Phantom of the Opera Cemetery

[brozeph20]

We are doing Phantom of the Opera as our fall musical and need ideas on the cemetery gate. We already built the two doors and the pillars to which they are attached; we just need a method to open them at the same time. We had the idea of using the air cylinder from a screen door to "pull" the door open (the doors are recessed and do have room to operate using a "pull" rather than a "push").

Here's the effect we're going for: Watch at about 5:00 -
YouTube - Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again/Wandering Child

Does anyone have any other ideas or know how to make these air cylinders open the doors smoothly?
Thanks in advance.

 

[KGustafson]

We are doing Phantom of the Opera as our fall musical and need ideas on the cemetery gate. We already built the two doors and the pillars to which they are attached; we just need a method to open them at the same time. We had the idea of using the air cylinder from a screen door to "pull" the door open (the doors are recessed and do have room to operate using a "pull" rather than a "push").

Here's the effect we're going for: Watch at about 5:00 -
YouTube - Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again/Wandering Child

Does anyone have any other ideas or know how to make these air cylinders open the doors smoothly?
Thanks in advance.

What about a pulley system with a single rope for pulling?

 

[brozeph20]

What about a pulley system with a single rope for pulling?

We were thinking about that, but the pillars aren't big enough to have anyone in them and, because they are small, there is very little room to anchor the pulley and extend the rope.
Thanks though (we might end up modifying the construction and using a pulley if we can't find anything else).

 

[JohnG]

Ok so I did a quick sketch of an idea for a pulley system. It's not a very strong idea on my part I'm sorry but it's a suggestion.

 

[CrisCole]

Well, when we did Phantom (May he rest in peace), we used a system I like to call man-labor.

It was so half-assed, which really made me laugh, because Phantom is such a technical WOW! show, and this was such a non-impressive way to do it.

We had four techs on the piece, three of which were pyros working on this piece.

Two of the techs wore oxygen masks, and laid on skateboards. They wore all white, and laid parallel to the gate, (one on each side of the gate) holding on to the edge.

We pumped the dry-ice fog for this scene (sssh!) and they were totally covered. On cue, two of the other techs (off the side of the gate, masked by the flats) pulled them, by their ankles, and as they rolled offstage, the gates opened with them.

We did this for about three weeks. Once we realized how dangerous it was, and stupid, and ran out of dry ice fog and had to pay for more out-of-pocket, we pulled the gates off. Literally. The Addams Family musical does the same thing for their show.
YouTube - The Addams Family Musical on Letterman CBS

We extended our flats (that were the sides of the grave-house) by a foot and simply pulled the gates behind them.

Don't try the first idea, it was really stupid, and ridiculous.

 

[bobgaggle]

We had four techs on the piece, three of which were pyros working on this piece.

Two of the techs wore oxygen masks, and laid on skateboards. They wore all white, and laid parallel to the gate, (one on each side of the gate) holding on to the edge.

If you spent the money to go out and buy oxygen masks I'd say this was more technical than a rope and a few pulleys haha

 

[CrisCole]

If you spent the money to go out and buy oxygen masks I'd say this was more technical than a rope and a few pulleys haha

Yeah. Hence me 'facepalm'-ing myself when I actually thought about it.