Need a story, can anyone help?

[PeteB1984]

Hi,

I'm new here, pardon my intrusion!

I am looking for some help with a short story. I am a pyrotechnician currently in the process of creating a musical firework show (called a pyromusical would you believe :p) and for the one I'm doing this year I've been tinkering with the idea of having some kind of story or narrative that will be told audibly and also visually through the firework and light show.

I have no idea where to start, so I thought it might be a good idea to come somewhere like this and ask the experts for ideas and suggestions. This is all non profit by the way so I hope the people here don't mind helping.

Just to give you an overview, the show is going to be around 10-15 minutes long and I'm looking for something that can be told easily this way without video, and perhaps something a bit magical for the kids? I've heard battles between good and evil are always good.

I appreciate any help and advice! :)

[Whifflingpin]

That length might imply a narrative poem - my ancient mind thinks of border ballads, or those Victorian/Edwardian things we used to recite, Charge of the Light Brigade, The Highwayman - that sort of stuff

[PeteB1984]

Great suggestions. Would you mind elaborating a little?

I'm afraid I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to literature.

[mono]

Charge of the Light Brigade, The Highwayman - that sort of stuff
"Charge of the Light Brigade" (Lord Alfred Tennyson ;)) sounds like a stellar idea, plus it would sound relatively easy to think of some visuals for that, too - a lot of action! Along the same lines, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) comes to mind - musical, adventurous, plenty of action, and excellent visuals.
To fill up 10-15 minutes of time sounds like quite a challenge, but I think these two poems could definitely fill that time, along with visuals. You can find "Charge of the Light Brigade" here (http://poetry.eserver.org/light-brigade.html) and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" here (http://poetry.eserver.org/ancient-mariner.html). Otherwise, maybe you could try the last chapter of Moby Dick by Herman Melville, almost anything by Lewis Carroll (maybe some scenes from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland or Through the Looking-Glass), or something from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.

[PeteB1984]

To fill up 10-15 minutes of time sounds like quite a challenge, but I think these two poems could definitely fill that time, along with visuals.

Well I had thought about doing it in sections so like "bit of narrative, then some visuals, bit more story telling, then more fireworks". Doing it that way to demonstrate each part rather than constantly narrating over the top of the fireworks.

Makes the show last longer that way too. ;)

[mal4mac]

Why not extracts from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream? For example, there's a great scene where Puck, the mischievous fairy, scares the "rude mechanicals" and sends them running through the forest using various scary devices -- no doubt including loud bangs and bright lights! You could end it with a loud retort, a bright, continuous light that reveals you as transformed by acquiring an asses head...

There are various other scenes where "Bottom" (you - *** head wearer) talks to some really neat fairies, maybe these could be represented by really neat fireworks?

There are various videos of this play where you might get visual ideas. Another good play for magical visuals is "The Tempest" -- check out the film "Prospero's Books". If you want something harder, them Macbeth could be a good choice. Check out Polanski's film. But careful,this might be a bit scary for the kids!

[Dark Lady]

All really good suggestions so far. If you want something the kids might recognise you could maybe go for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S Lewis from The Chronicles of Narnia. Because of the recent film (by recent I mean a few years ago) it may be well known to them already. Includes magic, talking animals and lots of 'good against evil' fighting!