I am currently directing a production of Willy Wonka Jr. (an all children cast).  I am experienced in direction, blocking, costumes, etc...but I am weak in the set design and special affects areas.  I would welcome any advice or suggestions.  I am looking for any general info that anyone has, but I am especially looking for suggestions on how to do the following:

 

-Turn Violet Beauregarde into a Blueberry

-Send Mike Teavea from the camera to the little tv

-Veruca Salts journey into the Nut Sorter

-The chocolate river that Augustus Gloop falls into

-The pink candy boat that they all ride in down the river.

 

I have an experienced set designer/builder to work with, but would like to come into my meeting with him with some solid, useful ideas.  Any and all would be appreciated. 

 

Thanks! 

 

How about using a strobe to send Mike Tevee from the camera to the tv?  Use forced perspective ... make the tv large and place far away on your stage ... then move it forward with the strobe light and he'll appear small inside the large tv.

 

Do you have a trap door you could use for the nut sorter?

 

Maybe you can also:

 

Make an easy Chocolate river with a large swath of silk-like brown fabric suspended from two sides with a fan under it.

 

The boat can be done like they do it in Phantom--a motorized cart or wagon on a cable with covering of a boat shape. Light gobos can make the "water" on the ground.

 

We are planning on using lighting to make Violet violet. Another theater in our area did Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They used a sumo wrestler costume to blow Violet up. I think we're going to try to go that route. We had discussed using compressed air with an inner tube around Violet's waist, but couldn't figure out how to hook her up to the compressed air easily. The sumo suit has a built in air pump and, according to this other theater, takes about a minute or two to blow up. I would really like to find one to try out before we purchase one though.

 

With the nut chute, we are building a platform with a chute on the front of it so that Veruca can dip down and hide behind the chute. We did this for Aladdin Jr. and it worked really well. We will be using a red light and a green light on the front of the chute to show the "Bad Nut/Good Nut" sign

 

Our boat is a BIG issue right now. There is so much weight that needs to go into that boat! We also need it to move around the stage because of the length of the song. The plan right now is to build the boat frame like a tricycle with a rudder at the front and two wheels in the back that will be turned by Oompa Loompas.

 

Well, that's all I've got. Please let me know what you've worked out for your show. I would love to hear other ideas!!!

 

I was wondering if anyone was going to use the black light effect for the boat scene and if so, what wattage bulb do I have to buy for a medium-sized procenium theatre.

 

Also, does anyone know a good bubble machine for a good price?

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for flying? 

 

 

 

 

 

Why don't you see if you can borrow a flat-bed on wheels from the custodial staff and build a facade around that.  I used one Cinderella's coach last year and it worked well.  It's big enough to support all of the cast members and it can be pulled through by the oompa loompas.

Or you could use;-  Glow in the dark products http://glowinc.com/ - http://glowinc.com/

or

http://www.wildfirefx.com/product_list1.aspx?CID=2 - http://www.wildfirefx.com/product_list1.aspx?CID=2

 

As for the bubble machine there are a few elcheapo units available from various local shops. For a decent bubble it may better to hire one from a theatrical lighting supplier.

 

We're going to do the chocolate river with the fabric as well and either use a fans or 2 stage hands on either wing billowing it up and down.

 

Violet: Inflatable Sumo Suit with blue/violet light hitting it. I think we're going to slip her into it during her song while Wonka is singing his part.

 

Veruca: Don't know how we're doing that yet.

 

Fizzy Lifting Sequence. One of the Dad's is pretty handy so we're going to fashion a "backdrop" scene that comes down from the ceiling to simulate them floating. We're going to combine it with lighting (spot?) with a paddle in front of it so it keeps shading the light to simulate the fan they're getting sucked up into. Combine that with the bubbles and I'm hoping we get a pretty good effect. Also, we're going to make Charlie & Grandpa "teeter" a little like on a mini seesaw so it looks like they're flying. If you can't bring them up  to the ceiling, we're going to bring the ceiling down to them.

 

Pink Candy Boat: We're going to use the platform I mentioned above and make the side/front of the boat with cardboard. The kids that will be on the open sided end will be able to keep their feet on the floor to help scoot it along, or we'll put a hook on the bottom so we can pull it back.

 

Mike: PVC frame with cardboard around the edge to make it look like an oversized tv with fabric for the screen (big enough that a kid can jump into it) on one side of the stage. And then a "Ken doll" outfitted the same as our character inside the "little tv" on the other side of the stage.

 

I'm up for more ideas. Our show isn't until the end of April.

 

 

 

We did Willy Wonka (full version) when I was a teen and all I remember about the blueberry was that they rolled a giant earth ball onto the stage.  I don't know how they did it - - if they took her off and then put it on - if they had fake arms, legs and head coming out?  I remember it looked cool but I don't remember why - soory =)

 

Second, I thought I would share what we have come up with...I have a great team of folks who have really embraced this project.

 

For Violet, we got a child size blow up sumo wrestlers suit and cut the legs down to the knees.  One of my stage Dads hobby is flying radio control airplanes and he has rigged up a remote control to inflate the costume from the audience.  We will be testing it this thursday.  I will let you know how it turns out. 

 

For the Mike Teavea scene, we are building a huge tv for him to jump into and then we are using a big flat screen tv that we are going to record the rest of the scene and play it.  We will then pick up a barbie sized doll of him and carry him off.

 

The chocolate river will be long pieces of brown fabric controlled by Oompa's. 

 

Hope this inspires all of you to get creative!

 

Thanks again for all of your advice and suggestions.

 

Susan 

Here's what we have come  up with:

For fizzy lifting- we are building a platform that is on a flat.  It will have a back wall attached to it.  I found "bubble" wallpaper (from Disney- just google disney bubble wallpaper) and we are papering the back wall and the front of the platform.  With the addition of a bubble machine, I think we will get the desired effect.

For the boat- we built an open bottomed frame, then cut the shape out of luan for the front and back.  It looks like a long chinese junk.  It is on wheels , and the cast "walks" it across the stage.  It sounds weird, but they have their behinds resting against a wooden brace so it looks like their sitting.  With so many of them in the boat, they just shuffle their feet and it moves. 

 

Has anyone attempted the Light boxes that the director's script calls for?

I have always loved this book, but this is one of the most difficult builds we have ever done.  Last year we did Seussical- very easy-

Good luck to everyone

Violet- The sumo suit didn't work for us. We couldn't find a costume material light enough to allow the sumo suit to inflate underneath. My brilliant costume designer, and her engineer husband, used (of all things) large, black, duct taped garbage bags and a pancake air compressor. We fill the compressor before the show so it's ready. We then attach the "suit" to the compressor via a hidden Oompa. I don't know if the connector is a bike valve or what. I'll find out and post again. We are then hitting her with a blue spot.

 

Fizzy lifting- We are renting a bubble machine from another local theater group. We are liffting the kids with harnasses and a pulley. Fun!

 

The boat- Is on a rolling platform with framed sides that are covered with muslin and painted. We used LOTS of heavy duty, ball-bearing casters underneath. That was the key to it all because of the weight of the kids. There are two oompas sitting backwards and hidden in the back of the boat that push the boat with their feet. We used the front tire and handle bars from a bike in the front to steer the boat.

 

Light boxes- I wish I would have read the previous post earlier! I would have used your idea. We have built boxes and put plexi glass in the front of them. We have Christmas lights inside to light them up. This took way too long for the effect.

 

Our gobstopper machine is amazing. We have a dad in the pnuematic industry who built a machine that moves via pnuematic cylinders. It even has a conveyor belt that pops out the gobstopper with the press of a button. Way cool! We covered it with fabric like the original movie. It occured to me, however, that we could have put a few small Oompas under there with sticks and had the same effect. But, it was fun to do.

 

It's so great that we get such creative minds in community theater!

I hope this post helps. Good luck, everyone, with your own productions. Break a leg!

 

 

For Verucas costume we found a blowup halloween costume called the Wacky tourist and it has it's own battery operated fan to blow it up.  It owrks in about 30 sec.  We are using a big powderpuff to apply the blue eye shadow during the choreography of the Chew It! Song.

 

Also I am needing a good suggestion for the nut room.  We have built a platform about 4' tall and 40' long with stair on either and and a ramp in the middle for the kids to access the stage floor.  This gives us heighth for "falling" in to the choco river and for Veruca and Mr Salt to fall in the chute.  I have the choco river done, I am stuck on how to create the "floor" for the chute.

 

We have a VERY large stage so most of my set is big!  But cool!

 

I am up for suggestions!

 

For the Fizzy Lifting room, we are planning on using mini-tramps and have Charlie and Grandpa Joe bounce.

 

Violet: Went to GoodWill and found a 2 similar violet pant suits-one for her and one for her mom. Violet's jacket zipper's down so at intermission she'll put the inflatable sumo suit on with the bulk tucked into her jacket. During the break in her song she'll run offstage, unzip her jacket and turn on the inflatable. She's only inflating from her waist up and leaving the jacket on. There's enough force to push her jacket open and she'll raise her arms as she gets bigger. With a violet light slowly getting stronger, the suit getting bigger, her arms raising, I think the effect will be good. When she "pops" we're also going to hit the audience with a quick flash of light, and we have 2 handheld confetti shooters we're going to shoot out into the audience. I'm hoping the effects playout as well during the show as they do in my head!

 

Augustus: We cast one of the skinniest kids in this role b/c we thought it not only would be hysterical to see her walk out, but we didn't want to "type cast" an overweight pre-teen. That being said, while at GoodWill I bought the biggest pair of mens pants I could find (houndstooth print to boot!). I got a small hula hoop and hot glued the pant waist around the hoop...added felt 'liederhosen' suspenders and viola! I found a houndstooth dress for Mrs Gloop to coordinate. I found Alpine style hats with feathers for both of them online. I also got a hat with a propeller on it  for when Phineous interviews them at home.

 

Fizzy Lifting Room: With the bubbles & lighting I originally thought we'd set them up on a slight teetering mechanism, however the other day at rehearsal one of the siblings in the cast was rolling around on heeley's so we're going to have Charlie & Grandpa rolling around the stage for that.

 

If anyone has any pictures of scenes/costumes then can send me, that would be great! mailto:alleah13@hotmail.com - alleah13@hotmail.com

 

 

It's almost impossible for Violet to get changed during the song, so during intermission is when she'll put the sumo suit on under her costume. She's wearing a Violet pant suit and the jacket to the suit zips up. During the break in the song she's running offstage and unzipping her jacket (but leaving it on) and turning on the sumo inflater. She'll go back out and as the suit inflates, it pushes the jacket open, and Violet slowly raises her arms to add to the inflating. The pant waist keeps the bottom half from inflating so she's just blowing up from the waist up. We've combined that with the blue lighting and the effect is really good. I also purchased handheld confetti shooters that are stuffed with purple & blue confetti so that when she "pops" the audience gets sprayed with confetti (we'll restuff for the end with metallic gold confetti ala golden tickets raining down) I think we might actually use a flash of stobe lighting for the pop too. We've got tech rehearsal tonight and full dress tomorrow.

 

All in all, it was a great production. It's funny how things come together in the end. Tim & his team were so gracious and complimentary and it really meant a lot to our kids--especially since we live in a pretty small town in NJ.

 

The Heely's were a huge hit, as were the confetti cannons. Both kids & adults in the audience got a real kick out of them. For fizzy lifting I bought a "Gazillion Bubbles" machine for $10 at KMart and put an additional fan on it to get the bubbles across stage. Best 10 bucks I spent! We also invested in a dimmer pack & board and were able to bring the lights up and down on SL and SR to simulate the "fan" sucking them up. If anyone wants some ideas or pics, please email me and I'd be happy to help out.

 

SutteN

 

Patty

 

Would like to take you up on your offer to share the documents you created for Willy Wonka!  We in Delafield, WI would be most grateful for any help.  Thanks for the offer.

 

Patty

mailto:jufray@att.net - jufray@att.net

The boat we made with card board the kids carried this along a close curtin,

The girl that turns blue The costume was white and we used a spot light,

 

The chocolate river we used two brown light weight fabric With fans

 

With mike we use a projector and a screen  we made a movie and had the kid moving slowly around

 

I just read your post.  I also JUST joined the forum.  Do you still have any posters or pics or ideas for Wonka Jr that you can share?

 

I'd really appreciate it!  Thanks

 

Some of the languge is toned down, but still might be pretty rough to some.  I think you loose some of the songs as well.

 

What would be nice is a blending of "Grease" and "Grease: School Version" to get all the action and songs, but toning down some of the language. 

 

for anyone interested or going to be producing Willy Wonka Jr or (tya) we just finished our very successful run about 2 weeks ago.  We kept the entire set and costumes for rental purposes.  So if you are producing this show and need a set and oompa loompa costumes..and are in the Midwest around or near Wisconsin...our set is available for $1,000 per entire run.

 

I have pictures available upon request, also a video of our production I can send out as well.

 

We have the bucket shack "flyable" background, bucket shack bed, candy cart that lights up,  pink candy boat that is painted in all flourescent paint, so it glows under black light, Agustus Gloop table of food, fizzy lifting room that lights up and blows out bubbles out the top, nut room that has red and green working lights for "good nut/bad nut", inventing room that lights up and has clear tubes that the "gobstopper" travels down in..needs to be mounted to your scaffolding.  chocolate smelting pot and spigot.  We have light up "hoop" columns that can be hung and top lit for the factory as well.  plus numerous candy "cutouts".  Also the choco vision room camera and tv.

 

We used video projections on our cyc as well, and that dvd is available from us to use as well if you are at all interested in projecting, moving backgrounds..which work well for this show.

 

We also have oompa loompa costumes that come with purple goggles,  polka dot jackets, white knickers, and matching spats and lime green wigs..enough for 18 people

 

Again, we'd like $1,000 per rental for this set.  It's really nice and we hope someone else can get some use out of it.

 

Thanks

Dan H

Marie W. Heider Center for the Arts

West Salem, WI 

Robert

robjones@dallasisd.org

 

We used a Halloween costume called the Wacky Tourist.  It is an inflatable costume of an oversized man.  We then had violet wear a purple "tucked" dess that when the fan blows the costume will go with it. (battery run fan comes with costume)  We also used loose blue face make-up that when she turned around two oompas patted it on her face quickly and she appeared blue from the audience.

 

For the nut chute, we had an elevated platform with a ramp.  We then set up a curtain attached to a hinged plywood to open large enough to fit the squirels and their handlers in.  Veruca sang her song sn plunged down the ramp (unseen, because it was covered with black fabric from the audience's point of view) and simply waited to leave until after Mr Salt dove in after her.  They both then exited under the ramp and out behind the platform.

 

For the Chocolate river, we had oompas holing on to the river and waving it in three sections deep.  Under the "river" we had a mattress.  On tha same platform mentioned above Augustus leaned over the side and "drank" from the fountain with the help pf Nutella he has holding in his hand and gave the appearance of chocolate all over his hands and face.  When the time came, he simply fell off the platform onto the mattres and "into" the river.  He also left under the platform.

 

For the Candy boat we had a simple pink faced viking ship looking cut out being carried by oompas.  It moved slowly until it reached center stage.  Everyone got in and then during the song it was nothing but blacklights.  So th spider and dancers all moved around the boat as it stayed put giving the illusion that it was moving.  Then lights come up and they exit the boat and are in a different room.

 

As for mike, we had one very large box and one small box made to look like TVS.  The large one was covered in a fabric across the screen and he ran through the tv to off stage while immediately an OOmpa "finds" Mike in the small TV and Wonka simply picks up a doll dressed like Mike and Mike speaks from off stage.

 

I hope this helps spark some ideas for you.

However I'am interested in seeing your pictures and I would love to view your video as well.  Maybe  we will be able to get some ideas from your production.

 

Originally posted by J.ORey Hi Your set and costumes sounds fabulous. However it's a little too far for me to take advantage of your rental. We are located just north of New Orleans.  Our production is in Jan. 09. However I'am interested in seeing your pictures and I would love to view your video as well.  Maybe  we will be able to get some ideas from your production.

 

What a super Idea!  I can't believe I didn't think of that ;)

 

 

Originally posted by Booksue I am directing Willy Wonka, Jr. for the middle school where I teach. Our show is April, 2009 and we are beginning to work on our sets. Does anyone have any ideas about how to make large candy for the factory scenes? I have been thinking about using styrofoam, but it is very expensive. i would like to have candy the oompa loompas can roll out or carry out.

 

Check out orientaltrading.com for soem cool stuff - including large balls.  I got a bunch of those halloween jackolatntern shaped things that kids carry when trick-or-treating (probably  way easier name for those somewhere). we are going to cover them in cellophane (sp?) for large candy balls.   And Lollipops would be pretty easy to make with cardboard or whatever.

 

Hi Janet,

TYA means Theatre for Young Audiences. MTI has Willy Wonka Jr. and also a Willy Wonka TYA version (I'm not really sure what the difference is).

Hope that helps   I have to go checkout your facebook pics now =)

I have just started collecting ideas to come up with a set for Willy Wonka and noticed that you you might have some photos that you would be willing to share.  Anything you have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

mailto:gjackson@uscupstate.edu -  

We are planning on using sumo suit for Violet, but we are having problems with the chute and the good/bad nut.  We would appreciate ideas for anything else, especially those ideas that were not so costly, but worked like a dream!

We are a small middle school.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXdffgRhZQY&feature=related - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXdffgRhZQY&feature=related

Amanda 

 

i would love to purchase a copy of your Willy Wonka Jr. DVD. I am thinking of directing it at my school next year.

 

Is it possible to purchase a copy?

 

Thank you!

Cari

 

Thanks

Cari

 

My email is ckassel@thecambridgeschool.org

http://passports.homestead.com/TheatreArts.html - http://passports.homestead.com/TheatreArts.html

 

Here are some of the ideas we had for special effects:

 

1.  For our "chocolate river" we used children!  We had 20 kids wear brown pants, brown long sleeved tee-shirts, and brown socks.  They laid face down on the stage side by side (4 across) and held onto the ankles of the person in front of them.  We had 5 groups with four kids each.  As the curtain opened, they all wiggled to look like a rumbling river.  As Augustus fell into the river, the kids on the end raised up and allowed him to crawl under, looking like the river "swallowed" him up.  The audience was amazed at our creative river and it added 20 more kids to the cast which created more ticket sales!

2.  For the pink candy boat scene we used a strobe light.  It made the scene more mysterious.  At the end, when the characters scream, our stage-hand took the boat away and Wonka moved over to the side and the parents and children were left in a huddle as the lights came up. 

3.  Violet wore a halloween sumo wrestler costume under her blue dress.  It inflates slowly so she turned it on as soon as she took the gum.  By the time she got to the end of the song, she was completely inflated as she ran around the "gum machine."  The 2nd time around, we traded her out for a large 4 foot beach ball that we made to look just like her.  The Oompa Loompas rolled her off the stage, into the audience and out the side door.

4.  Veruca popped a balloon with a saftey pin and kicked over a pile of wrapped presents while singing her song.  Then at the climax she climbed on top of a desk hidden inside our "nut machine."  As she hit the last note, one of our Oompa Loompas turned on the "bad" sign and she jumped backwards making it look as if she flew down the shute.  Mr. Salt dove in after her. 

5.  Mike TV got the biggest laughs during the show as he appeared on the small TV screen.  Basically, he jumped through a large cardboard cut out that was covered with black double-knit fabric with a split in the middle.  He hid behind scenery as a small doll appeared on another TV screen made from more cardboard.  We made a "camera" out of a large box and attached a clamp light.  We blackened the stage lights for a few seconds and cut the spot light as one of the Oompas turned the "camera" toward the audience.  It "blinded" them and diverted their attention long enough for Mike to jump through the fabric.

6.  Grandpa Joe and Charlie "floated" by climbing opposite sides of a ladder.  We painted the ladder black to match the backdrop and put a black cover over the side of the ladder that was facing the audience.  With the bubble machines covering the scene in bubbles, it looked as if they were flying when they would extend an arm and leg out while ducking and stretching.

 

Also...   we sold concessions during intermission.  We sold large lollipops that we ordered on-line.  Our art teacher made replicas of the lollipops out of paper and cardboard and we used them in the candy-man scene.   Basically, she found a large lollipop on-line and we printed out several copies.  She glued them onto 4" circular cardboard cut outs and hot glue lollipop sticks to them.  We wrapped them in clear plastic wrap and stuck them in styrofoam in the candy cart.   Seeing 20 actors on stage with these lollipops encouraged the audience to fly to the concession stand.  We also created "Fizzy Lifting Drinks" by buying colorful solo cups and stuffing them with assorted candies.  Each cup had colorful tissue paper and a straw.  Each night we hid a golden ticket inside one of the cups and offered a prize to the winner.  The winner was told to bring the ticket back to the audience to receive their prize at the beginning of act two.  The Oompa Loompas came out to help escort the winner to the stage.  The winner received a prize and also got to pose in a picture with the Oompa Loompas.  The audience really enjoyed this part of the show.

 

Again, please visit our website to see pictures of the sets, costumes, and special effects.  We are an elementary school in Dallas, Texas.  Our actors were in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade.  We held auditions in August and performed in May.  We rehearsed two hours after school Monday-Thursday.  We worked very hard but it all paid off in the end.

 

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions.

 

Robert Jones

http://passports.homestead.com/TheatreArts.html - http://passports.homestead.com/TheatreArts.html

 

I am in charge of scenery for our school summer theatre production of Willy Wonka Jr.  I am interested in some of your ideas on posters and pictures of the bubble machine. 

 

I'd really be interested in seeing your graphics - the labels, posters, etc -  - my specialty is building & lighting and the graphics stuff i usually end up handing off to one of the kids, with varying degrees of success.

 

Mike

mailto:mvp1114@ameritech.net - mvp1114@ameritech.net

 

I may have sent this once; I don't remember.

 

We're looking at doing Willy Wonka this coming spring.  We would be interested in seeing your photos and very likely renting your set pieces.

 

Could you let me know how to email you offline to further discuss this?  Thanks!

 

Mike

 

mailto:mvp1114@ameritech.net - mvp1114@ameritech.net

 

Unless the production on the video has the video rights to distribute and sell, any cash changing hands is illegal. Be sure to check your contract, you could encounter major legal issues with videos that get distributed and sold. 

 

I know that most people don't believe this is a big deal, but this is the same principal as musical artists taking on Napster and other music sharing sites. You don't have those rights, don't do it!

 

Archival and educational are normally the only video rights offered on a standard contract, but a lot of times, not even then.