Spring is in full swing after a long hard winter. Lent is almost to a close which means Easter is right around the corner. Passover has begun. Theatrical supplies can enhance your spring pageant be it dance, story, or liturgy based. Enhancements can be as simple as some theatrical gels to improve the lighting, to full on haze or fog to help visualize the Holy Spirit as Jesus rises. We tend to get a few calls around this time of year for ideas like those listed below and think this might help spur some creativity.
Theatrical Stage Gels
Are simple, easy to use, and affordable. You can affix them over existing sanctuary or cafeteria lighting with either gaffer’s tape or J-Lar tape. Popular colors for springtime pageants and passion plays include: pinks, lavenders, pastel greens, and amber shades. More information on using gels can be found here and in the StageSpot blog.
CC by 2.0 Photo by Mark Hillary, demonstrating the power of gels used outside
Stock and Custom Gobos
Stock gobos are a great way to add ambiance to any scene. Crosses, “Happy Easter” and other springtime motifs are a great way to add some personalization to any space being used for celebration. You can even re-use stained glass gobos or “Star of Bethlehem” images. Get creative. Please note you will need a theatrical lighting fixture that accepts gobos to make them work, these cannot be used over standard lighting.
Custom gobos can be created with the name of the church, passion play, or simply a logo or other symbol if you don’t like any you find in our extensive selection of stock gobos. Please note these do have a turn-around time and are custom built to order. Order these as early as possible to ensure on time delivery.
LED fixtures and Plastic Gobos
Relatively new to the market, LED lighting fixtures come in a wide variety of options, be it general wash or gobo projecting specials. These fixtures are fast becoming more affordable and efficient to run. Less energy is used to power these theatrical stage fixtures and the LED lights last much longer than traditional lamps. Along with those bonuses, some even accept plastic gobos. These are even more affordable than stock steel gobos and custom glass ones. You can get many colors for much less than it would cost to do in glass. While these are all fantastic features, please note not all LED fixtures can accept plastic gobos. We’ve compiled a list here that is always being updated.
CC by 2.0 Photo by Vintage Faith Photo Team, demonstrating the use of theatrical stage lights and screens
Fog and Haze
Special effects such as fog and haze are a great way to wow audiences. These can be used to enhance lighting features and to call attention to parts of the stage. In addition, the imagery of fog or haze has often been used to represent the Holy Spirit and mask the ascension of actors. Make something foggy enough, and the actor has great cover for ducking off stage while lighting and other actors draw audience attention upwards. This is especially helpful in situations where rigging actors to fly is not practical. We highly recommend the new CITC FX Aquamax. It uses organic fluid, and not oil based fluid to create a great environmentally friendly haze. It’s easy to maintain as well.
These are just a few ideas to get started on enhancing your production. Just the other day we heard of one group lining the tomb of Jesus with tin foil, situating blinders in the back and adding in some haze to create a massive effect when the tomb is opened and is found to be empty. Let your imagination run wild, StageSpot is here to help.
