THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCENIC SPECTACLE

A SITE DEVOTED TO THE STUDY OF RENAISSANCE AND BAROQUE THEATRICAL SPECTACLE

MODELS

16th CENTURY FLYING MACHINES

One of the most popular effects on the illusionistic stage was the flying effect. Since most of the early theatres were temporary, the overhead structure was not able to support sophisticated flying effects. The machinery of Furttenbach and Sabbattini is very crude compared with the machinery;y used in the permanent theatre and opera houses of the mid to late seventeenth century.

Sabbattini's Cloud Flying Machine

Sabbattini described several different flying effects. Most of them required a cloud to mask the mechanism. One method described "how to make a cloud with people in it descend directly on to the stage from the heavens [#43]. It required a vertical track mounted on the rear partition and horizontal beam with a cloud at its end that could be pulled up and down in the track by a winch.

Sabbattini described a similar machine [#50] that allowed a person to be lowered to the stage "without using a cloud so that he may immediately walk about and dance." The technology for this device was very crude compared to the effects that followed a few years later.

The research for this material was assisted by grants from the New Initiatives Fund of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology and the University Research Council of the Cratis D. Williams Graduate School at Appalachian State University.

 © Frank Mohler 1999