
Whether soaring through the air or blissfully perched in an arabesque, stage flight is becoming easier to include in theatrical productions of all kinds
Admit it, there’s something magical in seeing human beings do things that defy the laws of gravity. As children, we all dreamed of soaring through the air as flying superheroes or spacemen! And when a child first encounters the magic of Peter Pan taking to the air on stage, well there is something quite remarkable that happens. We in theatre know how to spark a child’s imagination and the subsequent question—“what if?”
Whether it is depicted in the classics or new works, flying theatrics are becoming more prevalent. With audiences’ expectations for shows as closely guarded as their wallets, not including flight in some of your productions can be a death mark to your show.
For Children’s Theatre of Annapolis’ Executive Director Kathy Swekel, it was all about meeting and exceeding audience expectations in their latest production of “Peter Pan,” their inaugural show in their new theatre. “I think that patrons come to see Pan fly,” explains Swekel. “That is part of the magic. In fact, I know our audience assumed it would be that way or, in their minds, why else do it?”
Fear of Flying?
Managing audience expectations is a full-time job 24/7, so for certain shows like “Peter Pan,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and “Beauty and the Beast,” flying is an expectation that comes with every ticket purchase. Luckily, for most of these shows, the flying sequences, or at least the motivations for the flying events, are pretty well described in the script, which, according to Tracy Nunnally, associate professor and technical director for Northern Illinois University and president of Hall Associates Flying Effects, makes the decision to fly easier. But as Nunnally notes, there are three primary reasons why theatres may still retreat away from flying effects: cost, lack of technical understanding of flying logistics, and presumed safety risk.
“Primarily, I would say cost is usually the main reason that theatres shy away from flying effects,” says Nunnally. “As far as the legitimacy of the reasoning, flying effects are typically not cheap, usually because the equipment is expensive to build, maintain, and ship, and unless you happen to live close to a flying director who is available when you need him (which is highly unlikely), you will also need to cover his/her travel expenses, accommodations, meals and other expenses.”
Nunnally further explains that theatres may receive misinformation or rely on their local technical authority, which may say that flying cannot be done in their facility. Says Nunnally, “If a theatre is experiencing this type of local resistance to flying effects, but would like a second opinion, it would be reasonable to invite a flying director out for a site visit and a meeting with the local technical authority to explain how the systems apply forces to the facility. The legitimacy of this reason lies in the relationship between the theatre and the local technical authority.”
Lastly, Nunnally addresses the presumed safety risk associated with flying effects, noting that more artists are in danger of being injured by the failure of rigging elements (battens, speakers, lights, etc.). “It is absolutely true that an artist parting the air 15 feet over a stage floor appears to be risky, but a properly executed flying rig takes those risks into account,” explains Nunnally. “Any risk assessment involves questioning what can go wrong, the risk of injury if something does go wrong, and what regular precautions are taken to avoid something actually going wrong. One of my favorite phrases for folks who are concerned about the safety risk is, ‘Statistically, he is safer on my fly wire than he was driving to the theatre today.’”
Emily Ballou, flying producer for ZFX Flying Effects, feels that theatres or directors shy away from flying effects because they think they cannot afford quality flying, or because they assume their space will not allow for it technically. “In either instance, I strongly encourage them to contact a flying company to discuss these things,” says Ballou. “Often, our clients are pleasantly surprised in finding out what they can afford, and what is possible in their theatres. In addition to the pure entertainment of it, flying adds value by enhancing or helping to bring across the director’s vision.”
Flying a Plan
Of course, any time you take on special effects in your shows, preparing a plan is the first course of action—how will the flying take place, what technical support is required and how much will this cost—are all questions one needs to consider. Nunnally again refers back to the script as the guiding light in proceeding with flying effects. “For traditional shows like ‘Christmas Carol,’ ‘Peter Pan,’ ‘Wizard of Oz,’ or ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ where the flying sequences are laid out pretty well in the script, the normal process would be to get quotes from flying effects providers, negotiate until you get the company you want for the price that fits your budget, and see what flying systems that will get for you,” explains Nunnally.
“If you are doing an original piece (such as a dance, a fight, or an original script) or original flying sequences for a traditional piece (such as flying your mother-in-law as the chandelier for “Be My Guest” in “Beauty and the Beast”),” says Nunnally, “that is a different process. In this case, it is advisable to get a flying director/aerial choreographer/consultant in on the process as soon as possible so that you understand what other sacrifices you may need to make in other areas to have the flights you envision. Alternatively, the flying director/aerial choreographer/consultant can also make suggestions to have a flight that is close to what you want that will not force you to sacrifice as much.”
Ballou agrees, saying, “Directors and producers crave individuality in their productions. They are often conveying a very personal story or experience to their audience. Let the flying director/aerial choreographer/consultant expand your options. Don’t be restricted by an idea of ‘traditional’ use of flying. If you treat flying like a value-added resource, you’ll more than recoup your expense.”
And speaking of expense, the age-old question of whether it is better to rent or buy the equipment to fly effects and artists can be debated. Nunnally feels that a theatre should only own flying effects equipment if they use it often enough to warrant the initial expense, can guarantee that it will never be used for other purposes (such as lifting that 800-pound speaker cluster), and that they have the local expertise to deploy it properly and execute the effects effectively.
“Different flying effects call for different equipment, and sometimes drastically different equipment, so to have a proper inventory of flying effects equipment to be properly prepared, a theatre could easily be investing six figures or more,” explains Nunnally. “By renting the equipment, you are able to pull equipment from an extensive inventory, with a reasonable guarantee that you are getting the equipment that is the best choice for your effect. In almost every case, the rental equipment comes with a consultant (or flying director). The flying director will install the equipment in your facility, tune the equipment for your production/venue/artists, train the artists to fly and the operators to use the equipment properly, and assist the director with the choreography of the flying effects,” Nunnally further explains.
Because there are so many variables associated with pricing flying effects, it is difficult to give specific costs associated with flying, but we asked our experts to give us a rough idea of what it would cost to do the flying effects in “Peter Pan.” According to Nunnally, most theatres in the U.S. should expect to pay between $4,000 and $8,000 for a traditional “Peter Pan.” Ballou says a classic “Peter Pan” package is usually around $3,500 - $4,000, which includes one track system, three pendulum systems, and four harnesses.
If time or technical finesse is an issue, Nunnally notes that a flying director can conduct and train flying effects in a fraction of the time it would an inexperienced team to get up-to-speed. An expert contractor also has a keen understanding of the physics of flying effects equipment, and can explain to the artistic team what the systems can and cannot do.
The Peter Principle
When the Whitefish Theatre Company wanted to celebrate their 30th year as a community theatre, they pulled out all the stops with their production of “Peter Pan” this past December. April Vogel, education director of the Whitefish Theatre Company and musical director for “Peter Pan,” explains that they had to weigh the costs and benefits to bring the magic of flight to their theatre, asking, “Can our theatre space support this? Can we afford the extra cost and make it up in ticket price?”
“We have a small 326-seat thrust stage in a 10-year old building with no-fly loft and limited wing space,” says Vogel, considering the technical limitations for staging “Peter Pan.” “We were very concerned about the limits of the theatre and the safety of all concerned. We would not have done this ourselves.”
Luckily for Vogel, they didn’t have to, and counted on the services of ZFX Flying Effects’ Flying Director Jason Schumacher, who was able to overcome the limitations and work within their budget.
“Rigging a flying system at Whitefish Theatre Company required a dead hang off of the existing structural steel,” explains Schumacher. “We attached a track system and three single point lift systems to I-beams that support the roof. This is a fairly common method when a theatre doesn't have any fly space. While it requires a little more time and ingenuity than hanging off of battens, the final product is just as effective as in theatres with a fly system.”
Swekel used Flying by Foy to help them with the flying effects in their “Peter Pan” production at Children’s Theatre of Annapolis. Flying by Foy was able to work within their time frame and a trainer was located in nearby Philadelphia, making it more cost-effective.
“We did the assembly and training with the Flying by Foy trainer, and after a day of training, we were able to do the breakdown and flying ourselves,” says Swekel. “We gained technical insight and overall, it was a good learning experience for us.”
And it was a good experience for the Whitefish Theatre Company when it came to publicity. Vogel felt that adding the flying effects allowed the characters in Barrie’s novel to come to life and keep true to the author’s expectations. In addition, the local papers sent a photographer and reporter to watch the flying rehearsal, which helped to sell out performances.
“The word of mouth was tremendous after the first weekend, not only because the production was superb, but the excitement of the children flying created a buzz,” says Vogel.
Safety First
When it comes to flying safety, Nunnally likens staging flying effects with that of a couple dancing, both having the intricacies of timing, movement, height, balance, etc. working together in harmony. Ask any “Dancing with the Stars” contestant, and they will most likely agree with Nunnally that communication is critical when it comes to being successful and not causing sidelining injury.
Although Nunnally puts communications between artists, operators, technicians, director and flying director at the top of the list, he also notes other issues that should be front and center to anyone considering doing flying effects:
• Lighting instruments and fly wires are not happy playmates. The fly wires are where they need to be, and we cannot fly an artist around the lights. Period!
• People cannot fly under things, such as window headers. I have personally cut over a dozen windows’ headers from “Peter Pan” sets.
• Flying effects operators are not like "flymen.” They cannot be rotated from show to show, unless they have been carefully rehearsed into the role. The flying effect operator and his/her artist are like a dance team. They know each other’s moves intimately, and they develop unspoken communication to execute safe and seamless flights.
• Safety = Rehearsal time. Flying effects are not cued like main curtains. Flying effects are more like dance moves, and they need the same amount of rehearsal time as a dance routine. While the flying director is there, plan to rehearse six to eight hours a day to get the most out of his/her visit.
As with anything in theatre, practice makes perfect, and including your flying sequences in rehearsals are critical to ensuring the safety of all involved. “If the correct amount of rehearsal time has been applied to the flying effects, the performance should just be an extension of the rehearsal, and the adrenaline can be channeled into the performance,” says Nunnally. “I do recommend that the flying team run a few sequences prior to each performance, just to make sure that everything feels right. This should be a part of the daily inspection.”
Ballou explains that the amount of time dedicated to rehearsal prior to show opening depends on the quantity and complexity of the choreography as well as the client's schedule. “Peter Pan usually requires a ZFX Flying Director for three days on location for equipment installation, training and rehearsals,” says Ballou. “Then the client continues rehearsals after we leave, usually for another week or so prior to the show opening. On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve worked on shows where we spent months rehearsing in our facility, perfecting the flying before taking it to the client’s venue. Then the client spends another few weeks working with us before they’re ready to go it alone. And in some instances, our Flying Directors remain on location for the duration of the production. It all just depends on the client’s needs.”
Lastly, if you decide to go it alone, know that you are not alone when it comes to safe operation of rigging and flying. The North American Association of Flying Effects Directors (NAAFED) conducts annual workshops where participants learn the basics of flying effects systems and operation. NAAFED (www.naafed.com) can also customize a workshop, from choreography and rigging to operation and aerial coaching, for any group wanting to improve their technical skills.
Flying into the Future
From “Curtains” and “Frozen” to “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “The Flight of the Lawn Chair Man,” the use of flying effects is seamlessly being integrated more and more into productions—affordably and with technical precision in middle schools, high schools, colleges, universities, community theatres, regional theatres, performing arts centers and Broadway theatres.
No matter what your venue size, Nunnally states that having your priorities well-defined prior to meeting with flying directors can help you as you tackle the decisions associated with flying effects. “For example, I recently flew a [“Peter Pan”] show in a major venue in Mexico City,” explains Nunnally. “The producer wanted tracked house flights for both Peter and Wendy. In the end, we had to literally saw an 80-foot diagonal slice out of the house ceiling to achieve the effect! He was willing to make that sacrifice to get the flight.”
For more stories on special effects, visit the DramaBiz Magazine Web site at www.dramabiz.com.
