Body Parts

[hairyswaff]

Doing a production of 'The Sweeney Todd Shock and Roll Show' and our Stage Manager come props master is having trouble finding body parts.

He wasn't in support of my idea of cutting off his own limbs does anyone know where we can purchase a few fake arms/legs otherwise I'll go raid the bins out the back of the local hospital!

Many Thanks In Advance

[Locksmith]

You could have a word with yor local St. John Ambulance or Red Cross people. They are often inolved in casualty simulations for emergency exercises etc. They may be able to help (for a donation of course).

[Tomo]

Also check with your local clothing shops for old shop dummies.

 

They may be suitable depending on how realistic you want, and you can of course slice them up any way you want.

[Jivemaster]

http://www.999supplies.com/

 

will have what you want but for a price!!!

[V.A.]

We just did that show, and IIRC we managed to get around the requirement for body parts.... will have a word with the props manager and see if she can remember how - I think it involved some special set arrangement. Just a thought incase you don't manage to find anything...

 

I can't speak for the Red Cross, but I'm pretty sure you won't find anything other than resuscitation dummies or possibly a skeleton from St John Ambulance.

 

It may be worth speaking to the orthopaedics department of a local hospital (I'm guessing this is am-dram, in which case there may even be someone associated with the show who has contacts with a hospital) to see if they could loan you some prosthetic limbs - you may even find that they have some discontinued models lying around somewhere which they could give/loan to you.

[J Pearce]

Don't know where we got them from unfortunately but a while back I was acting in a production of sweeney todd. (6th pie eater).

 

We used latex based limbs and drizzled thick stage blood over the bony ends, looked quite realistic.

 

Sorry I couldn't be of more help but this show was 6 years ago, and I was acting not teching.

[smeggie]

hi

one option we have used is if you need many limbs is to make a chicken wire base model of the limb, and then cover in latex and fill with jay foam/cloth strips.

for the bony ends, close up the end with chicken wire with a little overhang for the latex to hang on to.

and then fill gaps with latex.

then make a set of bones out of plaster scrim and lightly coat in latex.

this thin coating of latex will make it look wetter than it is and also give the blood an easy grip.

then pool thick stage blood in the end as well as colouring the latex below it.

 

for more detailed/clearer explanation, ask and I will try to rephrase it - am shattered tonight as its silly o clock and post shows.

cheers

andrew

[Guest lightnix]

He wasn't in support of my idea of cutting off his own limbs does anyone know where we can...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How about making life casts of his (or your own) body parts from plaster or latex?

 

Have a look at life-casting.com. They have a forum where you can get advice.

[smeggie]

if budget is an issue, getting one made from a mannequin doll worked well for us - we then moulded the various other parts needed of it from that base and then liberal application of latex and expanding foam [jay foam] did the job very nicely and was also a handy starting point for skin tones for the rest of the injuries needed in the shows.

[sam.henderson]

I would have a look in joke shops, I seem to remember doing a production once that called for some body parts and the Props Master found some fake arms and legs in a local joke shop, don't think they were that expersive either.

 

Sam

[hairyswaff]

Cheers all, problem has be solved using a few shop dolls (can't spell the word beginning with M, mental block! :) ) and a little fake blood!