Hi! So, I suppose I have a few more questions for you before I respond more throughogly...and please excuse me if everyone else knows, but I am new...
How large of a production will it be? Will you be utilizing other actors to add movement (such as for pulling long bolts of fabric in various textures and colours from Fiona ala Disney's cartoon Cinderella - or to hold streamers and spin around her to swirl a harsh
fog effect)? Will the actors be high school, college,
community theatre,
etc etc?
I also suppose it depends whether you want the focus to be on the transformation, whether you want the audience to feel as if they are part of the wedding guests or just an audience watching a
play...
With all
theatre magic, its all misdirection, so you can cause enough commotion with actors in other zones,
throw up some
fog and lights, and the
reveal is a huge collective gasp while staring at the newly costumed Fiona. You can use lots of
fog and lights, the
turntable mentioned is also a great chance for zipping and also can allow for hiding
fog effects in very close quarters... if i were building it, I would make it the
podium they stand on to do their vows. And personally, id make it two circles, with tall enough scenic display to allow hidden handholds for the priest/shrek/whoever to turn the outside ring one way while it turns the inner circle the opposite way, so its only looking as if theyre circling her clockwise and she is spinning counterclockwise...or do it mechanically, if you have the money to. Id place whatever
fog effect you choose to come between the two rotating circles in an even distribution or at very least the area the audience sees, as well as under the
podium. I prefer a full circle just because the swirl
effect with the actors walking looks more authentic. If you have access to moving lights, dimming the rest of the
stage and spinning lights around gives added umph, as do strobes in the
fog. If you dont have moving lights, bumping lekos can add suspense to the
reveal.
If you want the audience to feel as if they are attending the wedding, there's nothing like blinding the audience momentarily to finish off the
effect.
Moles or pars lined up on a bar you can lower in while the change is being made, as well as throwing some up on any in-house
torm or box booms you have can give a thorough blast that allows you a second or so extra time for harder to
cover areas (like the
face).
I always love when some sort of silver or shimmery fabric or streamers are used in the
fog as well. For example, if there is an
arbor on the
podium, having shimmery fabric streamers attached to it that simply hang down when not moving/fanned but catch the eye and distract from the quick costume change when spinning around her. It also allows for more light catching and bouncing and gives you some neat
smoke tendrils.
Other than that, distraction, distraction, distraction.
The other question is whether you are going to do it more than once? Sure, she turns into an ogre spectacularly at the end, but she also does so throughout, mostly while hiding though.
I dont recall if the sun sets during the wedding or if the kiss or what it was that did it...
You could go with a
blackout (even better if you can have wedding guests in a side box or
etc and shine light on them grumbling about it and witnessing) and have fiona have simple
LED finger lights start to shine out from her hands and legs and
etc to start lighting up around her but not necessarily her so much yet, then have people in livery (waiters, ushers, whatever "staff") with "candles" bring them in and slowly lights come on again. Make up a reason the lights went out,
blind everyone with a flash when the curse is broken then one/two at a time turn her finger lights on while the actors in the audience try to figure out whats going on and talk smack about how bad/boring/whatever the wedding is that even the lights couldnt stand it and left. (Think: the old guys from the muppet show....only haughty, stuck up, and medieval princes/princesses).
Hope something helped. Without knowing more about what you have to work with, really
broad ideas are all I could offer.