MIRIN SCASSELLATI
Designer, Maker, Student
Mamma Mia Flippers
(Spring 2019)
Anyone familiar with the Mamma Mia films knows the famous scene from the movie, where a group of flipper-clad men emerges from the sea to drag Sky away from his fiance and to his bachelor party. When I was an assistant stage manager for a production of the show, the director wanted to pull from that iconic film moment as a nod to audience members who had seen the movie.
The only problem? Flippers are really not designed to be worn on a stage!
The director asked me to find a solution to this design challenge, and this is what I came up with. Each flipper was constructed out of a sheet
of foam (template at right), which I covered in neon duct tape to add the flipper design.
These sheets were then attached to sandals. I also attached an elastic strap onto the back of the shoe--the boys were going to be dancing and kicking in these, and we didn't want any audience members getting a flipper to the face!
Ultimately, the design worked really well! The neon-colored duct tape made the flippers legible even from the back of the auditorium and accentuated the kick-heavy choreography.
