Your cast are all fantastic, and your music really rocks.
But still your Panto’s timing is too taxing on the clocks.
The energy is dragging, and the audience are restless.
But here’s the cause, and I’ve a fix, why leave it to your best-guess?
What makes a good scene change?
Scene changes may seem functional. After all, no one wants to be staring at that village green forever. In fact, they are a critical part of any production, especially pantomimes where energy and spectacle are key elements.
The best scene changes, as with mics, sound levels etc. are those which you don’t notice. They are fully integrated into the production, and blend seamlessly with the action continuing the energy and pace of the scene. After all, no one likes a sloppy Sleeping Beauty!
Your pantomime as a whole should barely drop a beat – that’s essential for the comedy – but it also keeps modern audiences engaged. Which is important in the era of Netflix and short form video content platforms like TikTok.
How to craft a great scene change
A great scene change takes precision in its delivery. Too often scene changes are left until the technical rehearsal to work out.
Allow rehearsal time
If you are able to work in elements of your scene change to your regular rehearsals, you’re getting ahead of the game later down the schedule. Can your cast bring on/off props or smaller scenic items like market carts to help with the change in advance?
What if the Sheriff of Nottingham’s guards bring on the Turret of Truth in advance of the slapstick torture routine for my Robin Hood.
Either way, set aside some time in your schedule to practice the scene changes in full, even if you have to rehearse with tables/chairs etc. standing in for pieces of scenery. From seeing them live in front of you, you’ll be able to tweak them to be more efficient.
Plan and prepare
Once you know what scenery you have (either made or hired), then you can put together a plan for where each piece is to be stored when not required, and how to ensure it’s close to the stage when it’s required for the scene change.
Planning the location for big effects like Jack’s beanstalk is as important as any costume or casting decision. Perhaps you can built it cleverly into a wishing well, or garden compost heap in your Jack and the Beanstalk?
When scenery is not required for an upcoming change, it should be stored further away from the stage instead. Once you know where every set piece is moving to and from, you can plan efficient journeys including temporary stops if required.
Ensure appropriate capacity
A slick scene change cannot be achieved without the appropriate number of crew to carry it out. Ensure you have enough crew for your largest scene change, and the rest will become a piece of cake (Which also happens to be the medium in which you should keep up your crews spirits throughout the run).
After all, you wouldn’t leave the audience short of a seventh dwarf! Especially when they take on the role of banished Royal Jewellers in my recently re-released Snow White.
Work smarter, not harder
If you are able to design your scenery to make it easier for you to move and secure, this kind of improvement can save you much needed time during the scene change.
You could, for example, ensure some of the biggest effects happen just prior to the interval. For example, within the Cave of Wonders during the Act 1 finale number of my Aladdin script, you could add a gold confetti canon to enhance the effect of Aladdin’s newfound wealth with a costume change. All the while knowing that you’ll have time in the interval to sweep up the confetti.
Tricky bolts, tight corners and one-way traffic can all slow things down significantly. Perhaps you require more light for your crew, or an easier placement or attachment for a set piece.
Hide the mechanics
As a child watching pantomimes, I used to marvel at the ability of the stage to transform from one scene to another with just the change of a cloth and lighting. Not all stages are lucky enough to have a full fly-floor to play with, however if you are able to hide the mechanics of your scene change, you should.
Avoid crew being visible during scene changes, and if they have to be visible, consider swapping them for cast in costume. You can also make an event out of the change. I recall seeing one particularly innovative scene change done by ‘removal men’ in bright yellow fluorescent jackets to great laughter and applause from the audience.
For big magical sequences such as the magical pumpkin-to-carriage transformation in Cinderella, hiding the mechanics is vital to ensure children are as spellbound as Buttons and Cinders in the magic coach.
Got any tips?
Do you have tips of your own about how to organise great scene changes? Perhaps you’ve seen particularly effective or innovative ways of achieving scene changes?
I’d love to hear your thoughts. You can get in touch with me and drop me a line.
