Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1881-01-20
STAGE ILLUSIONS,


STAGE ILLUSIONS,
Many OF the peculiar effects prodnced
upon the Stage, initiating moonIioht
sunlight, thunder, wind, rain and other
natural phenomena, are a puzzle To thosa
outside OF the business. How such reaI-
istlc representations of those thin0s no
are often witnessed upon the STAGE car
be made is question that often enters
me mind OF the spectator, and is seldom
answered in a satisfactory manner n
IS always the ambition of scene painters
ana stage carpenters to devise improved
methods OF initiating these things. and
aence the stage may be said to tly "a
nold the mirror up to nature in n ma
terla, as well as a moral sense. An
thors, in writing plays, are ALWAYS on
the lookout for an opportunitv to mr..
luce telling effect. The amoupt of
work bestowed upon their produe tlon in
theater IS simply astonishing to those
lnacquail ted With that mysterious realm
known as g behind the scenes"
thunder Is common stage effect
md Is used with great advantage IN
many plays. In former days it was
produced by shaking large piece of
sheet-lron hung Immediately above the
prompter's desk. This continuance pro.
lueed good imitation of sharp. rat
Ting thunder, but failed to give the dull
roar which is always heard in storms. A
oontllvance for this purpose was soon
invented. A heavy box frqrle is made
md over it is tightly drawn a calf skin
upon TINS the prompter operates with a
sick, one end OF which is padded and
covered with chamois skin. A flash of
lightning, produced with magnesium.
and sharp crack of the sheet-iron. fol-
lowed by long decreasing roll upon
the thunder drum, produces an effect
which is startlingly realistic. Travel
ing companies are compelled to be sat.
istied with the sheet-iron alone; and the
tragedlan who enters theater provided
with complete thunder apparatus al
ways Is happy to think that his battle
With the elements in liking Lear" wiz
be worth fighting
The rain machine in large theaters is
d fixture placed high in the Z" flies." A
cylinder in made Of "half-inch " wood.
1t is usually five feet in circumference,
and four feet in length. Upon the in
side are placed rows Of small wooden
teeth. A lot of dried peas is placed in
the cylinder, rope belt isrun round one
end of it and down to the prompters
lesk, and is it ready for drenching
shower. By tirning the cylinder, the
peas roll down between the teeth. and
the noise produced by them makes q
ffo4 Fo1
roof. A sudden pull of the rope, ac-
companied by q gust on the "wind ma
chine, gives the sound of the sweep OF
a blast of wind during storm. Trav-
cling companies often meet with thea
ters where there is no wind machine.
A suiliciently-good one, however, is
easily produced. A common child's
hoop is obtained, and q sheet OF brown
paper IS pasted on it after the manner of
a circus-rider's balloon. A handful of
bird-shot il placed upon the paper.
The machine is canted from one side
to the other, and the shot rolls around
the paper, producing fairly-good rain
effect.
Wind is an item that is very useful IN
heightening the effect of stage storms.
1t is often dispensed with in theaters
where strict attention is not paid to de-
tails, but not without loss of "real-
ISM" 1t has, moreover, a great intlu-
ence over the feelings of spectators.
The wind machine is constructed in this
manner. A heavy frame is made, in
which is set cylinder provided with
paddles, and resembling very much the
otern-wheels seen ON Ohio river tow
boats. Across the top of this cylinder
is stretched as tightly as possible a piece
Of heavy gros-grain silk. This silk re-
mains stationary while the wheel is
turned by a crank. The rapid passage
of the paddles across the surface of the
silk produces the noise of wind. Often
travelling companies are IN theaters
where there is no wind machine. Then
the property man groans audlbly and
proceeds to do what, in theatrical par
lance, is called taking" the wind. He
selects Leayy piece of gas hose, called
10y stage men flexible" and, finding
quiet corner where there ID sufficient
space to swing cat without danger-to
The cat-he whirls it around his head
with the greatest possible rapidity. This
method produces very satisfactory results
to every one but the property man.
He is a long-suffering person but the
extraction of wind from hexlble" causes
him to find life tedious.
Every one has heard the startling crash
chat is produced when the hero Kicks
the villain through a four-iEch oaken
loor. Que would think thai not only
he door but the villain must be com
pletely shattered. This noise Is pro-
luced by the crash machine, one OF the
oldest implements of imitation still
used on the stage. 1t is similar 10 tne
wind machine in construction. a wheei
with paddles set at an angle OF ABOUT
torty-five degrees to the radii IS the man
mart of the machine. Upon the top OF
The wheel one end OF stout piece Oh
wood is pressed down by fastening the
other end to portion Of the frame-wofk.
Wien the wheel is turned, the STATS
Passing under the stationary piece pro-
dnce a rafting crash. The principle o.
the machine is illustrated by the small
nov who runs stick along a pallng
fance and is gratified by introducing
INTO the world an additional morsel Of
huhbub. -,
There is nothing that can be so well
.onnterfeited on the stage as moonlight
scenerv And yet there is nothing
which requires more work. The artist
begins the task by painting moonlight
scene In daylight such q fcsne IS q
.l'ast!y sight. 1t is done in cold grays
and green's, in which Prussian blue and
burnt lumber play an important part ;
and the lights are put in with white
slightly tinged with emerald green;
rhe strong moonlight Of the foreground
is produced by calcium hight thrown WI
Through q green glass. The fainter
i,a-bt nnon the scenery a. the back OF
the STAGE is obtained from green me
d;nms "a row Of argand burners with
green chimneys. These are placed upon
BE stage Just in front Of the main scene,
and are masked i'm from the ylsw 81
The audience by "ground piece. a
row Of them is often suspended from