Lookie what I built

This took a LOT of work, but my first theater set build as a bonafide Technical Director is done. I received many compliments about its execution this weekend for the opening.

Stage, new seating risers, new curtains, additional wall, lighting truss additions, 37 photos ranging in size from 3x5 up to 4x20 rigged and hung, paint.... I kinda rebuilt the whole place after it was left in disarray.

Just bragging a bit. Cuz that's how I roll. If any of you are in the Harrisburg PA area, come see the show. The Laramie Project. It continues through this weekend.

Looking good!

I got to do some set building a few years back for a show i was in. My budget was pretty much couch cushion change. But it was a pile of fun. I cant imagine how enjoyable that was.

Nice. I haven't seen a scoop in a light plot since about 1995!

Good job!

Wow, that was not what I expected. Great job!

Nicely done!

My son is on the tech side of drama at the local school of the arts. I'll have to be sure to show him this when I get home.

not what I was expecting when I opened this thread.

Nice Job!

Cool.
So, what's going on here?
You said the play is The Laramie Project
Wiki says: The Laramie Project (2000) is a play by Moisés Kaufman...about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming. The murder was denounced as a hate crime and brought attention to the lack of hate crime laws in various states, including Wyoming.

So, I gather that the pictures are specific to this play, trying to set a feel for the open spaces and small town of WY? Before this, I was wondering why there are so many pictures behind the audience.

There seems to be a lot of space between the stage and the first row of seats. That leads me to wonder, are some of the scenes done from this portion of the floor? In other words, not all actors are standing on elevated surfaces?

How many people do you seat, about 100?

The car guy in me can not help to be drawn to the Camaro pictured.

Looks good!

Very cool.

I showed the pictures to my son. He might want your job.

EvanR wrote: Nice. I haven't seen a scoop in a light plot since about 1995!

last time I used a scoop was to heat up some pizza

you set looks good!

Looks good. Tell us more. Time, manpower?

JohnRW1621 wrote: Cool. So, what's going on here? You said the play is The Laramie Project Wiki says: The Laramie Project (2000) is a play by Moisés Kaufman...about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming. The murder was denounced as a hate crime and brought attention to the lack of hate crime laws in various states, including Wyoming. So, I gather that the pictures are specific to this play, trying to set a feel for the open spaces and small town of WY? Before this, I was wondering why there are so many pictures behind the audience.

The pictures are in three basic layers. The outermost layer (nearest the walls) is landscape around Laramie; Laramie peak to the north, prairie to the east, Laramie river west, and the road out of town south. The next layer inward is architectural things from around town; courthouse, school, main street, etc. The innermost layer are people who currently live in Laramie. Whether or not they are actually related to the original 1998 murder case is undefined, but they each have a symbolic link to characters in the play. For instance, there is a character in the show who is a lesbian punk political activist, and the photo of the girl playing guitar might be reminiscent of that character. There is a rancher and his wife who appear as characters and they might be represented by the two people standing at the fence row. The show is very minimalist; there are 8 actors playing something like 84 characters. The way they differentiate their characters (other than acting) is with a hat, jacket, glasses, or something. The pictures I kinda think of as additional costuming; a connection to further link a character to a real person in Laramie.

Important to note, however; I didn't design it. Joshua Rose did. joshbob.info

There seems to be a lot of space between the stage and the first row of seats. That leads me to wonder, are some of the scenes done from this portion of the floor? In other words, not all actors are standing on elevated surfaces?

Correct. The levels of the stage represent self-image or stature. Humble characters tend to be on lower surfaces; limo driver, police detective, ranchers. Higher-statured characters (whether arrogant and self-righteous, or just important in the community) are on higher platforms; college president, arrogant woman, the girl who found the body, etc). There is also some left/right play. Conservative characters tend to be on the right of the stage; liberal on the left. It subconsciously programs the brain what to expect out of a character when the lights come up on an actor.

This show is to be done on a very plain stage; let the actors and dialogue set the timbre. I personally think the platforms are too high for this space, but the designer and the director both love it.

How many people do you seat, about 100?

110... There is room for another 40 chairs if we add a floor row... but we discovered that we only own 120 chairs

OHSCrifle wrote: Looks good. Tell us more. Time, manpower?

Started building on Dec 7th. I was on vacation Dec 20-28, then the show opened Jan 7. It was just me building, but I did have a few days with an extra set of hands. The largest photos are 4' x 20' and I just had no way of hanging those by myself.

The stage platforms were pretty simple and quick; sixteen 4x8 platforms legged up to height and skinned with luan. The new seating risers were easy but very time consuming. 30 of them. The real time was generally making it a theater. All of those black curtains you see behind the photos are concealing large shelves full of props and furniture. I had to hang all those curtains, but not before re-organizing everything. There were chairs stacked in piles on the top shelf 15 feet above audience. One shift and there would have been an avalanche of chairs raining down on guests. The shop was an absolute nightmare. You couldn't walk it was so full of wood scraps, junk, and crap. I called a friend and we spent 6 days cleaning the shop and filled the dumpster 3 times. The previous TD had started living there, so the place looked like a homeless squatter had been crashing in the office.

So as far as time and manpower for the show, its hard to say since the bulk of my time was getting the shop, lobby, theater space, shelving, and lighting sorted. The lighting was basically a roadie box full of crap dumped in it... so was the sound supply.

But quite honestly; 12-14 hours a day, 7 days a week for a month and a half. Not exaggerating.

Thanks for taking the time of the long explanation.
I thought it was cool before you wrote that and now I find it even cooler with the explanation and insight.

curtis73 wrote:

OHSCrifle wrote: Looks good. Tell us more. Time, manpower?

30 of them. The real time was generally making it a theater. All of those black curtains you see behind the photos are concealing large shelves full of props and furniture. I had to hang all those curtains, but not before re-organizing everything.

Didn't realize that you were essentially turning the space into a theater to start with. That's way more work. I figured the curtains, risers, etc were there to begin with.

keethrax wrote:

curtis73 wrote:

OHSCrifle wrote: Looks good. Tell us more. Time, manpower?

30 of them. The real time was generally making it a theater. All of those black curtains you see behind the photos are concealing large shelves full of props and furniture. I had to hang all those curtains, but not before re-organizing everything.

Didn't realize that you were essentially turning the space into a theater to start with. That's way more work. I figured the curtains, risers, etc were there to begin with.

The curtains were pieces of felt and landscape fabric in sizes ranging from 1' tall to 6' tall stapled to the shelves. If you breathed on them heavily, they would tear (rotten). The risers that had been there were excessively large at 4x8, so I did a more realistic 3x8. The old risers had also been terribly constructed. They creaked, only had one support piece in the middle, and some were missing legs.

It kinda wasn't a theater... it was a storage shed that no one had cared to clean for a decade. They just happened to put on shows in the space not caring that it looked like a storage shed. I thought I'd send photos to OSHA for them to put in their glossary beside "nightmare wrapped in tetanus with a side of inadequacy."

Looks great. Glad you're doing something you enjoy!