Stage City

You’ve seen it in hallways outside of school cafeterias. You’ve seen it near elevators at city hall. Now, you’ve seen it on stage. The water cooler. Sometimes they work great, providing a steady stream of cool water. Other times, you discover

Battery operated lamps are not a new idea, but when was the last time you saw a battery operated floor lamp? We needed one for a recent production. The floor lamp was on a wagon that moved into place in the dark, and the lamp had to be on, as an actor turned it off […]

There is a scene in “Moon Over Buffalo” when a case of mistaken identity results in an errant gunshot, and a wall sconce is the casualty. When you’re doing this live on stage for two weeks of performances, the challenge is repeating the scene, the gunshot and the breaking of the sconce, each time. Can […]

Tipping over a candlestick for a special effect during a show doesn’t sound all that complicated. You set up a little lever snuck through the set wall, and the stage manager or crew member tips the candlestick on cue. But what if the candlestick is large, weighs ten pounds, and needs to be triggered electrically. […]