Need wand effect for Witch - Into the Woods

[K.B.]

Hello all,

I'm new here so I apologize if I approach this incorrectly! I'm helping out with a local production of Into the Woods. The witch walks around with a large staff and there are places in the script where she "zaps" other characters. The director asked for the staff to "shoot sparks." I don't want to do any pyro as this is an old theater and I don't want to hire a professional. So I'm looking for suggestions as to how to make a similar effect.

Preferably it would be something the witch could control so that the timing is right. I'm hoping someone out there has done this before. Maybe some sort of strobe light I could attach to the staff? I'm sure there's better ideas that that, that's why I'm turning to your community! Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[ruinexplorer]

It would take a bit of work, but what about building it around one of the fiber optic sparkler wands? I figure that if the fibers can be retracted into the practical so you only see them when you need to see the effect, along with making the light strobe, you would probably have a pretty effective wand.

 

[Joshualangman]

You could get one of those tiny smoke machines from Look Solutions and build it into the end of the staff maybe. But I don't think you're going to get anything that looks convincingly like sparks without using pyro. When I designed Into the Woods, we just did the magic with LX cues (focused footlights hitting the subject of the curse, usually) and it worked very well.

 

[Theresa]

I built a broom for the witch in the Wizard of Oz which incorporated this flashlight: https://www.menards.com/main/electr...s/3watt-led-tactical-2aa/p-2719729-c-6314.htm , some mylar and red and yellow gels. On the strobe setting it made a very nice fire effect. Perhaps you could do the same with blue/purple gel for your witch's staff. Make sure to leave access to put in new batteries if needed.