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Drawing Adam reading because it means I’m basically reading, which means I’m studying ☝🏻

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this might be my exact sense of humour

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how to stage “the tragedy of francis” (MAG 172), but like. in a normal theatre

hi this’ll have to do today @a-mag-a-day

im a theatre technician who, upon listening to the Spooky Play Statement of “Strung Out” got really into the idea of how one would Actually create the technical elements. it seems like an interesting challenge! this was the only theatre related episode with indepth description of the Spooky Stuff but if yall are interested id be happy to talk about Other Episodes and ways you can practical effects your way through the fearpocalypse :)

spoilers for mag 172 and fake blood below the cut!

rules of this:

- i am a technician, not a director. i am assuming that the play as described by jon is the script and that we need a giant spider and hooks and blood. i am not making any choices, simply describing how these effects can be done in a professional theater sense. to that end, i am also only a student; and not an expert.

- we are going as hard as possible. no substitutions, no artistic choices to pare it down, no nothing. this is the magnus archives we’re getting meta enough. alongside that, im not worrying about budget. this is broadway level shit.

- i am not putting a stage on a stage. this is just looking at the Tragedy itself and jon can go sit in the audience for all i care.

cool? lezzgo.

i. the hooks

this is a fly system! it’s mostly used for lowering and raising set pieces. oftentimes, its also used with actors to raise them into the air when flying. shows like wicked, mary poppins and peter pan use this to pull actors into the air to make it seem like they’re flying.

it’s done with wires connected to hooks connected to the actors’ bodies via straps. sound familiar?

they are often hidden with lights, but they don’t have to be- for a play that draws attention to these wires, the designer would probably draw attention to them - at least for when they start to dance around and stuff.

the hooks that attach to francis’ joints throughout the show could be flown in as well, and their costume and more strategic lighting could make it seem like they were attached to them. you can get pretty grotesque with high budget theater and special effects makeup.

ii. the spider

characters that are puppets is not a new thing in theater! one of the most famous examples is Audrey 2 in little shop of horrors- a puppet that has an actor off stage saying their lines into a microphone. the spider would also probably be the same.

there are some motorized puppets like the sandworm in beetlejuice the musical, but most are person-controlled, which works best for speaking puppets as show to show, peoples way of speaking can change from show to show, and the puppet needs to be able to keep up, and motorized puppets can be out of sync.

this video is a good making-of process for a giant speaking monster puppet, and i assume the spider would be the same, just much higher. there would probably be a false ceiling like the false wall above, and the puppeteers would sit above to operate the legs as if they were dangling.

it would probably be also attached to a fly system for easy lowering as the scene goes on.

iii. minor things

- the blood would come from “strawberries”, little packs of blood hidden under actors’ costumes that they can burst when needed. theres also a capsule version that one can put in the mouth and bite down on.

this is an example from the 2019 production of oklahoma, and a good look at blood strawberries and what they do

- the spider-drink would probably be done with. fake edible spiders, lots of scuttling noises from the soundboard and lights that hide the fact that they are not moving, perhaps with strobe or something crazy. the spider rain would probably be the same, but with stagehands pouring spiders down from the catwalks.

- other characters would also be off stage with mics.

- good actors will sell a Lot of this. even if the new hooks and stuff don’t touch them, they can definitely make it seem like they do.

sooooo um yeah! as much as this episode made me sick - i love technical theatre and this was a fun infodump !! take this um. as you will ig. please stage safely !! blood packs can stain and fly systems can be unsafe so please. don’t try this at home. or at least get a professional to help

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blue blue blue

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Redraw

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wow it's been a while

It's probably been over a year (or close to) since I decided I would make this a space for blog esque public journal posts (mainly about my creative projects. Since then, I have written a total of one (1!!) posts. Oh well, might as well keep adding to the currently abysmal pile.

Since that last post I have started uni, worked as an actual professional theatre technician (OH MY GOD) and gone on many an adventure, so I thought I'd update again.

Corpse Doctor

Well... I haven't touched it in a long time. I think about it every day, though. Something about this project feels so daunting. It feels like if I try and work on it in the writer's blocky space I am currently in, then I'll ruin it somehow. I know that is not the case. I know first drafts are not perfect. However, it is still hard to come to terms with the fact that it is so... big. I will return to you soon, my love. But for now I have school work to attend to.

roman saints (filler title)

Now this one I have been making progress on! Learning more about the theatrical creative process the past little bit has been incredibly helpful to this silly computer show (as has the never stopping slightly horrifying progress of AI that I am forced to confront every day of my internet life). This feels like such a more realistic project to get out into the world soon. People might actually see this show soon, which is an exciting thought.

Carnival Skies (filler title)

New project. Many thoughts. More will come soon about this project I'm sure. Steampunk. Whimsy. Planes. Yes.... many ideas, many plans.

In other news I have indeed been making progress in the theatrical space. Besides my work back home as a techie, I have started to branch out into different things at uni. I accomplished my first makeup and hair design role, which was so much fun! The most exciting thing at the moment though is an interview I have coming up for my first (proper) light design gig. Wish me luck little people in my phone.

-A

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silly bluesey

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They are my life now. All the characters are the love of my life, and I’m yearning for a place that doesn’t exist. If you even care.

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Cabeswater

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the agenda in question:

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[the raven king, maggie stiefvater / normal people / extremely loud and incredibly close, jonathan safran foer / skam / strawberry wine, noah kahan / our flag means death / the good place / ted lasso / the raven king]

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public journals

Been debating for a while what to do with my tumblr besides stalking fanartists and lurking in the reblogs and I believe I've finally settled on an answer.

The concept of starting a blog or a public journal has been pecking at my mind for a while. I guess sometimes I struggle to write without the knowledge that one day, somebody might see it. I am nothing if not an oversharer, and I want to share some things in my life -- my writing and those sorts of updates, for example.

I highly doubt people will see this, and, in a way, that's somewhat of a comforting thought. I know that contradicts what I just mentioned above, but I think the difference is that I feel comforted by the fact that I do not have a million eyes on me, but it IS going out into the world.

I'm unsure of what's to come on here, but I am intrigued to see what I do with this.

For now, some projects I'm working on/some life updates:

Corpse Doctor:

My endless love project. As of now, it's probably my largest writing project by word count (and also possibly emotional investment). It's been a long time since I've put my pen to paper, and I do sincerely miss it. I think talking about that might be a post in it's own right, but for now, I think Corpse Doctor will be a very lovely place to begin again. Something about that project just feels oh so right.

roman saints (filler title):

A new project I've begun, this one a stageplay. Stageplay's scare the shit outta me. I've always found them to be my most daunting and weakest writing form but, as a theatre kid, some stories just feel made for the stage. It's not in a place where I would like to discuss it much but it has some ideas I'm excited about. There is going to be kind sentient robots, alcoholic scientists, weird monologues, death, lost of interesting light possibilities and some more weird shit.

life updates:

I've decided that I can no longer rot in my weird depressive burnout and use work as an excuse. That's not to say that work does not burn people out an insane amount (it most certainly does) or that this mindset is productive for everyone, but I just need to pull myself out of this hole. So I've decided to make myself feel good about being productive. I've been rehauling my Notion, I reorganized my bookshelf, I went climbing for the first time (!!!). When I look at it all, it doesn't look like much, but it feels like a start, which is what matters.

Until next time

-A

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new halloween costume just dropped (this fucking movie i swear to god)

we’re all about to lose our minds

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ronan lynch on grief, in all it’s complexities 🫂

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[trb / greywaren / cdth / bllb / tdt & greywaren / tdt / opal / tdt & greywaren]

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I would not change it each time

francesca - hozier

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DAY 17 - Growing - Adam Parrish (TRC)