January 2023
Las Wavys
Merle Reskin Theatre
I created 5 light up alien hearts which were held behind a door in the alien character's chest. She takes them out during the show and gives one heart to each of the children, granting them their superpowers.
I was given a designer drawing to base the hearts off of. I ordered fake rubber hearts online, then cut them in half and emptied the insides. I painted the main bases with the colors specified by the designer. The lights had to show through the "petals" at the bottom of each heart, so I found some translucent silk-like fabric that matched with each color. I used a serger to create the petals and turned them inside out.
Progress Photos
Final Hearts
Next I hand sewed string lights across the inside of each petal, attaching them to the heart base as I went to create a continous string. At the end of the string, I would attach the battary pack to the inside/back of each heart so that it can be turned on easily by crew members backstage and still allow for batteries to be changed. I sewed a magnet onto the back surface of the main body, which attached to magnets on the actor's costume.
The final effect of this was amazing. It was a children's show, and the kids were shocked by the alien's chest opening up to find glowing hearts inside. To see more about this project, check out my Las Wavys section!