Thread: Staging a SHOW vs. making a DISPLAY.

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This year, instead of simply making a show that looped on my front yard like last year, check this out...



I wanted to put on a more "Disney-style" show with a beginning and end. This is the result...



Of course, this presents a number of challenges. In order to have people see the whole show in it's entirety, you have to figure out a way to keep people out of the performance area until the show starts again.

My solution was to stage the show in my new detached garage. I purchased one of those large temporary shelters like this...

http://www.portablegaragedepot.com/i...2681&catid=408

It was set up butted up to the garage door and acted as the theater area. My show ran every 12 minutes or so. It was easy to have people enter the "theater" through the back door flap, get situated on low benches I had made myself out of 2X10s or stand in the back area. People that showed up late simply waited in a line outside. I had my normal styrafoam tombstone area set up for the waiting line and it gave people something to look at while waiting. I didn't have any complaints about the wait and in fact I think it gives people a sense of anticipation and excitement.

The show was controlled with Brookshire softwares' VSA program and I was pleased to learn that even the garage door itself could be "hacked" to open and close on command. My electric garage door opener button was easy to tap into. I simply ran two additional wires from the leads inside it to my "Kit 108" board which can switch devices on and off.

It was cool to have the "curtain" (garage door) open and close in sync with the show!

So if you want to try a show like this, use your garage! You can make a low stage like I did out of plywood to hide you wire runs and make "sets" out of pink foam for the background.

A lot of work but very rewarding and you can run the show for multiple nights without having to worry about it being vandalized!

Geoff

Wow. It seems like a haunted theme park attraction. Its spectacular!

That is fantastic!! That has to be one of the best "shows" I've seen.

Very impressive!! I especially like the body movements of your skeleton. Great job all around!

Thanks so much.

Thanks.

Geoff

Thanks.

Hope it will be even better next year.

Geoff

It is as I have said before AWESOME!!!

how did you make them move?

So much better than Chucky Cheese!
You have started the brain wheels running. Great Job