Hairspray
With the extreme popularity of the film and Broadway tours, "Hairspray" has become one of the most popular musicals for educational and regional theatres around the country.
Did you know that in both the Broadway productions AND the motion picture, Theatre Effects POOF Smoke in a Can was used?
Yes! As strange as it sounds, our POOF Smoke in a Can (now called DIFFUSION Spray) is the BEST way to create the effects of hairspray while not having the side-effects of choking your actors and leaving a sticky film on your stage floor.
Simply make your own labels on a standard color printer, tape them over the DIFFUSION labels, and you're done!
Another effect used in the show is the "prison escape." The script calls for a jail cell door to be opened via the use of a "flame thrower" hairspray can. While the flame effect can be dangerous (and really isn't necessary), the explosion on the jail cell lock is very easy to create.
To Create an Electrical Explosion:
MG35 Ignition System
MG33 Wide Angle Flash Ejector
FP11 Flash Cotton
FC22 Sparkle Additive
Our UFK product line is specifically manufactured to be custom-built into props and set pieces. All products have mounting holes and flanges and come with complete instructions, making installation a breeze!
A small piece of DRY FP11 Flash Cotton (Flash Cotton is shipped wet for safety - be sure to read the directions and dry the product for 24 hours!) is loaded into the MG33 Wide Angle Flash Ejector. Another piece of DRY Flash Cotton (about the size of 1/2 a cotton ball) is fluffed up and treated with a small amount of Sparkle Additive (simply put the piece of cotton in a Ziploc bag, add some Sparkle Additive, and shake it up! This piece of treated flash cotton is then added to the Wide Angle Flash Ejector. When initiated with the Ignition System, an Electrical Explosion will result! (In the photo to the right, the actress is pushing the button on the ignition system with her left hand, initiating the effect)
For a longer-duration effect, try using our FP13 Flash Cord that has been treated with the FC22 Sparkle Additive. This creates a "fast-burning fuse" type effect that can be used in conjunction with the above setup. Another idea is to use the Wide Angle Flash Ejector to ignite some Flash Cotton and the end of a section of Flash Cord (that's been treated with Sparkle Additive). A piece of Flash Paper could be tied to the top section of the Flash Cord, so as the cord burns from the bottom up (creating fire and sparks as it goes), it then creates a Fireball effect at the end (the Flash Paper burning). With a little imagination, nearly any effect can be created using this setup.
This setup will also work for other shows where an electrical device needs to malfunction (i.e. a television set, light fixture, control panel, etc).
Hopefully the above information gives you some ideas to play around with.
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Theatre Effects Customer Service Department
service@theatrefx.com
www.theatrefx.com
Theatre Effects, 1810 Airport Exchange Blvd. #400, Erlanger, KY 41018
Phone: 1-800-791-7646 or 513-772-7646 Fax: 513-772-3579
