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I run a community panto group and we would like to use flash effects to increase the effect of an appearing genie or 'baddie'. How can this be best done safely by amateurs?
JJ

the same way that pros do it. as you dont say where your based, i cant give to much help at the moment, but i can assure you that most profesional theartes use volunteer stage crew on many shows.
contact a venu close to you, and ask them to reccomend someone who can help.
this will povide you with somebody with the correct flash pots, pyros, and safety certs.
without this, your local fire inspector can shut the show down, because of the regs, so if you are going to use pyros, dont try doing it yourself.
you can hire the correct equipment from theatrical suppliy companies, but its in no way, shape or form ideal, unless you have someone trained on the other end.

Having directed, written, and performed in pantomimes of all size and scale, from vilage halls, to full west end stages complete with fly towers, i know of what i speak. ( and ive done pyro courses too)

one other thing i will say is its ok to use lighting effects. tightly focused green and red on the prosc stage left, (traditionaly the baddy always enters stage left ) with a bit of smoke from a hand held smoke generator works wonders. Particually if the lx guys also give you a clap of thunder.

Just a thought:

Have a false door on the stage-preferably center. Have a small compartment just under it, only big enough for the genie to tightly compact himself into. Set pyros around the door (have them properly inspected by a fire marshall first, of course:)!). When ready, set off either a huge pyro or smoke effect & have the genie to *magically* appear out of nowhere (the false compartment) by merely jumping as high as he can. As the smoke settles more or the pyro settles, it will seem as though the appeared out of thin air & is coming out of the sky.

That idea has been floating in my head for the past year or so. If you do try it, please let me know how it went.

A fog machine and an old camera flash that is set off as the person enters is enough to make it work....without any pyro/flash at all. Barring that, get a small palm sized flash cannon