documentation SIX FREAKS UNDER (pdf) - Rozzobianca

THe Electromechanic Musical

photo: Philipp Zinniker
photo: Andreas von Gunten

SIX FREAKS UNDER-
The electromechanic Musical
The story
Roswita is a diva without scruples. She is a singer with a smoky
voice and has heartlessly eliminated many men once close to her
and sent them to the underworld. There, her victims pass their
time as bizarre robots making music. P.T. Barx, Roswita’s
greatest fan, also finds himself in the underworld after having
been killed by her. He, however, was turned into a skeleton. He
first makes a few misguided attempts to create a copy of his
adored Roswita but then decides to join the band. While his
contribution brings life into the band down below, Roswita’s life
above takes a tragic turn.
Description
SIX FREAKS UNDER is a fast-moving musical incorporating
inventive robots in a dark story filled with black humor and wit.
The actors, singers, and musicians of the electro-mechanical
spectacle are life-size robots, puppets, and other objects and
create a visually and acoustically intense performance.
They are equipped with animatronics and are guided partly by
computer (MIDI) and partly by hand. The large comic figures
made of aluminum tell the background of the story.
Music an Language
The band of robots plays on actual instruments, performing
music that was especially composed for them. The vocals are
added from a tape. The texts of the songs are in English; short,
spoken passages are in English and French. The piece is accessible
to adults and children who don’t speak English or French.
Stage
The show is performed on a custom-built, two story stagetrailer
built by Renato Grob.
Team (production)
Idea, concept, stage, puppets, programming robots,
puppetry: RozzoBianca. Comic: NOYAU. Stage direction: Nils
Torpus. Construction robots and stage: Renato Grob. Music,
programming: Lisette Wyss. Lyrics songs: Neil Filby. Voices:
Neil Filby, Raphaël Diener, Lisette Wyss

photo: Roger Grisiger

RozzoBianca–their robots, puppets, objects
The Beginning
Lisette Wyss (“Bianca”), musician and composer, and Renato
Grob (“Rozzo”), designer of stage scenery and props, have been
working for seven years on their mechanical objects and musical
robots.
After their first piece, BRAIN & BACK (object theater with small
orchestra, 2004) they decided to forego live musicians in the
future and constructed their first, live-size musical robots for the
MUSICANICAL ROBOT FREAKSHOW with which they toured in
Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland in 2007/08.
In 2007 the Migros Cultural Foundation awarded them the digital
culture prize to further their new project, SIX FREAKS UNDER. In
2009 they took the electro-mechanical musical on tour through
Switzerland.
Robots and Other Objects
The small motorized finger and head movements are guided by
servo motors and selenoids, body movements are steered by
pneumatic cylinders. Computer programmed MIDI impulses are
transformed into electric impulses thus guiding the movements
of the robots. For the construction of the robots, mostly recycled
materials and scrap metal were used. No-longer-used motors,
drilling machines, transformers, and switches were employed to
create the other objects.
Puppets (Roswita, P.T. Barx)
The two live-size puppets are animated by animatronics and
conventional puppeteering. Roswita’s upper body consists of
foam rubber and latex, her legs and lower arms are those of the
puppeteer. P.T. Barx is a skeleton attached to the body of the
puppeteer who transfers his movements to the skeleton with the
help of rods attached to arms and legs. Animatronics located in
the head of the puppets determines the movements of the
heads, jaws, and eyes.
Comic Figures
The two-dimensional comic figures are painted on sheet metal
and moved by hand.

photo: Chris Buhlmann

photo: Roger Grisiger

Technical Rider for the Tour
The Stage-Trailer
The show is performed on a custom-built stage-trailer. It
consists of a two story main stage inside, a foldout front stage
and a backstage. The complete technique (light and sound) is
built inside.
Trailer measure: 6 m (length), 2.5 m (width), 3.5 m
(height), shaft: 2 meters, weight: 4,7 tons
Towing Vehicle: 4m (length), 1.7m (width), weight: 1.5t
Entire length: 12m
Entire weight:: 6.2t
For performances over more days the stage trailer can be closed
overnight, but can not be removed. The towing vehicle can be
put away for the whole time.
Tour Team: RozzoBianca (2 pers., 1 Baby) 1 technician
Language: Lyrics songs: Englisch, textes: Englisch,French
The piece is accessible to adults and children
who don’t speak English or French.
Target audience: adults, young people, not specially for
kids
Duration: 40 min. without break
Performance place:: Outdoor or in a hall
Performance time: preferably by night
max. 2 perf. / day, minimal break: 2h
Capacity audience: up to 200 pers. optimal
Weather conditions: By rain performance possible, by
thunderstorm or strong wind not possible
Ground conditions: flat ground, horizontal
Space conditions: total incl. audience minimum 12m (width)
x 20m (depth), stage: 8x8m
Surrounding stage: height above stage minimum 12m
(Indoor: height hall minimum 6m)
set up time: 5h. (soundcheck 1h before performance)
time to dismantle: ca. 4h., makes noise
The organiser provides:
Electricity: CEE 32A 400V 5-Pol for light, robots
TYP 13 220V 10A for sound
Audience: stand (ideal) or benches (minimal)

photo: Roger Grisiger
photo: Roger Grisiger

Biographies
Lisette Wyss
Born in Berne, Switzerland, 1973, lives in Berne.
Studied at the Lucerne Music School (MHS), with emphasis
on saxophone, jazz, composition and arranging.
Commission from Circus Monti for the 2003 season.
Commission from FAI (Flying Artists International) for the air
musical “Call of the Skies” (plane acrobatics and live music).
Performances in Tokyo, Brno, and Al Ain (2003-05).
Commission from the Zürich Jazz Orchestra (ZJO) for the CD
“Beyond Swiss Tradition” (2005).
Leader and saxophonist of saxophone quartet “Lily Horn is
Born” (2001-08). Tours in CH, Italy, Mazedonia, Germany
Initiator and artistic director of street music festival
“BuskersBern,” (2004 to present)
Lives and works with Renato Grob since 2003
honors and awards:
- scholarship 2008 of SSA for composers of theater music
- award of digital culture, Migros Kulturprozent
Renato Grob
Born in Olten, Switzerland, 1968, lives in Berne.
Technical direction at “Tuchlaube” theater, Aarau (1990-95).
Stage properties and construction of objects for Ruedi
Haeusermann’s “The Step into the Beyond”. Technical
services for the tour (Switzerland and Germany, 1993).
Construction of magic tricks and illusions for magician Alex
Porter. Tour Switzerland and Germany (1997).
Training as a stage pyrotechnician in Cologne (1999).
Creation of large-scale stage properties for “Karls Kühne
Gassenschau” for the shows AKUA and SILO8 (2002-06).
Stage set and special properties for „Schilten“, “Ikarus”,
„Forelle Stanley“, „Amerika“ at Theater Marie (2007/08)
Has own workshop since 1992. Self-taught in mechatronics,
robotics, electrical engineering, works with wood and metals.
Lives and works with Lisette Wyss since 2003
honors and awards:
- scholarship of the Canton Solothurn (2005)
- award of digital culture, Migros Kulturprozent

Renato Grob / Lisette Wyss, Daxelhoferstr. 5, CH-3012 Bern
www.rozzobianca.ch, info@rozzobianca.ch,
Lisette: +41 78 755 37 67 Renato: +41 79 463 99 68
Stiftung der Schweizerischen
Landesausstellung 1939