I'm All Set
When I wasn't out for celebrations I was working on the set for the upcoming show in the Freehold Studio Series. The big project is the flats. For non-theatrical folks, flats are a lightweight frame with a covering, often 1/8" plywood or canvas. They are painted with scenery or to look like walls. I'm using 1/8" hardboard which is a fine, dense particle board. It looks like the ubiquitous pegboard of the 60's and 70's without the holes. I'm using 1"x4" utility lumber for the framework.
I'm building four flats, two 4'x8', and two which are 3'6"x8'. They will be hinged together so I have two pairs. Each pair will consist of one of the wider flats, and one of the three and half foot wide ones. They are to be hinged for folding with the painted sides facing inward, for protection when transporting. The differing widths allow me to add things like light switches and thermostats without having to remove them for folding the flats.
I had to build custom legs, to account for the corner braces, yet allow them to fold into the framework. I am trying to keep the storage space minimal, while keeping them self sufficient. My goal is to be able to carry them into the space, unfold them, swing out the legs, drop sand bags on the legs, and clip the two pairs together giving us an eight foot tall wall, fifteen feet long. My worries? Well, the ceilings in my house are low and I won't be able to see how the damn things look until I get them to the rehearsal space. Will the gaps between the panels look alright, or will I need to recess the hinges to change the tiny gap to a miniscule gap? Will I need to putty the screws before the final coat of paint? Will they line up near enough to perpendicular? I'll only have one pair painted and hinged together for rehearsal on Wednesday. That way I can do the extra preparation up front on the second pair if needed. Typically I am way too picky, and with the time available and tasks to do I don't want to spend the extra time unless it makes a difference.
I also have a table to alter. I built it for The Marlboro Man in 2002. The legs are too short, and the bracing too obtrusive, and it of course needs to be painted. It was built short for a stage on risers, and now needs to be a couple inches taller than standard so the actor can sit under it. The bracing skirt on the front will need to go so the actor can be seen better, and so she won't whack her head.
One of the other bits I need to do is a candle. We aren't allowed to have open flames in this venue, so I'll be modifying a flicker candle. Paula thought all we needed an appropriately painted tube to mount it. I thought about it a little and figured that would be fine for a taper, but for a larger candle I didn't think it would look good. On fat candles the light diffusing through the wax is more apparent. So, I got a mold, wax, and some supplies to pour my own candles. (Guess what I'll be giving away next year for Christmas presents!) The prop candle will have a hollow core to contain the battery and electronics, and should let the flicker light diffuse naturally. I used a flicker candle last year for a peat fire, and it worked great. I had an extra which was broken, but a little solder fixed that, so I didn't have to tear apart the peat log. The theatrical quality flicker candles are a lot more than the Fred Meyer variety and a hundred times better. They actually look like candle flames. So the time to pop it apart and solder the wayward prong back to the little circuit board was time well spent
It's not acting for me in this one, but I surely do enjoy the set design and fabrication work. I think I mentioned before, I've gone from building from rough specs from the director, to actually designing the set. A fusion of my experience backstage, experience and study for onstage work, and my undiminished love of theatre. I may not be going to a matriculating program but I have been getting a well balanced and broad education. It is fun to think of ways to produce an environment, then figure how to implement it. Besides, I keep getting cool tools. Someday, I should look for classes on set design to get more ideas...
I'm building four flats, two 4'x8', and two which are 3'6"x8'. They will be hinged together so I have two pairs. Each pair will consist of one of the wider flats, and one of the three and half foot wide ones. They are to be hinged for folding with the painted sides facing inward, for protection when transporting. The differing widths allow me to add things like light switches and thermostats without having to remove them for folding the flats.
I had to build custom legs, to account for the corner braces, yet allow them to fold into the framework. I am trying to keep the storage space minimal, while keeping them self sufficient. My goal is to be able to carry them into the space, unfold them, swing out the legs, drop sand bags on the legs, and clip the two pairs together giving us an eight foot tall wall, fifteen feet long. My worries? Well, the ceilings in my house are low and I won't be able to see how the damn things look until I get them to the rehearsal space. Will the gaps between the panels look alright, or will I need to recess the hinges to change the tiny gap to a miniscule gap? Will I need to putty the screws before the final coat of paint? Will they line up near enough to perpendicular? I'll only have one pair painted and hinged together for rehearsal on Wednesday. That way I can do the extra preparation up front on the second pair if needed. Typically I am way too picky, and with the time available and tasks to do I don't want to spend the extra time unless it makes a difference.
I also have a table to alter. I built it for The Marlboro Man in 2002. The legs are too short, and the bracing too obtrusive, and it of course needs to be painted. It was built short for a stage on risers, and now needs to be a couple inches taller than standard so the actor can sit under it. The bracing skirt on the front will need to go so the actor can be seen better, and so she won't whack her head.
One of the other bits I need to do is a candle. We aren't allowed to have open flames in this venue, so I'll be modifying a flicker candle. Paula thought all we needed an appropriately painted tube to mount it. I thought about it a little and figured that would be fine for a taper, but for a larger candle I didn't think it would look good. On fat candles the light diffusing through the wax is more apparent. So, I got a mold, wax, and some supplies to pour my own candles. (Guess what I'll be giving away next year for Christmas presents!) The prop candle will have a hollow core to contain the battery and electronics, and should let the flicker light diffuse naturally. I used a flicker candle last year for a peat fire, and it worked great. I had an extra which was broken, but a little solder fixed that, so I didn't have to tear apart the peat log. The theatrical quality flicker candles are a lot more than the Fred Meyer variety and a hundred times better. They actually look like candle flames. So the time to pop it apart and solder the wayward prong back to the little circuit board was time well spent
It's not acting for me in this one, but I surely do enjoy the set design and fabrication work. I think I mentioned before, I've gone from building from rough specs from the director, to actually designing the set. A fusion of my experience backstage, experience and study for onstage work, and my undiminished love of theatre. I may not be going to a matriculating program but I have been getting a well balanced and broad education. It is fun to think of ways to produce an environment, then figure how to implement it. Besides, I keep getting cool tools. Someday, I should look for classes on set design to get more ideas...
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