Sweeney Hyde
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The Revolving Disc...Anyone ever been in Les Miserables and actually had the revolving disc thing? A nearby school (very rural mind you) actually had it. They had kids in a tiny space under the "stage" they had built on top of the real stage. The kids turned bicycle pedles and the stage turned. Anyone else done this...or even done it differently?
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I Love Lockstock
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...that sounds like slave labor! Is that legal?
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Sweeney Hyde
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| I Love Lockstock wrote: | | ...that sounds like slave labor! Is that legal? |
Yeah the kids volunteered to do it. It was a SPECTACULAR performance...could have mistaken it for Broadway.
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I Love Lockstock
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Wow, that's intense. All the school productions of Les Miz that I've seen definitely did not have that!
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Sweeney Hyde
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I know...it made me really jealous. All of their sets are incredible. For Man of La Mancha they had a staicase that came down from the ceiling. In Camelot the throne room like opened up. It was the set that was already out, but the walls like opened and expanded. I really cant edscibe it. They also had entrances from the cieling for Camelot...stairs led down to the stage.
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metaphor17
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I wish my theatre did cool stuff like that.
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Sweeney Hyde
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Diddo. Granted their budget for each show is AT LEAST $10,000. The student body is like 500 people...that's 6-12! It's a tiny school. I've talked to their director on multiple occasions. He's really nuts!
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metaphor17
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| Sweeney Hyde wrote: | | Diddo. Granted their budget for each show is AT LEAST $10,000. The student body is like 500 people...that's 6-12! It's a tiny school. I've talked to their director on multiple occasions. He's really nuts! |
OH MY GOD!
unfairrr 
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Jordan
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Evan, a banned member of this board, when his school did Les Mis they also had the revolve. Again, plenty of money involved.
(BTW, it's called a revolve.)
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what_the_heck013
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Hah. My school doesn't even use travelers, but we might for South Pacific.
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Quique
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The revolve is useless in most school productions because I've found most don't know how to really use it to its full advantage. Most use it just to spin the cast around as they sing. I feel school productions shouldn't even bother unless they plan on using it correctly, not merely as an onstage merry-go-round.
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kiwitechgirl
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I've done Les Mis twice - once was a pro-am production (we are able to get amateur rights for the full show here in NZ!) and once was the schools' version (my old school did it and I couldn't resist going back to help out!). Both times we used a revolve, and both revolves were person-powered - big crank in the wing, one person each side of it, winding a handle for all they're worth. It's a very good workout, particularly when you have 32 seconds to do a 540 degree turn with about half a ton of barricade on it! Both times it was used very well - the director of the schools' version had played Javert so knew the show backwards. The whole city was talking about the schools' production, it was truly one of the most amazing theatrical experiences of my life. I'd do it again at the drop of a hat!
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Hans
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| Quique wrote: | | The revolve is useless in most school productions because I've found most don't know how to really use it to its full advantage. Most use it just to spin the cast around as they sing. I feel school productions shouldn't even bother unless they plan on using it correctly, not merely as an onstage merry-go-round. |
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Jordan
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| Dvarg wrote: | | Quique wrote: | | The revolve is useless in most school productions because I've found most don't know how to really use it to its full advantage. Most use it just to spin the cast around as they sing. I feel school productions shouldn't even bother unless they plan on using it correctly, not merely as an onstage merry-go-round. |
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Heh, I can just imagine a school director who's got no idea and has never seen the show being told "Right , you gotta have a revolve." So they get one and wonder what to do with it till they see the score. "OH! It's for the TURNING SONG!" 
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The Pirate King
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A school edition being staged nearby later this month that I'll be seeing is apparently using the revolve--I'll report how it's used.
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Eponine93
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| GayBoy wrote: | | Dvarg wrote: | | Quique wrote: | | The revolve is useless in most school productions because I've found most don't know how to really use it to its full advantage. Most use it just to spin the cast around as they sing. I feel school productions shouldn't even bother unless they plan on using it correctly, not merely as an onstage merry-go-round. |
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Heh, I can just imagine a school director who's got no idea and has never seen the show being told "Right , you gotta have a revolve." So they get one and wonder what to do with it till they see the score. "OH! It's for the TURNING SONG!" |
I love you GB. That's hilarious.
In all honesty, I really doubt there's a school director out there who hasn't at least seen Les Mis once. If they are, they should just do Broadway Jr. with the choreography tapes and CD accompianment.
They should include a How To Use A Turntable DVD in the LMSE package.
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theatrefanatic
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My school had four mini turntables across the stage. A lot of things were also flown in.
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my_work_my_name
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I played Javert in a production with a youth opera company a few years ago, and we were fortunate to have a revolve installed for the performances. Fortunately it was mechanically powered, and was used sensibly throughout with the scene changes. It did make my suicide a bit difficult to pull off, however! I was rolling around with the revolve after falling off the bridge and had to try to aim for the wings SL, and I get dizzy rather easily...
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Trevor
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When I was Marius, we had one that is worked exactly the same as Broadway's. And we used it correctly.
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PappyCat
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Okay, call me ignorant (actually, please don't  ) but I don't know what a Revolve is. Any help?
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Sweeney Hyde
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It is a disc shaped thing that lays flat on a stage made for it and it spins.
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PappyCat
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And it's point? Like, to have a revolving set?
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Sweeney Hyde
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Yes but the actual set pieces don't have to revolve itself...instead the turntable does it.
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PappyCat
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Gotcha. Thanks! Pardon my naivety!
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MsDivaKate
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My former high school, which was the first school in our area to do the Les Mis School Edition, also had the revolve. However, they also had a HUGE budget for the show and never do ANYTHING small lol
I believe the video of it is floating around youtube somewhere, so if anyone is a youtube obsesser, you've probably seen it.
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