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Blood Bath:
Special Effects that Deserve a 9-1-1 Call
The many heads, body parts and bloodshed that is “The Lieutenant of Inishmore”
Ask about blood and gore special effects in theatre and
all responses point to the over-the-top, gruesome comedy “The Lieutenant
of Inishmore” by award-winning playwright Martin McDonagh. For theatres
brave enough to take on the rigorous blood effects of this violent satire,
the reward of audience’s gasps of disbelief and the inappropriateness
debate may be well-worth the undertaking.
A unique vision
Pushing the envelope is inherently part of theatrical DNA, so when Alley Theatre
artistic director, Gregory Boyd, took up the “Inishmore” challenge
he was armed and ready with his resident acting company, a full set and the
props and weaponry to get started on the first day of rehearsal.
“We spoke a lot about Jacobean horror plays and the Grand Guignol, while
still keeping in mind that the play is a comedy as well as a horror show,”
explains Boyd. “It's similar to rehearsing a farce: if you can have everything
from day one, it helps.”
Boyd also brought in special effects choreographer and president of Show Effection,
Inc., Waldo Warshaw to help stage the bloodbath. Warshaw has also worked on
“Inishmore” with Atlantic Theatre, Lyceum on Broadway, Southern
Rep, GableStage, Syracuse Stage, Phoenix Theatre and, coming next season,
the Det Norske Teatret in Oslo, Norway, Berkeley Rep, Actors Theatre and Signature
Theatre.
Jacqueline Reid, one of the artistic chairs of the 70-seat FUSION Theatre
Company in Albuquerque, New Mexico, directed “The Lieutenant of Inishmore”
in 2007. Wanting to do the show long before it appeared on Broadway, Reid
wasn’t influenced by what others had done with “Inishmore”
but rather was looking for an inner perfection in her head that was suitable
for her venue.
“‘Inishmore’ really needs the horror—the reality of it
all for the message to get across,” notes Reid. “The director is
going to control the degree of violence and how it moves through the course
of the play.”
Reid brought in Steve Tolin of TolinFX who first worked on “The Lieutenant
of Inishmore” at the Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre and advocates
a collaborative process when incorporating special effects. “I first
read the script and try to see a show from the writer's point of view,”
explains Tolin. “Then I discuss with the director what types of things
[he or she would] like to see in the show and how [he or she has] interpreted
the material. We discuss the ideal FX for the show and then incorporate the
set designer's, costumer's and lighting designer's contributions/restrictions
to the FX. We all sculpt the final FX together from there.”
Reid advises that any theatre taking on a production like this needs to be
prepared to spend the money to do the effects right. She notes the advantages
of a smaller space stating, “For our production, we were technically
very proficient. There was no need to stop action, which helped maintain the
momentum of the conflict.”
Warshaw, who, along with the Alley Theatre’s version, has done over seven
productions of “Inishmore,” and slated to do four more this next
season, is called upon not only to stage the special effects, but also to
choreograph the combat scenes.
“All ‘Inishmores’ need not look the same,” explains Warshaw.
“In fact, I find it quite refreshing when I see differences in the first
set design drawings. I have yet to be part of a carbon copy previously produced
and, quite frankly, I hope future productions continue to spark the guts necessary
to successfully attempt this play.”
Warshaw describes the demanding challenges theatres face engaging an audience
accustomed to the magic provided by post-digital effects in film. In theatre,
he has mastered the “slight of hand” to create memorable, live effects.
With a goal of always producing an “affect” from and “effect,”
he uses diversionary tactics to draw attention to where he wants the viewer’s
eyes focused, or to force a distraction, and then masterfully choreographs
the special effect.
Blood happens
And while many theatres shy away from the oftentimes complicated special effects,
Warshaw embraces the marriage of gunplay and blood. To make it happen realistically
and with dramatic timing, it takes a creative team knowledgeable in blood
effects, combat choreography, pyrotechnics, lighting and props all prepared
to drive home the bloody exploits of this sardonic comedy.
Warshaw employs a team-approach when readying the creative players. “A
play like ‘Inishmore’ requires close cooperation with various departments—lighting
is so important and a bit difficult to grasp until the lighting designer gets
a hold of exactly how much blood is used to paint the set red,” says
Warshaw. “Wardrobe’s understanding of the effects of stage blood
on various fabrics is very helpful and, indeed, a wise choice can be the difference
in an easy-to-care-for and wash item or an item that requires extra work daily
just to keep it functioning.”
Warshaw also notes the challenges of choreographing actors, stage managers
and backstage crew for those moments on stage during a total blackout. Lessons
must be learned very quickly where blood is supposed to be and where it shouldn’t
be.
And one of the more memorable scenes is the bloody outline which Warshaw stages
with precision by knowing the specific requirements of pressure, blood, containment,
control signaling as well as the custom output of the nozzles. “A recognizable
outline is the bonus you get when you blast a large amount of blood directly
at an actor with their back no more than eighteen inches away from a set wall,”
notes Warshaw. “Then, when they move away from the wall, you get a bloody
outline.”
Warshaw further describes how special effects people are sensitive to costs
and look for creative alternatives pointing out, “What might start out
as children’s washable paint becomes an effective alternative as a lower
cost method for producing blood. Considering anywhere from six to 11 gallons
of blood may be used per performance—the price of perishables consumed
per performance adds up!”
Tolin makes all of his own blood using corn syrup, baby detergent and food
coloring because it looks realistic and comes out of most everything. “Make
sure you have realistic looking blood,” advises Tolin. “It is cheap
to make and you can control how it looks. There is no excuse for crappy stage
blood!”
Cleaning up the bloody mess
And the hours it takes to clean up the carnage also adds up! Reid of FUSION
Theatre Company employed a seven-person crew who did clean-up for a minimum
of one and one-half hours after every performance of “Inishmore.”
Warshaw tips his hat to the real post show heroes of this production as the
wardrobe department and clean-up crew. He advises theatres working with blood
effects to weatherproof your set with at least triple the amount of sealer—nine
to 12 coats! With the proper techniques and tools he feels clean-up can be
achieved in one hour with four people.
Is “Inishmore” right for you?
Yes, the production challenges of “The Lieutenant of Inishmore”
may seem daunting, but then you also have to think of your audience. Boyd
says of the Alley Theatre patrons, “The audience loved it: lots of laughs
and gasps—no one could ask for a better response than that!
Tolin warns that if you can’t afford to hire a special effects professional
be sure that you super simplify the FX from those scripted in “Inishmore.”
“Even the most complex blood FX can usually be simplified,” explains
Tolin. “Also, an intermission between scenes seven and eight sure help!”
But what if you work through all the technical effects only to find that you’ve
offended some of your patrons with your bloody, over-the-top production? Reid
recalls that there were one or two unhappy patrons who left before the curtain
fell, but that the majority of the audience enjoyed the dark comedy aspects
of the show understanding the absurd brutality and hypocrisy of political
violence.
Warshaw notes that theatre is alive and the proof is if a theatre is willing
to have the guts to do “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” saying, “I
have the utmost respect for those who have performed beyond their call of
duty, which ‘Inishmore’ will test.”
To talk more about “Inishmore” visit the DramaBiz Magazine
forums at www.dramabiz.com/forum.
