[WaitWhat?]

Hello, all.

So here's the story. My local community theatre is doing a kids Halloween storytelling event this October, and they want me to head it up. The theatre is doing a production of The Mousetrap around that time, so I'll have access to the creepy mansion set. I would just like to hear you guyses ideas as to how I should decorate the set and how I should present these ghost stories. I want to t make this as memorable as I can for the kids, and I'll have access to stage lighting and other stage effects.

Did I mention the show can only be 10 minutes long? yeah....

Ok, so I'd love to hear your ideas.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!

 

[HallowSusieBoo]

Hallow and here's an idea...
For several years I worked for the city Ballet company. One October, our resident choreographer did a really cool costume idea for the dancers, It made the news and was featured on the cover of the local weekly event guide. Maybe you could adapt for one what he did for three dancers:

Each dancer wore a complete black leotard head to toe. Even the face was filled in and covered by a stretchy head piece - kind of like panty hose only not as tight and more opaque. Only the eyes could peek through so the dancers could see. Each had a pair of black gloves on to cover the hands as well. On the front of each leotard was stenciled a skeleton using glow in the dark paint - really thickly painted on the fabric of the leotard. The wardrobe department did the design - and they may have even used fabric cut outs of each bone and then painted each one before gluing or sewing on to the leotard. (A bit time consuming for three - but might be worth it for just you...) but I think you could adapt any skeleton and have a little fun with it. Now here's the thing - the skeleton was anatomically set so that the leg bones ran down the dancer legs - the arms bones down each arm - hand bones matched the fingers of the gloves and the rib cage on the torso and the skeleton's skull was printed over the face mask. Again - the eyes were covered with stage makeup (black) on the lids and under and around each eye socket.

In the stage lighting overhead and on side racks - black lights were poised and ready. As the curtain opened, eerie music (Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns, 1874) played and the illuminated skeletons lept onto the stage to dance about until the music ended. In the extreme dark - all you could really see was the skeleton shapes! The finale was especially fun for the kids -- when the lights kicked back on, there were the dancers standing to take a bow!

The kids went wild.

I can see you telling your story - a moving skeleton gesturing about the stage in the black light - until the final BOO! and then -- lights go up to reveal that it was more than bones telling a story - but YOU!

Well - if you need more details on how to pull this off, send me a message and I can put you in touch with the ballet group that did the visual trick. BOO!