From: Jimsan777-AT-aol.com
Date: Fri, 2 Aug 2002 21:17:03 EDT
Subject: PUPT: More Black Theatre


HEY, GUYS &DOLLS,  
    No problem with misunderstanding the question.  As I understand the 
"Black Theater Technique" it does not involve "Black Lite" (no ultraviolet 
light)  I stand by my description.    (((I'm probably not the first, although 
I thought I was, to use the term "Curtain of Light"  This more accurately 
describes it and it sells better.  I first saw this technique in 
Czechoslovakia in 1969 at the UNIMA Festival. The Czechs had used it for some 
time.))  
    Early on, some people in the states did employ the "light-in-the-face-of 
the audience to help with the illusion. This may have been helpful because at 
the time, puppeteers were using incadescent bulbs mounted inside of boxes 
with deep 'barn doors' to "straighten" the light rays and contain them to the 
rectangle of light they wanted projected.  
    I've just found a better way...with the help of Roger Mara who was 
working with me at the time.  We used halogen fixtures, first mounted on the 
outside of rectangular boxes, then we mounted barn doors on the fixture, then 
we cut slots in the backside of the fixtures and mounted them upside down.  
In short we did a lot of experimenting over a very long period.  We finally 
decided to KISS.....Keep It Simple Stupid..
    At the moment, I'm using 250-300 watt halogen fixtures, but bump the 
wattage up to 300 or 500 watt bulbs. I open the fixtures and throw away the 
reflector and the glass, and use a tin plate instead of glass (much lighter.) 
 The metal has a slot cut in the middle, just wide enuf...1/4 to 1/2 inch to 
allow the light to escape.  Where I want the light to spread to 18 inches and 
the distance from the light to the playing board is 46 inches, the slot is 
about 1/4 inch.  Sometimes I add a barn door on the puppeteer side of the 
fixture to further restrict the light and hide the puppeteer.  Before me, 
Luman Coad originally used a light scrim in front of the lights (with 
incandescent bulbs) to help with the illusion, but he told me one time it was 
torn, and he had to perform without the scrim. The difference was negligible, 
so we never even experimented with the scrim.
    The point I'm making is:  "HEY, it takes a lot of work and experimenting 
and time to get it right."  So keep on improving.....Jim Gamble  
.....comments?


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