INTERVIEW: Hollywood’s magic comes to East Coast with ‘Special Effects Show’
Not everyone can book the expensive trip to Los Angeles to see how Hollywood produces its cinematic magic, but thanks to The Hollywood Special Effects Show, traveling too far is no longer a necessity. The live-stage spectacle brings audience members on a journey into the heart of moviemaking. Ticket buyers can expect sci-fi monsters, huge explosions and some apocalyptic weather.
The show, which has toured successfully in the United Kingdom, will stop Wednesday, Jan. 31 at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey. Other stops include Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York.
The assembled team for the tour includes special-effects experts from such movies as The Dark Knight Rises, Guardians of the Galaxy and Game of Thrones.
At the center of the spectacle is Alexandra Brynn, producer and host of The Hollywood Special Effects Show. The actress is an alumna of Concordia University in Montreal and worked as a voiceover artist on Star Wars Battlefront II. Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Brynn about the tour. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can audiences expect from The Hollywood Special Effects Show?
Our show takes the audience behind the scenes of their favourite films, showing them the secrets of creating all different types of movie effects.
Audiences can expect to see fire and explosions, fake snow and horror movie secrets, and even how dinosaurs are brought to life in movies like Jurassic Park. There really is something for everyone, no matter your age or taste in movies!
Are you amazed each night at the special effects that are brought to life on stage?
Definitely! No matter how many times I see all the effects, I’m still as amazed and impressed as the first time I saw them. I think that’s part of the magic of movies; no matter your age they never fail to inspire a childlike sense of wonder.
Each night you’ve done a performance, has everything, including your hosting and the special effects, gone according to plan?
One of the things I love the most about The Hollywood Special Effects Show is that no two shows are the same! We rely on a lot of audience volunteers (both kids and grownups!) to help the effects come to life. That’s part of what makes hosting this show so fun, because each new volunteer brings something a little different to the stage. And although our show is about movies, it is a stage show, and there is no take two in live theater, which means anything can happen!
What was it like to work as a voiceover artist on Star Wars Battlefront II?
Working on Battlefront II was an amazing experience! I’m a really big Star Wars fan, so working on this game and being a part of the Star Wars franchise was definitely a childhood dream come true.
Probably the best part for me though was finally being able to tell my brother. I had to keep the project a secret for quite a long time, and I knew he’d be really excited because he played the first Star Wars Battlefront. I definitely earned a few ‘cool sibling’ points there!
What do you hope is in the mind of the audience as they leave The Hollywood Special Effects Show? What do you hope is learned?
Because we cover so many aspects of the special effects world, we hope every member of our audience leaves the theater with a different favourite moment. Although this show does have an educational aspect, the main goal is creating fun and memorable experiences for the entire family.
I love live theater because it is exactly that — live. Everything you see is happening on stage at that very moment, and there is no fourth wall in this show. So the audience’s energy and participation is extremely important! The interactive experience is something you can’t get in a movie theater, and our aim is to inspire and nurture a love of cinema and special effects and hopefully motivate the next generation of movie makers!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Hollywood Special Effects Show will play Jan. 31 at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey. Click here for more information and tickets.
