Latest Milford Cabinet Article

Come Fly With Me

A chat with Daniel Kondas of ZFX

By Janine Leffler

There are many technical aspects that come together when it comes to putting on a play. Theatre goers are accustomed to props, set design and lighting design. Amherst’s PTA Play Peter Pan has a unique aspect of technical theatre incorporated into it. This aspect is creating the illusion of flying. Are you wondering how the actors can fly above your heads so effortlessly? Daniel Kondas has the answers.

Kondas is employed by a company called ZFX. ZFX is a company based out of California that specializes in flying for theatre shows. They also have offices in Lexington, Kentucky and abroad in the Netherlands. He collaborated with them on various productions for seven years and has been working with them for a little over a year. He has been working professionally for over eleven years and has done over one hundred productions. Since joining forces with ZFX he has worked on fifty productions ranging from Beauty and the Beast to Peter Pan to Jesus ascension plays.

What exactly gets a person interested in the technical aspect of teaching people to fly? In a recent interview Kondas said “I enjoy bringing an effect to different productions that set it aside, from the others. I personally used ZFX as a client before I worked for them, and I enjoyed the way that a flying effect changes the scope of the whole production.” He continued by saying that “We have many different types of flying systems that allow for different types of flying effects as well as allowing people of different weights to fly effectively.” Kondas looks very forward to the upcoming productions and can’t wait to bring pleasure to audiences.

Peter Pan will be performed at Souhegan High School from April 16^th-19^th. Shows are at 7pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. Bring the whole family out for a delightful production!