Technical Design Solutions for Theatre

A Very Useful Snow Machine

Richard Gold

 

In the real world, the soothing effect of snow falling gently behind a window is one of nature’s gifts to those who must also deal with the consequences of inches of accumulation the next day. But for the Yale Repertory Theatre’s production of Ohio State Murders, the effect of snow was not nature’s gift but a show requirement. The parameters additionally included that the snow be concentrated in a 3′ width upstage of a window hanging in free space, and of course that the mechanism be as quiet as possible.

For “snow,” the production’s propmaster selected and purchased Consolidated Display’s Scatter Flakes® on the basis of looks and fire-resistance. Upon inspecting it, we concluded that the mechanism ...