But though all Shakespearean characters may bleed, at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, they don’t all bleed the same blood — or at least, not the same fake blood.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
For the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s props director, one blood is not like another
But though all Shakespearean characters may bleed, at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, they don’t all bleed the same blood — or at least, not the same fake blood.
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7 comments:
This was a very entertaining article and a very engaging read. It's interesting to know the different uses and methods used to master the art of stage blood. There is a sort of artistry that goes into creating not realistic and unrealistic blood, depending on the designer and the director blood can be created to scare, creep out, and even humor the audience. The use of blood is also a great example of the merger of both the artistic and technical side of theatre, as it requires a certain amount of artistry and chemistry to be able to make a mixture that has a certain effect, and can come out. This article really highlights Fred Blau's mastery of this skill, making for a highly interesting and informative read for someone like me, who would love to work in wardrobe or special effects.
The diversity and attention to detail given by the prop's director is amazing in this case. It really allows him to show how his artistry goes down to the smallest of details during a performance. It's really cool to see people who are so invested in their work and care so much to make the show the best they possibly can in their particular department.
I really enjoyed reading this article. There was a lot of things that the prop director took into consideration that never would have crossed my mind. The way the material is presented is really interesting because the goal is a very artistic end product, however the way that it is approached is very technical. I would love to work with this man and get a deeper understanding of the various parts of the blood and how he decides what is necessary to add and what to change.
Articles like this remind me of many of the reasons why I do theatre. Not only is it fascinating information but, this props director, who not only has an extensive knowledge on the kinds of blood and the benefits of each but clearly enjoys his work and all its gory aspects, is an excellent reminder of what really fuels this Industry. Which is it’s dedicated people. Young's attention to detail in something that seems so minuscule such as whether the blood is shiny, how it runs or if it pops against the actor’s skin are evidence of his commitment to his craft and the part that even the seemingly small details can have in the telling of the over-arching story. As cliché as it sounds every person’s part is important in bringing together the various elements of design successfully. It is very evident when a production in successful in pulling this off and people like Chris Young are the people who make this process all the more enjoyable.
I love how technical theatre can be so...well... technical. It is exactly this type of extreme attention to detail that creates the magic that is theatre. It is unlikely that any audience member has ever noticed that the blood differed from scene to scene in any of his shows, but that is kind of the point. Backstage work is sometimes its best when it goes unnoticed. It is better for an audience member not to see something happen than it is for him/her to see something wrong happen.
This is such an engaging read. It’s almost always the case that if you are genuinely passionate about something, you become a perfectionist in some way: Young has almost surgeon’s standard of sanitary, never reusing bloods, meticulously storing blood bag, creating different and customary recipes for blood, design complex tubing system to realize crazy ideas, etc. While many pass by using ketchups and mix of red liquid and starch, only a handful of people are out there in the world bringing stage blood to a mastery level. The recipes are so carefully designed that one can imagine the excitement of the creator. The fact that Young integrates storytelling into the work he does answers the question of why he’d be so talented at making theatre magic. To be honest I’m even more fascinated by that technical director of Arena Stage who became a doctor. I’m extremely curious about whether this TD came from a medical background of he found this new passion from his TD work.
It is so interesting to see how the props department has to coordinate and intertwine with all of the other departments to complete this task. That’s one of the reasons I love tech theater. Everything is a collaborative process. You have to work and communicate effectively with all of the areas in order to be successful in your own area. To a degree you have to have a basic knowledge of all areas in order to understand how they work and know how to communicate effectively with the people in other disciplines. It’s also interesting to think about just how much work can be put into blood. You have to think of so many factors; the lights, the fabric, the type of wound, and even the sound of the release of the blood. Its cool to see how sound might go into another discipline. I’m really curious how sound might mix into other options.
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