Leaf Cannon

Gods of Comedy

For McCarter Theatre’s production of Ken Ludwig’s The Gods of Comedy, a special effect was needed to make it appear that two handfuls of leaves were being thrown up from the ground. I accomplished this by creating a “double barrel” leaf cannon. Using stretched latex surgical tubing as an energy source, I was able to fine-tune the height of the throw, while keeping the noise down (such as an air cannon would have made). The effect was activated using pneumatic toggle clamps that had been modified into a release mechanism.