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Jesus Christ Superstar


romamacaskill

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Can anyone suggest the best way forward for stage blood in the 39 lashes and crucifixion scenes. Obviously the easier to clean up the better. Small bottles will probablt not be cost effective!

Has anyone set this scene and would they like to share their ideas I have my own but would gladly listen to any suggestions

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For the lashes. The Whip is coated in the blood beforehand and then is applied live on stage. A thicker, less runny solution of Stage Blood is required.

 

For the crown of thorns, that's fun and games with tubing, reservoirs and hand pumps. I'll let you work the rest out ;)

 

Crucifiction, can easily be masked as the nails are driven home on the deck generally and then the crucifix is hoisted up into place. Doing it this was allows the cast to crowd the action and hide the mechanics of how you string the bearded hippy up ;)

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While we have done stage blood to death, I don't know that we've done this specific one and it can be a tricky one! The best method I've seen for the lashes was simply to chalk up the lash of the whip with red chalk; if you dampen the lash with a wet cloth before chalking it, the chalk sticks to it pretty well. We found the best chalk was the pre-powdered stuff you get for chalk lines - worked well for us. Even if the chalk doesn't last to the 39th lash, there's enough on the actor's back by then to make it look fine.

 

The crucifixion is also a fun one! I did a different show requiring a crucifixion and after some experimentation we ended up with two small bottles mounted to the US side of the cross upright, with tubes running down to each arm of the cross. The bottles were upside down, with the bottoms cut out - we found that without the bottoms being cut out, the blood stopped flowing once the air couldn't get into the bottle. I used to "bleed" the air out of the tubes when I loaded the blood pre-show, so that it would start the second the bungs were pulled. A rubber bung stopped the blood from escaping until you wanted it, then the cast member doing the "nailing" pulled the bungs out and voila, blood flowed! We just used a commercial stage blood, but the trick with the cleanup is to spray a few squirts of Sard or Frend into it - makes minimal difference to the consistency, but means it washes out of costumes and cleans up off the set more easily. It also pays to run clean water through the tubes after the show - stops the blood congealing in the tubes.

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Can anyone suggest the best way forward for stage blood in the 39 lashes and crucifixion scenes. Obviously the easier to clean up the better. Small bottles will probablt not be cost effective!

Has anyone set this scene and would they like to share their ideas I have my own but would gladly listen to any suggestions

 

 

We have staged JCS twice and both times for the whipping we had a tray with a cloth soaked with stage blood off stage all the actors came off stage dipped their hands in it and then used this to mark jesus by whipping their fingers over him. We used a sound effect for the sound of the whip. It left welt marks Very effective. This has to be staged. If you want further info contact Ariel Company Theatre.co.uk

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We have staged JCS twice and both times for the whipping we had a tray with a cloth soaked with stage blood off stage all the actors came off stage dipped their hands in it and then used this to mark jesus by whipping their fingers over him. We used a sound effect for the sound of the whip. It left welt marks Very effective. This has to be staged. If you want further info contact Ariel Company Theatre.co.uk

 

Had the directors been watching the Gale Edwards-directed film version of the show (based on the '96 London/2000 Broadway revivals), by any chance?! That's how it's done on the film and it does work very effectively. I've also seen a production where Pilate and Jesus simply mimed the whipping - no whip, no blood, no sound effects - and it worked very well, but you do have to have actors who can really "sell" the effect.

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