CINDERELLA - Bushmills sets page four "A" the Coach and the Woofenepoof
Designed and painted by Brian Willis. Scenery built by Brian Willis and Kenny McKay.
Performed by members and friends of Bushmills Primary School PTA (2004)

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This is the scene where the Fairy Queen turns the pumpkin into a coach. There were two elements to this scene. First getting rid of the painting of the pumpkin and secondly to reveal the coach.

First the pumpkin picture

There are two names for this effect "Woofenpoof" and the more prosaic "Rat-line". The rather tatty "painting" of a pumpkin was actually a piece of flimsy orange material held onto the blue background of the painting with a circle of Blue-tack (hence the blue paint to match the tack) Attached to the top of this material was a length of fishing line which then went through a series of eye bolts screwed into the flat in the dark sections. I rarely use black paint but broke the rules this time to ensure it was a good dark shadow. These eyebolts were also painted black. Here they are and the line highlighted in red.
So that when the magic word was uttered by the actress, Bartley (the stage-hand attached to the fishing-line off stage) ran like the devil pulling the woofenpoof around its erratic course. We augmented this flying-about of the material with someone off stage using a swanney whistle. I think the "woofenpoof" dates back to Victorian Pantomime. I have never used it in an amateur panto before.
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