Yes this is a show with a lot of water. Do not panic. Here is a brief description of the process, to accompany the diagrams and pictures attached. I SET DIMENSIONS AND CONSTRUCTION The set for the water puppets consists of a water pool straddled by a large pagoda. The water pool is approximately 20 feet square, and the pagoda extends approximately 3 to 4 feet on either side of the pool, and around 6 feet behind. The total footprint is approximately 20 feet wide by 25 feet deep. There is some play with dimensions as we can place the pagoda in different spots in the pool. Everything is modular and comes apart into small pieces. The company handles the setup and tear down entirely on their own, and requires help only with loading and unloading boxes and hauling things. Depth of the water pool is approximately 3 feet. Audience seating should be well raked and the best seats are directly in front of the stage, although we have had some venues that included seating at the sides. You want your audience close especially the little ones because the dragons like to squirt them and splash them with water. Protecting your stage The best way to protect any delicate stage surface is to tarp the area in advance of the setup. This will also protect from any splashing that occurs when the puppeteers or puppets get in and out of the water. The pool consists of interlocking steel fence-type pieces that create a square, with plywood pieces inside that create the sides for the pool, and two pool liners over the entire thing. The only possible leaks are small abrasions, which we can fix with pool patch. You may choose to have an engineer assess your stage to determine whether the weight is excessive. We did tour the US and Europe for several years, and didn t ever encounter a stage that couldn t bear the weight. Apparently, even audience is a higher load than the approximately 7500 gallons of water. Presenter provides: Clean, swept stage area, prepared in advance at the discretion of the presenter. Mops and rags for clearing splashed water 1
II LOAD IN AND SETUP The load in and setup takes approximately 4 hours in total. The pool is often ready for fill at about 3 hours. We recommend wherever possible that the local fire department comes in with a hose and fills. It makes a great photo op and takes 15 minutes to fill. Alternate suggestions for a quick fill include opening a sprinkler line for a high pressure source of water, or several garden hoses from several sources. Be advised, if just one garden hose hookup is supplied, the fill can take more than 8 hours. We carry a heavy duty jacuzzi heater which heats and circulates the water to about room temperature, otherwise the puppeteers, who are immersed, would freeze. The heating can take several hours, so we want it started as soon as possible after setup. If possible, we prefer to setup the day before performances. The company mixes Kaolin (clay powder) with the water to make it murky so that the puppetry mechanisms are not visible. Sometimes we also use blue food dye to give the water a nice colour. Both are non toxic and non staining. Presenter provides: Crew Set up and strike: 4 crew to assist with load in and out For tech dress: 1 lighting* 1 sound Show call: 1 lighting * 1 sound Materials One ladder for the company to use in assembling the pagoda (approx 4.5 meters high or about 15 feet) Water supply and means to fill tank (local fire department is best). Hospitality for setup Water, juice, tropical juices, light snacks for company including fruit trays, muffins, tea with hot water, smoothies, deli trays, assorted sandwiches, veggies and dip, or Chinese food (large amounts of rice with meat, fish or vegetables). Backstage Two dressing rooms are required one small (3-5 women) and one large (men) with comfortable couches, chairs and access to separate (male female) washrooms A large table for puppet repair 2
III SPECIAL EFFECTS AND SAFETY The effects in the program (Dragon fire, and mist on the water) are created by mini gerbs, a pre-made effect which is mounted in the dragons mouths or held underwater. These shoot a 10 second fountain of silver sparks 6 long, with a small amount of smoke and little, if any, fallout. Specifications are comparable to the following product available in the US: Prostage II gerbs http://www.theatrefx.com/store/commerce.cgi Specifications Bare Wire Effect Dimensions: 1/2 to 1 Inch diameter Safety Distance: 10 Feet Safe Working Height: The Greater Of 10 Feet Or Effect Height + 20% Fallout: None To conform with North American safety standards, the entire set and all the puppets and costumes have been treated with fire retardant. Presenter provides: Approval by the local fire marshall if needed. We will make our pyrotechnician available for demonstrations when needed. 3
IV COMPANY ARRIVAL The company totals 16 people on the road: 9 puppeteers 5 musicians 1 artistic director 1 production manager There are generally only one or two people in the company who speak English. The cast travels by ground as much as possible, which means the entire company plus set arrives. However, when this is not possible, the company travels by air and uses a freight forwarder to handle the set. In this case, the ultimate address will be the venue, and we require the Presenter to help us coordinate the freight arrival, and perhaps offload and store. Presenter provides: Ground transport When the company arrives by air, presenter must provide transport from the airport to the accommodation or setup as needed. Presenter will also provide ground transportation from accommodation to theatre as needed for set up, rehearsals and performances. Accommodation The company prefers to cook their own food. The standard request is for 8 double, housekeeping rooms, within 10 minutes comfortable walking distance of the venue. Vietnamese tend to walk slowly. If accommodation is further than 10 minutes walking, ground transport must be provided for setup, rehearsals and performances. Alternate accommodation is three to a room (separate beds), with access to a central kitchen ( dorm style accommodation) Freight We appreciate hotels that offer free breakfast or happy hour foods to their guests. The set often arrives one of two ways: under separate arrangements in a cube van, or by delivery from a freight forwarder. In either case we will need to offload the vehicle directly into the theatre. We will need access to a loading bay, or most appropriate entrance. 4
V SOUND AND LIGHTING A visible area of minimum 8 x 10 is required for the live traditional music group, preferably positioned at downstage right of the water pool (see pictures). As an alternate, musicians can be split on both sides of the stage, when they are clearly visible to each other. In outdoor performances, the show can be performed without lighting. Please obtain approval for this. Presenter provides: 1. Riser at sufficient height (18 inches to three feet) so seated musicians have clear view of the puppetry 2. Five straight back armless chairs and five music stands with lights 3. Five instrumental microphones and five vocal mikes with house system 4. 4 DI boxes 5. Two monitors 6. A separate vocal mike for Q & A if requested 7. A general stage wash with a constant light to shine on the top half of the facade of the pagoda backdrop. 5
VI PERFORMANCE The performance is 50 minutes long, with no intermission. We can perform up to three shows per day, with approval from Kids Entertainment. Q&A can be done with approval at the end of the show if there is time. The show is entirely in Vietnamese. For program information, please see : www.kidsentertainment.net/roster/the-golden-dragon-water-puppet-theatre-of-saigon/ The company can perform up to a three show day. One of those shows can be a traditional musical performance or workshop. The company can perform outdoors quite easily under the right conditions. Musicians must be protected from the sun. There must be no access to the public for the area right behind the pagoda where the puppets and instruments are kept. There must be a secure area for instruments, puppets and personal effects between shows. Presenter provides: Any masking available for a dark, consistent backdrop, at the discretion of the presenter. A full meal is for the company on a three show day, including rice, noodles, meat fish or veg and tea. Chinese food, (large quantities or rice, with meat, fish and vegetable) or chinese bbq is perfect. A table or equivalent for merchandise sales, including someone to oversee the merchandise during shows, and assist with sales. Four outdoor shows Security for instruments, puppets and personal effects between shows. A secure area off limits to the public, behind the pagoda where the puppets and instruments are kept. Sun protection for the musicians during performances or rehearsals in the form of a sun shelter, canopy or shade structure. Presenter may NOT video the performance without the written permission from Kids Entertainment. Absolutely no photography, with or without flash, is permitted during the performance. 6
Kids Entertainment reserves the right to film each performance solely for archival purposes and will provide its own video camera. CONTACT INFORMATION For any technical, setup or logistics issues, please contact: Avril Helbig, Kids Entertainment (416) 971 4836 avril@kidsentertainment.net 7