BRISTOL. UK – The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is world-renowned for the depth and detail of its comprehensive training courses. It is one of the most successful and respected conservatoire drama schools in the UK, attracting the best students and staff. Within its technical and production programs, the Theatre School uses the acclaimed Electro Kabuki system to demonstrate the modern, reliable way to stage a drape/curtain reveal, or ‘kabuki drop’.
More details from Electro Kabuki (www.electrokabuki.com):
Among the many learned insights passed on to students by experienced tutors at the Bristol Old Vic school is production expertise on staging and rigging for events and shows. That syllabus includes a focus on the history of special effects, including staged reveals. Over the centuries, productions have used a huge variety of techniques and mechanisms to deploy a ‘kabuki drop’ (from the ancient Japanese tradition of Kabuki theatre), with wildly varying degrees of certainty and success.
A kabuki drop is where the production requires a curtain or drape to be released at a precise moment, revealing a new scene and sometimes the artistes. It is also used to release a specific prop on cue, for instance dropping a mannequin to the stage for dramatic effect or, less dramatically, releasing balloons, confetti, poppies, artificial snowflakes, etc.
In contrast to the eclectic mix of unreliable kabuki drop solutions deployed in the past – things like strings and ropes, loops and pins, and even wooden spars fitted with cup hooks – the Theatre School uses its Electro Kabuki system, the 21st Century state-of-the-art kabuki drop solution, to demonstrate modern, dependable theatrical reveal technology. The school’s system was supplied and is ably supported by Electro Kabuki distributor and Theatrical Chandlers, Flints.
Most theatre industry professionals can tell horror stories of a failed reveal effect that left performers bemused and the staging crew embarrassed. With its industrial-grade precision-engineered heritage, Electro Kabuki put an end to all that. The Electro Kabuki system uses smart electromagnetic technology and a purpose-designed snag-free load hook to guarantee a flawless kabuki drop every time. At its heart is the same technology used in life-critical safety applications on oil rigs and shipping to release heavy-duty shuttering to prevent the spread of fire.
Thanks to its meticulous engineering pedigree and dependability, Electro Kabuki has become the mainstay of staging professionals the world over who need to rig a theatrical drop – a preference clearly endorsed by the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s use of Electro Kabuki to show students how it should be done.
