Glad to hear that liability concerns are being considered prior to the show--the Trapeze
bit is a very tricky thing to do safely with untrained or high school
level students... I was brought in after the fact on Annie get your Gun cause some over anxious dads without a clue decided to do the trapeze, and on its first test it failed sending a student to the hospital... Needless to say I advised against it period for their
level of experience, and they did not do the Trapeeze.. Solution--think beefed up saw-horse/hobble horse type of set piece that is more like a small padded table. Its easier to move around--safer for construction and stability, and you don't have to worry about rigging or in-air stuff being done or handled by the inexperienced. The one they constructed at my suggestion was on a rolling
flat and the girls would spin annie around as she rode it and shifted position. In the same sense of an "A frame" you could probably use a 1" steel pipe with bolted flange mounts to some 2"x4"'s if you really wanted the trapeeze "look" but it should be bolted
thru and
thru securely (no wood screws!) to the frame and about chest high... That would be my suggestion on a BASIC way to do the trapeeze stunt...
As for the knives--here is a nother VERY BASIC way to do this. First--use cardboard tinfoil covered "knives"...they work well in appearance for the prop
effect for show--and Annie does not have to let go of them but can spin them in her
hand like she is throwing them..like a fake
throw that she turns upstage to conceal on the move. If one does get out of her hand--its cardboard so it won't hurt anyone.. Then you
build a upright box-type
flat as the target that has similar fake knives made of 1/4 ply or
masonite sprayed silver and or covered in foil, built into the back of it on small sleds or shelves--and they simply are pushed out from behind quickly (usually by a tech concealed inside the upright
platform). The trick to this is making the sled or shelve this sits on and slides forward so it does not receed and it stays stable when slid forward--thats usually the biggest pain. I use a dowel or
drop pin & eye to pin it in when its pushed forward--but thats just me... Rough estimate on this
flat should take into account the depth needed for the tech student to hide in or however you wish to operate this. 18-20" is usually deep enough bnut you can make it designed however you want it to look. Attach a straight pin to the
Butt of the knife if it needs to pop a balloon as it "hits"... Make a view area covered on the upstage side, covered with mesh or
scrim and painted, for the tech to see
thru so they can slam out the fake knife on each
throw and the whole
gag will have to be practiced to get it to flow. The knife slots should be at least 6-10 inches away from a body part of the person standing (from the audience perspective you won't be able to judge the distance if its is angled correctly)...if you use a switched cast or have understudies, make sure you measure EACH person standing there for
safety estimates when you make the slots... The slots are small and narrow enough a little
scrim mesh over the slot, cut loosely and painted over the hole, should conceal it enough from obvious view. Sound effect--can be a drum crash or you can get a mechanical "thump" sound... Thats another very basic way to do this...you can expand on this as you need to or feel creative to do.. For high school stuff I usually suggest folks stay basic unless you have a good tech crew--cause often its not about any major technical or complicated run of the show or effects but more for the parents to see their kids and the students to have some fun and learn some basics....in College they can learn some of the more advanced stuff.
Hope this helps or at least gives you some starting
point ideas..other folks I am sure will have some suggestions from their shows that you can consider as well. good luck...
-w