One popular effect involves the manipulation of an actor as if by magic--right before the audience's eyes.
One moment, the actor is present. The next, perhaps in a sweep of a cape, a flash of light or a puff of smoke, the actor is gone. So where did he go? Down below--through a trapdoor in the stage. Stage trapdoors are hidden doors in the floor of the stage that can be opened quickly, plummeting the actor swiftly down below into a hidden space.
A trapdoor is an ingenious method for suddenly "disappearing" before the audience's eyes. It has been used since the ancient days of theater and is still frequently used by theaters and concert venues today. They do, however, require precision, care and constant concern for the actor's safety. They should be operated only by experienced stagehands and technicians.
Did you ever wish you could fly? If you're an actor or theater performer, you may get your wish. "Flying" an actor onstage is a time-honored effect that typically involves ropes, cables or wires that attach to a belt or harness on the actor's body. The lines run up into rigging above to be controlled by stagehands.
Flying an actor requires the right equipment, not to mention experienced stagehands with a constant eye for the performer's safety. If you decide to bring a bit of magical flight to your production, use sturdy harnesses, test them frequently, and ensure that all ropes and cables are in good condition.
Stage lighting, in a multitude of uses, can be another valuable and cost-effective theatrical effect.
Creatively used stage lights can mimic everything from campfires to lightning strikes, alien ships to car headlights, computer panels, and much more. In some cases, small bulbs or strings of light are all that are needed for localized onstage effects. For bigger effects, work with your lighting designer and light board operator to create the effect you want.
It's always fun to create a believable illusion onstage, and nowhere is that illusion more haunting than the sight of pale mist rolling across a darkened stage--achieved with the simple use of dry ice (or dry ice machines).
Creating a shimmering snowfall is also surprisingly easy. This can be achieved through the time-honored use of a mechanism above the stage that sifts down soft, white confetti. The effect is most commonly achieved through a "snow bag" suspended above the stage and lightly shaken; slits allow for the soft intermittent fall of confetti. A similar effect can be achieved through the suspension of a drum above the stage that is rotated by hand, spilling "snow" through holes or mesh as it turns.
Snow effects can also be achieved at higher budgets through the use of snow machines, which generate realistic-looking flakes that are actually a dry type of foam. The advantage to this kind of "snow" is that it provides a much safer surface for dancers, who can slip and risk serious injury on plastic or other more traditional confetti. It's something to keep in mind for theaters staging snowy scenes involving dancers.