Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Newbie Needs Help with a Fireplace & Piano

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imaginatory
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Topic: Newbie Needs Help with a Fireplace & Piano
Posted: 10/30/07 at 10:19am

Hi,

My little kids theater company is doing a medley of Christmas scenes and I need to build a lightweight fireplace and a mock piano that I can set an electric key board on. Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.

Joyfully,

Barb

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neilfortin
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Joined: 11/20/06
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Posted: 10/30/07 at 4:10pm

Hey! We use paper mache to build rock/brick looking things all the time. We have build beautiful field stone fireplaces that look incredibly real with paper mache rocks. Mix up your paper mache and paste it onto a flat, or MDF in rock like shapes, then paint to look like rocks, this can be built/used to create any type of fireplace shape that you need. We have also used old mantlepieces to make great fireplaces, with fake brick on the inside and one of those flickering cloth fake fire lamps that come out around halloween.

http://campkiwanee.com/drama2.htm

If you scroll down an look at the Murder at Town Meeting picture you will see one of the fireplaces we created.

good luck!

Community Theater makes us smile

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JoeMc
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Posted: 10/30/07 at 9:09pm

Have a look at the First Page Article on the Greenroom site here;-

Fireplace article;-

http://www.communitytheater.org/how_to/fireplac.htm

And also look at this site;-

Cardboard King stage Scenery;-

http://www.geocities.com/cbking43/cardboardkingpage1.html
This may give some idea for the Piano?

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

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imaginatory
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Posted: 10/31/07 at 2:38pm

This is great...my brain is moving now!

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JoeMc
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Posted: 11/01/07 at 2:26am

For the piano if it's just an upright 'joanna' I would think a similar size topless Shocked

flat wooden crate. turned on it's side, with castors fitted on it's under side. Then make a shelf to acomodate the keyboard & tart it up with either ply profiles or cardbord, to give it the contour shape.
would be easier enough.

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

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imaginatory
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Posted: 11/02/07 at 9:28am

I got the fireplace mantle done out of cardboard and plan to work on the piano today...JoeMc ...your idea is pretty much what I'm doing ( or hope to do : )) I am going to use the cardboard because kids have to move the set pieces pretty quickly. Basically we're black box theater and the set changes are choreographed so the actors do it.

Only 25 days until the show ... whew!

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Kim L.
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Joined: 2/03/07
Location: United States
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Posts: 86

Posted: 12/05/07 at 8:06pm

It is funny I saw your post. We are a week away from production of Little Women. We had to build both a fireplace (light weight) and a piano.

The fireplace came out magnificent. I used cardboard. I took double thickness cardboard and glued two pieces together to form the front and sides of the wood fireplace. I then made moulding out of cardboard and faux finished it to look like wood grain with a varnish finish. I am using a wood shelf so that we can put candlesticks and a clock on the mantle.

Someone else volunteered to make the piano. I have my doubts about how it is going to turn out. I like the crate or pallette idea.

Kim

Kim

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Set Design and Construction
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Set Design and Construction

Topic: Newbie Needs Help with a Fireplace & Piano( Topic Closed)

Author	Message
imaginatory Walk-On Joined: 10/30/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Topic: Newbie Needs Help with a Fireplace & Piano Posted: 10/30/07 at 10:19am
	Hi, My little kids theater company is doing a medley of Christmas scenes and I need to build a lightweight fireplace and a mock piano that I can set an electric key board on. Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated. Joyfully, Barb

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neilfortin Celebrity Joined: 11/20/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 210	Posted: 10/30/07 at 4:10pm
	Hey! We use paper mache to build rock/brick looking things all the time. We have build beautiful field stone fireplaces that look incredibly real with paper mache rocks. Mix up your paper mache and paste it onto a flat, or MDF in rock like shapes, then paint to look like rocks, this can be built/used to create any type of fireplace shape that you need. We have also used old mantlepieces to make great fireplaces, with fake brick on the inside and one of those flickering cloth fake fire lamps that come out around halloween. http://campkiwanee.com/drama2.htm If you scroll down an look at the Murder at Town Meeting picture you will see one of the fireplaces we created. good luck!
	Community Theater makes us smile
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JoeMc Celebrity Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 832	Posted: 10/30/07 at 9:09pm
	Have a look at the First Page Article on the Greenroom site here;- Fireplace article;- http://www.communitytheater.org/how_to/fireplac.htm And also look at this site;- Cardboard King stage Scenery;- http://www.geocities.com/cbking43/cardboardkingpage1.html This may give some idea for the Piano?
	[western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!}
	IP Logged

imaginatory Walk-On Joined: 10/30/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 10/31/07 at 2:38pm
	This is great...my brain is moving now!
	IP Logged

JoeMc Celebrity Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 832	Posted: 11/01/07 at 2:26am
	For the piano if it's just an upright 'joanna' I would think a similar size topless flat wooden crate. turned on it's side, with castors fitted on it's under side. Then make a shelf to acomodate the keyboard & tart it up with either ply profiles or cardbord, to give it the contour shape. would be easier enough.
	[western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!}
	IP Logged

imaginatory Walk-On Joined: 10/30/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 11/02/07 at 9:28am
	I got the fireplace mantle done out of cardboard and plan to work on the piano today...JoeMc ...your idea is pretty much what I'm doing ( or hope to do : )) I am going to use the cardboard because kids have to move the set pieces pretty quickly. Basically we're black box theater and the set changes are choreographed so the actors do it. Only 25 days until the show ... whew!
	IP Logged

Kim L. Star Joined: 2/03/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 86	Posted: 12/05/07 at 8:06pm
	It is funny I saw your post. We are a week away from production of Little Women. We had to build both a fireplace (light weight) and a piano. The fireplace came out magnificent. I used cardboard. I took double thickness cardboard and glued two pieces together to form the front and sides of the wood fireplace. I then made moulding out of cardboard and faux finished it to look like wood grain with a varnish finish. I am using a wood shelf so that we can put candlesticks and a clock on the mantle. Someone else volunteered to make the piano. I have my doubts about how it is going to turn out. I like the crate or pallette idea. Kim
	Kim
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