Wreckio's ROOFTOPS Powers Lights By Pedaling A Bicycle

Wreckio Ensemble's new play Rooftops, sports a dystopian vision of the future, but has come up with a decided utopian power source--some of the theatrical lights are plugged in to...a bicycle. Karly Maurer, a co-Artistic Director of Wreckio Ensemble and the play's author remarked, "we committed to an 80% green production. Just as we push the envelope of what is possible in theatre, we wanted to push the envelope of what is possible in production."

Just building a set with recycled materials was not enough, so Rooftops' director, Kimberlea Kressal, and the production's lighting designer, Pamela Kupper, contacted dozens of green and cyclist organizations, online and through friends. "We were searching for someone who could make this happen in very little time and affordable for a struggling theatre company" said Kressal. "We just kept hitting dead ends. Then about week and a half before opening night we met Felipe and Marc." Felipe Riberio and Marc Covitz, two of the original four BikeJuice team members, designed a bicycle generator when they were graduate students at NYU's ITP program.
Riberio and Covitz answered Wreckio's call for a meeting to discuss the integration of pedal power into a theater production. "The setup we created [at NYU] allowed us to generate a peak of about 160W," said Riberio. "I wasn't sure we could do what Wreckio was asking for, but I thought what they were trying to do, making their production green, was so amazing that I wanted to try to help."

The original bike, used in the class project, had not been dismantled and was able to generate power once again simply by purchasing a few components. Riberio and Kupper spent days in the theater getting the bicycle generator to power the production's lights and training volunteers to ride it. Maurer, who will get to be the first to pedal the power for the play she penned, said, "It is tricky to pedal, you have to stick to a speed between 10 and 12 mph or it shuts down. I just hope the excitement of watching my play doesn't give me a rush of adrenaline that leaves us all in the dark."

The bike is a stationary exercise bike with a large heavy wheel in the front. Attached directly to this wheel is a DC motor, securely bolted to the bike by a custom built wooden frame. The motor is hooked up to a power inverter, which takes the DC voltage and steps it up to normal AC. Completing the circuit are two used motorcycle batteries which help to stabilize the voltage. The bike is wired to three sets of compact fluorescent light bulbs, which pull a total of 110Watts. The pedaling required to generate that wattage feels like climbing a moderate incline, something like an access ramp to one of the bridges, at a medium to high gear.

"We've gone outside the theatrical community and reached out to area bicycle clubs," says Ms. Kressal who is also scheduled to pedal a performance or two. "The response has been great, but we're always on the lookout for new cyclists. It's a great deal. They get to see a terrific show and get a workout at the same time." Cycling for the show does require some training. Interested cyclists can contact info@wreckio.com for more details.

Rooftops will play a four-week limited engagement at The Milagro at Clement Soto Velez Cultural Center (107 Suffolk Street, New York, NY 10002). Performances begin Thursday, March 5 and continue through to Saturday, March 28. Tickets are available at www.wreckio.com.

BIKEJUICE was a project born as a group project in a sustainability class at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program. Harnessing the power of human energy and converting it to electrical energy, the project served as an eye-opening educational tool to teach energy conservation to members of the public. On display at ITP's Spring Show in 2007, the bike generated a peak of 160 Watts, sufficient energy to power a 14" television, VCR, an incandescent light bulb, a compact fluorescent bulb, and a fan.

WRECKIO ENSEMBLE THEATER COMPANY produces original and innovative works on social issues through their developing movement technique.

Wreckio integrates the body, mind, and voice in storytelling to stimulate thought, creating a symbiotic relationship between audience and ensemble.

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