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Easy stage explosion


x110069

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I am producing Hello Dolly this summer with children and need an easy, safe way to generate the smoke from the store room explosion Thank you in advance!

Hello and welcome. BR is predominantly British with Antipodean members and a sprinkling of EU and Far East based British members. We have experts in stage pyrotechnics and the UK law that applies but few if any who know what is allowed over there. The USA has very different laws in each different state, I note that you in NJ are allowed sparklers but only since last year and aerial fireworks and things that go bang are restricted.

 

This being the case anyone who answers needs to be aware of your location and you might be better off seeking answers from US based technicians if not NJ theatre folk. This is especially critical where children are involved. Good luck.

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www.controlbooth.com is a US based forum similar to Blue Room (but not as good, obviously!) You might get more geographically relevant help there

Dave

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It doesn't need to be pyro.

 

You could make a cloud of dust by banging 2 boards together or compressed air (use talc or chalk which is non flammable). There are risks from breathing the dust though.

 

You could fill a box with smoke from a smoke machine then eject that suddenly using 2 boards or compressed air (like when you drop an 8x4 on the stage).

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Go back and re read the script. The stockroom explosion is some tins of tomato so you might need a sound effect and to squirt some ketchup around but you definitely don’t need anything resembling a pyro explosion or clouds of smoke.
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I've also seen it done as an 'unseen' explosion that happens offstage, so a good sound effect might be all that's required in that case.

As with radio drama, the pictures in the head are often more vivid than what you actually see. A well crafted, slightly OTT sound effect followed by someone staggering on stage covered in goop might be more effective.

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You could use an aerosol based vapor effect for the smoke. Sometimes called atmosphere in a can.

 

You could also do it mechanically. Sound effect bang (or more of a 'thunk' really) and knock some stuff over. If you are using a set with a trapdoor to the storeroom, push the door up a bit with a couple of items over the edge and these could fall over.

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An old fashioned technique is to have some debris on a tarp offstage, and a couple of people to chuck it through an open doorway onstageA door could be hinged at the bottom or kicked on

A few old tins combined with red painted clumps of cling film?

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