Amateur theatre productions don’t always have access to grand special effects or the budget to create everything from scratch. I see these facts not as restrictions but as opportunities.
To this day, the most effective theatre I’ve ever seen has been staged with effective simplicity. You can create theatrical magic with low-fi techniques and wow audiences with simple optical illusions.
So here’s my tips on how to create a simple and effective pantomime.
Lighting
Lighting can be a create tool for storytelling and special effects. Once you have covered your basic lighting needs, think about which fixtures will provide you the most flexibility to create effects throughout the show. For example: smoke blasters are handy if you want to re-create the effect of a pyro without the expense.
If you need the stage to go to black out during a lighting change, what fixtures can you use to blind the audience while the change is taking place?
Remember, light can also be used to highlight something that’s happening on stage. You can use it to control an audience’s point of view and distract from other things that are happening. For example, if you’re lighting Aladdin on a magic carpet, consider lighting Aladdin’s face brightly with a close-up fixture, and the rest of the carpet dimly from the sides to help create the illusion.
Sound
Great sound design is usually sound design that you audiences don’t notice. In other words, the cast may be wearing microphones, but the audio is clean, clear and warm so audience wouldn’t know it.
This is also supported by great sound effects. High quality sound effects are built up with one another to create the soundscape. Perhaps you’ve birds chirping on the village green, these come in loud then fade quieter so that the audience recognise they’re there and then notice them more subconsciously throughout the scene.
The sound should be similar wherever you sit in the audience, and can help cover awkward silences on stage for example during a set change. Which brings me to…
Music
Music is an essential part of the pantomime. Outside of the show-stopping musical numbers, music can be neglected, but this is a real opportunity to make a small tweak which has big improvements for your production.
Most large-scale professional productions use play on/play off music to denote different characters entering and exiting as this can otherwise leave an awkward silence on stage (boo!). You can replicate this in your production. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate pre-recorded musical track (although it can be), even a couple of bars from that characters number can help the energy flow well between entrances.
As far as singing is concerned, audiences are always really impressed when harmonies are delivered and it can be a real show-stealer on particular numbers. Making sure harmonies are tricky enough to challenge the cast but easy enough to be correct on stage and really impressive is down to the musical director. Finding a musical director who understands this and achieves it can be tricky but once you do, you’re onto a winner.
Set Design
Pantomimes take us to far-off magical lands, and times gone by. The term ‘storybook’ scenery is often used when describing pantomime sets and one of the key elements of storybooks is simplicity.
A strong colour palette and design motifs that run throughout the design is a really simple and effective way to make your set design look thought through.
The small details often make the most difference. Do the windows of the castle interior match the shape of the windows when you’re outside the castle later in the show? Flags, royal insignia, styles of clouds, tones of blue sky all contribute to the storytelling and consistency in the piece.
More complicated set designs often mean longer scene changes, so practice these and have a plan in place to make them as slick as possible (And make sure there’s something happening on stage during them – a bit of music and lighting can cover over some otherwise awkward silence).
Choreography
It’s always spectacular if you have some really impressive dances in your show, but only if they are pulled off really well.
A slightly simpler choreography or routine might be more appropriate if your cast are struggling a little to keep up. Better a simpler routine pulled-off well than a complicated one pulled off badly.
Finding a choreographer who understands this and works to challenge your cast with a realistic level of difficult is a key part of a successful pantomime.
Conclusion
Often the rule is that the simpler, the better. If something is carried off well then both the actors and the audience will be happy.
Got your own tips on keeping things simple and effective? Get in touch and let me know. I’d love to hear them.
