Carpenter, Project Head
For this Italian opera, I had several projects that I worked on, but the primary of these was the statue of the Commendatore. The task was to create a throne-like statue that could be controlled by the actor, playing the role of the Commendatore. The unit was built out of lumber and was fitted with parts from a motorized
wheelchair. My task was to design and fabricate the adjustable chair needed so to fit the performer's needs, as well as several modifications masking most of the performers limbs as to create the illusion that the statue was larger than an actual human.
wheelchair. My task was to design and fabricate the adjustable chair needed so to fit the performer's needs, as well as several modifications masking most of the performers limbs as to create the illusion that the statue was larger than an actual human.
Shown here are the wheels of the unit, used from a motorized wheelchair. The unit needed to be operated using the wheelchair's joystick hidden in the left arm of the chair (pictures below), and to be manually pushed around by a run crew member. Having access to these wheels from the rear allowed this.
Originally, the back panel as well as the chair were designed to be removable, and the actor would enter from the back. In this picture you can see how the tripod stool was able to be removed: The front leg, fitted with a tongue, slid into the slot screwed to the floor. Then, the two rear legs were bolted down with a pair of wing nuts.
This is the underside of the adjustable chair. The far left, vertical bolt controlled the pitch of the seat, while the far right, horizontal bolt controlled the height.
Shown here is what would be the actor's arm hidden inside the left arm rest of the throne. In this was he was able to operate the unit via the joystick pulled off the motorized wheelchair. Note the fake left arm that was mounted to the chair using a mannequin's arm.
Here I am demonstrating the illusion of the fake legs, prior to their completion. I used a pair of rubber boots, attached to small piece of luan. I used irrigation tubing to create the legs because I could bend it to the shape I wanted using a heat gun, and it would retain that form once it cooled. Once this was done, the armor was attached to it, and then painted.
Here are the completed faux legs. Also shown here is the gray piece of felt that masked the performer's legs and lap.
During the climax of the show, the Commendatore entered upstage, with four minions hidden behind the large back panel of the unit. You can also see at their feet the steel cable that tethered the unit, preventing the actor from driving over the open trap.
The completed Commendatore throne with his minions.
