A PROPS TO-DO LIST, FREELY BASED ON GÜNTER „GIGI“ BRUNNER

Don’t set extras on fire!!!
Pyrotechnics always involve a certain tension because usually a second or third person is involved. There have often been tricky situations: once a trapdoor was supposed to open and we shot a big flame out – and Felix, an extra, almost ran right into it. The real problem with pyrotechnics isn’t the fire – it’s putting it out.

Research: What’s inside a cow pat???
Things often have to look disgusting, but then the actor gets it in the face. So inside, it’s got to be whipped cream or something like that. One time, we made fake cow pats and added a bit of straw to make them look real. We spent days thinking about it – even researching what’s actually in a real cow pat.

Solving the burning hat paradox
How do you make a burning hat so that the actor doesn’t press the button too early and burn their scalp? Our solution: a pressure switch and a tilt switch. When you turn the hat upside down, the tilt switch activates and only then does the other button work – releasing the flame.

Buy black tea, apple juice, and effervescent tablets
Whiskey is mostly replaced by black tea, red wine by grape juice, white wine by apple juice. Opening a sparkling wine bottle can only be realistically simulated by a properly shaken effervescent tablet – or by using non-alcoholic sparkling wine!

No kneeling before anyone
Everyone in my department has to know each production—at least well enough to get through the show. To me, every play, every director, and every set designer is equal. I don’t bow down to anyone, but I don’t dismiss anyone either. We do our best for everyone.

Have fun!!!
A lot of the time, I can’t actually put my ideas into practice. The time slots are too tight, or the schedules too inflexible, or it turns out something nice just isn’t needed after all. Still, I love that I always have to keep tinkering in my head. It may sound strange, but what I enjoy most is not knowing exactly what I’m doing. “I can’t do that” just isn’t in my vocabulary.