Recreating The Flying Dutchman: rediscovering the lost art of the effects projector

Before the massed ranks of data projectors, LED screens, pixel mapping and video servers found their way into the theatre there was already the need for the spectacular moving image. In ancient times these effects were provided by shadow puppets and in the fifteenth century the magic lantern was developed; by the nineteenth century the sophistication of the latter was such that it could be used in theatrical performances. Thus the theatrical effects projector was born.

The most elaborate use of effects projectors was for The Ring Cycle (Bentham 1957) and for the 1957 production of The Flying Dutchman at the old Sadler’s Wells Theatre. This article explores how the effects projector was used in the original The Flying Dutchman, and charts how these effects can be recreated.