Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe set

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   Hello all!  I am new the forum and would love some advice.

I am directing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and have questions about how to create the set.

First, let me describe our stage.  It is in a high school gym.  It's very old and small.  We have no fly space, no wing space, and only a front curtain.  I'm sure I hardly need to add that we are on a very low budget :)

My basic concept is a rather open stage with the essentials of a forest--trees, and hopefully a few levels.  The various locations will be represented by small, lightweight set pieces.  Here are my questions for now:

1.  I like the idea of projecting the White Witch's castle on a scrim, but we have no fly space.  We have a suspeded ceiling from which nothing can be hung.  Any ideas on how to support a scrim in such a situation?  In this sort of open setting would it look weird to have a scrim?  Also, could someone explain in very simple terms how to use a projector for this situation?  The only projector I have ever used was the one in high school math class that sat on my teacher's desk.

2.  I'd like to have a few levels to help indicate various locales.  I'm planning to use our show choir's portable risers (they come in 3 heights) but I would like to cover them somehow to look like the ground of the forest.  They are wooden with metal legs.  So far my only thought would be muslin dyed and draped over them.  We are not allowed to paint them or do any permanent to them.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

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sodak79 Walk-On Joined: 2/13/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Topic: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe set Posted: 2/13/08 at 9:09pm
	Hello all! I am new the forum and would love some advice. I am directing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and have questions about how to create the set. First, let me describe our stage. It is in a high school gym. It's very old and small. We have no fly space, no wing space, and only a front curtain. I'm sure I hardly need to add that we are on a very low budget :) My basic concept is a rather open stage with the essentials of a forest--trees, and hopefully a few levels. The various locations will be represented by small, lightweight set pieces. Here are my questions for now: 1. I like the idea of projecting the White Witch's castle on a scrim, but we have no fly space. We have a suspeded ceiling from which nothing can be hung. Any ideas on how to support a scrim in such a situation? In this sort of open setting would it look weird to have a scrim? Also, could someone explain in very simple terms how to use a projector for this situation? The only projector I have ever used was the one in high school math class that sat on my teacher's desk. 2. I'd like to have a few levels to help indicate various locales. I'm planning to use our show choir's portable risers (they come in 3 heights) but I would like to cover them somehow to look like the ground of the forest. They are wooden with metal legs. So far my only thought would be muslin dyed and draped over them. We are not allowed to paint them or do any permanent to them. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

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JoeMc Celebrity Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 832	Posted: 2/14/08 at 6:01am
	Is the ceiling made up of panels, that can be lifted up or pulled out? If so check out the type of anchors used for the suspension hangers. it will probably be either from a roof truss grid or bolted into a cement floor above! Could you orginise to pop up a few that would allow Droppers [rope, cable or chain] thru to dead hang the scrim head batten from. With the projection of the castle, I assume there is not a lot of space upstage of the scrim for rear projection. If so you can utalise a mirror to bounce the image from off stage. You can use an ordinary slide projector, with the mirror you can get upto 1:15 image increase. You may have to experiment a bit & play around, with framing up by using masking. Failing a slide projector, a overhead projection unit, can be redirected at the mirror, to achieve the same outcome. By rear projection this will reduce the need to direct the FOH ['Y' position] lighting or ['X' postion] overhead light wash, to defuse the image on the cloth. Also block your warm props away from the projected image & creating shadows. Also you could pass the hat around & get the parents to fill t it & boost your buget! Enabling you to hire in an image pro & profile lamp or a Selecon Pacific lamp. The Selecon because of it's design, will alow you to use plastic mylar printed images, as Gobo's. With the risers, you can use clamps to tie them togeter. Or if your using multiple ones as a rostra. 'tie down' cargo ratchet straps, are good as wrap around tention strap. To hold the risers together. Then you can dress it with a painted or dyed calico [muslin] over lay, without fear of them moving if they the risers are walked on.
	[western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!}
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stagechild Walk-On Joined: 5/15/08 Location: Canada Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 5/16/08 at 3:24pm
	I haven't done this show yet, but I plan to do it eventually. 2 things: 1) For the risers you could put a chicken wire mold going over them and then paper mache and paint them to look like snow/ground. Make sure no one steps on them or they will break. 2) A cool idea would be to have it snow. This can be quite easily accomplished with a bubble-machine. We had one placed above our stage for 'The Wizard of Oz' and it made very small bubbles which ressembled snow. Being in a gymnasium, you could put them on platforms above the audience or the stage to have it snow on the audience or on the actors.
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spikesgirl Celebrity Joined: 3/30/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 129	Posted: 5/17/08 at 9:31am
	Another thought on the snow. We used 1/2" foam (bought very reasonably from an auto upholstry shop) and sprayed one side of it (granted we were doing the sand dunes at Petra, but the principle is the same). Then we used C clamps to hold down 1" x 4" pine and stapled into that. The nice thing about foam is that is someone steps wrong, it springs back into place. You'll have to seal the side you're going to paint with spray adhesive and then paint away. It was quick and easy and we had tons of foam for upcoming projects. Charlie
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JoeMc Celebrity Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 832	Posted: 5/17/08 at 6:56pm
	I think the most important thing to me, would be to remove the ceiling over the stage area. If it is of course a suspended ceiling, this makes it very easy. We are going thru a similar problem, with our new refurbished venue. Even though we had extensive discussions & agreement from the 'Daffodil Man', our extremely aesthetics Archy'tech. We still have the ceiling, to which he put in an array of pot lights. Further he has used the roof void, above the stage. to house the air conditioning plant. But we are prepared to work around that, by removing the pot lights. Utilising their circuits to give us Blue/show mode work lighting. Also using the 2 RSJ's supporting the Air Con, to suspend a grid from. Further over time the ceiling will go missing & do a 'walk about', some time or other? So even in the worst gymeatres & conceived spaces, there is a lot that can be easily accomplished. Back on topic, I'm not a great fan of plastic foam. In fact I hate the stuff, to the point I will chuck all of it in the rubbish bin. With any flame, even utilising retardants, it will revert to it's original form of la liquid petrol product. Thus perpetuating any flames! It is great stuff for actually starting fires, as I'm sure most Pyro Maniacs will advise. If you don't peg out from the fumes, you will most certainly be flambéed! Anyhow it is not that difficult or costly to make your own rostra's. I'm sure among your parents, you would find a Chippy or enthusiastic DIY bod. They are simple to produce, on the gate leg principle. Which also fold away for storage, which takes only the same area, as much as docking away flats. This becomes a reusable resource, much the same as people, except they are not fed & watered. I'd stick to using Calico [as you may call 'Muslin'] crumpled to represent snow drifts. adding wallpaper size or 'White PVA glue' [what ever brand is over there?] in the paint to firm it up.
	[western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!}
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Set Design and Construction
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Topic: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe set( Topic Closed)