Three…Two…. One!…The countdown rings out across the dusty field. Suddenly, a huge ball of fire erupts in all its infernal glory and reaches towards the top of the building some thirty feet above. Chunks of debris and fine dirt explodes from a canon hit to the other side of the building while above, pieces of shingles and dust billow into the air from other direct hits. Bullet strikes rip across the front of the building and are followed by a titanic concussion from the ground which belches forth swirling gold colored clouds of smoke as well as propelling a barrel thirty-five feet into the air where it hits the ground to one side. An awed hush encompasses the field for a moment until it is broken by the whistles, cheers and admiring exclamations from the watching cast members. It’s the final week of rehearsal at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire on the grounds of the Mt. Hope Estate and Winery and the special effects are in full swing.

I had a chance to speak with the author of those flaming balls of fire before the rehearsal and he gave me the lowdown on the new effects for this year’s Faire. Andy Nicholls, owner of Orlando Special Effects Company, has returned to his native Pennsylvania for the last two weeks along with his partner, Chris Shaw, to install the new fire and pneumatic effects systems at the Faire. Nicholls, a sandy-haired, stocky man of medium height with an air of quiet competence, coolly leaned against the railing of the joust arena as he explained the new system upgrades.

According to Nicholls, he had met Mt. Hope’s owner, Chuck Romito, two years ago and had started talking to him then about spicing up the Faire with explosions and fire. This year, Romito gave the go ahead for the installation of the fire and pneumatic systems to the tune of around $45,000. Nicholls stated it had taken several weeks of preparation and machining in his shop in Orlando and then two weeks for he and Chris to install the new systems on the Faire grounds. “We’ve added three pneumatic explosions, eight sequenced pneumatic bullet hits, a compressor that blows a 35-gallon drum forty feet in the air, concussion mortars for noise, and a new pyrotech controlling system that allows for the 30-foot ball of fire used in the finale. We also had to dig a new conduit and run the cables for the controlling system to the canon booth facing the stage. We hadn’t planned on that, but it was the best way to go so we got Chuck’s approval and went ahead and dug the trench.”

As of the date of the interview, everything for the Faire’s opening was ready to go. They just needed to train the operators who would be in charge of the effects when Nicholls and Shaw return to their Orlando home after the Faire’s opening weekend, August 1st and 2nd. Nicholls said, “Even though we custom built and wired this whole system, we brought procedure manuals, instructions and spare parts and repair kits for everything. By the time we leave, the operators will know how the system works inside and out and will be able to handle most anything that would go wrong.” He continued to say, “However, nothing should go wrong. We put in the very best system we could for the budget we were working under and used equipment that far exceeds the actual requirements.” To prove his point, he showed me a cable leading from the propane and air generators under the stage and said, “We could’ve used copper tubing and it would’ve been fine for this job, but instead we used this cable which you couldn’t cut with an ax even if you wanted to.” I assured him I had no plan to cut the cable with an ax or any other implement and followed him back outside.

Nicholls next led me around to the front of the stage where he showed me the mortars embedded in the ground which blow the clouds of debris, dust and glitter into the air. I dutifully looked at the stubby round pipes sticking a few inches out of the ground, but I had to admit they didn’t look like much. It was amazing to think that all that mayhem had erupted from those innocent looking little pipes.

Nicholls said, “We use cork to simulate the chunks of ground and fuller’s earth, which is a mining by-product, for the dust. Both have very little mass so they won’t go very far and they don’t create a hazard for the cast members. You could stand in front of one of these things and be hit with the explosion and not be seriously hurt.” With a grin, Nicholls expanded, “Mad as hell, yes, but hurt, no.” As at that moment, I WAS standing in front of the pipes, I edged surreptitiously away. I had no desire to test his statement.

Nicholls went on to explain that “we tried to keep with the theme of the Faire so we loaded these mortars with a mixture of black powder and stars, which are technically fireworks made from oxidizers and flammable solids. These stars will burn gold when they go off and the black powder will make it look and even smell authentic. I make one-third of my living setting off fireworks, so I incorporated them here since they’re easily controlled and pose very little danger to the cast or audience.”

Since he was already on the subject, I asked about other safety precautions he uses when developing a system such as this. Nicholls explained that they use pneumatics, which are air-compressor driven effects, because they’re much safer and more controllable than pyrotechnics (flame explosions). “I create hazards for a living. I’ve been doing it for fifteen years and am a federally licensed and insured pyro tech as well as a federally licensed High Explosion Expert. You don’t just wake up one day and know how to do this stuff; it takes years of learning and experience. I do my best to make sure that everything I build is safe and more than exceeds any safety and equipment requirements.”

I asked Nicholls more about his background and he stated that he’s worked for Sea World, Disneyworld and MGM studios as well as working on many different movies including Dead Presidents, Ace Ventura Pet Detective, Lethal Weapon III, Days of Thunder and Dumbo Drop. “As I said, I make a third of my living doing fireworks, many times indoors. I also do special events and concerts. At this point, I’ve blown up fourteen different cars for movies. And counting.” He assured me with a twinkle in his eye.

As it was time to for the actors’ technical rehearsal to start, we went back out front where Nicholls explained to the cast the sequence of effects and told them where NOT to stand so as “not to ruin their day.” Greg Ramsey, Staff Director and long-time Faire cast member, did a humorous example of where actors should and shouldn’t stand entitled the “hospital” and “no hospital” crosses. The “hospital” cross showed Ramsey coming down the stairs and stopping directly in front of the barrel that is shot into the air and hanging his head over the opening. Definitely not the place to be when that barrel is shot 30 feet into the air. Nor would you want to be lazing about on top of the mats placed to the side of the stage where the barrel lands after its precipitous flight.

After the rehearsal, I caught up with Barb Lacek, General Manager at Mt. Hope, and she informed me that they expect about 150,000 people to troop through the gates over the eleven weekends of the Faire which starts August 1st and runs Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays through Labor Day and then Saturdays and Sundays only September 12th through October 11th. The Faire’s cast is made up of seventy professional and semi-professional actors and is rounded out with many different independent stage acts that include magicians, sword swallowers and minstrels. The mounted knights and jousting is handled by New Edge Adventure Theatre, an independent company that performs feats of daring-do from horseback while wearing 80 pounds of armor and traveling at over 30 m.p.h.

This year, nine of the eleven weekends are theme weekends ranging from the Renaissance Olympics, the Scottish Highland Gathering and even a Hercules and Xena Look-A-Like Contest. Admission to the Faire is $16.95 for adults, $7.00 for children 5-11 and children under 5 are free. The Mt. Hope Estate and Winery is located off Route 72, ¼ mile south of Exit 20 on the PA Turnpike. Hours for the Faire are 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. More information can be obtained by calling 665-7021 or visit their web-site at www.parenaissancefaire.com.

*Music & Dance Weekend–Aug 15-17
*Hercules & Xena Look-A-Like Contest–Aug 22-24
*Renaissance Olympics–Aug 29-31
*Children’s Fantasy Weekend–Sept 5-7
*Scottish Highland Gathering-Sept 12-13
*Mid-Eastern Moods–Sept 19-20
*A Weekend of Love and Romance–Sept 26-27
*Celtic Traditions: Irish and Scottish–Oct 3-4
*Wine Harvest Revelry–Oct 10-11