Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Seussical Backdrop

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podiumEH
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Topic: Seussical Backdrop
Posted: 9/25/09 at 3:14pm

We are looking for a Seussical backdrop. I have seen the ones through Grosh. But really hate to rent for that price since it is a simpler backdrop. I have people who can paint it but not sure where to get the muslin or canvas. Whether to use canvas or muslin. We have access to billboard material but it isn't certified fire retardant. If we use muslin how to sew it together so it doesn't look sewn together. So many questions... Thanks

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Gaafa
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Posted: 9/25/09 at 8:55pm

When I use calico/muslin or whatever, I try to get the widest available. This reduces the number of panels need to be cut from the cloths length, required to suit the stage width & the number of strip panel widths for the drops height.

Lay the panels out across the stage so the tail of the head panel, overlaps the head of the next panel for the seam. Two part epox glue works well & dries faily fast. Have the overlap downwards on the drop, so paint cannot pool in seam.

Run the seams lateraly across the stage, to reduce puckering & the panel lines are easier ro paint in as the horizon or building line.

If you run the panels up & down, the weight of the next panel will pull unevenly & create puckers. While laterley the whole seam takes the wieght evenly of each panel, thus spreading the whole drops weight evenly on each seam.

Make folded provisions for a tail pocket to hold a pipe. Fold over extra as a tail skirt, this will cover any uneveness of the stage deck.

Fold over & glue down about one inch at the head, so a hession webing strip can be glued along on to the header fold, to take the efelets for the head baten ties.

The eyelets & aplicator tool can be bought at any local camping or hardware shop. I find it easier to start at the center of the drop cloths reinforced header strip & place the eyelets evenly apart, at about 2' incriments from the cloths centre. Ensuring there is two together at each end, to tie of & stop any cloth travel along the head baten.

With the ties I prefer to use black cloth sash cord rather than plastic rope, which is a pain & tends to come undone. Check there enough cord lenght to take a Larks head [girth] & bow knots along with the wrap around the head baten folded in half as well - about 3' would normal do for each tie. If you get an 18" board or the back of a suitable chair & wrap the cord around the number of times required. Then cut the wrapped cords on one side.

Find a different colour piece of cord to go into the centre eyelet, this makes it easier when loading the cloth onto the centre of the fly batten, so the drop is centred on the stage or as required.

In the tail pocket you could put an eyelet at ech end to tie of on to the tail baten [pipe] to tention the cloth.

If you don't want to go to all that palarva, use releasable black plastic cable ties , which are cheap enough to buy.

You could make up your own cloth stretchers easily enough from to pieces of ply, metal thread bolt, washers & wing nut. That can be achored off stage to keep the cloth flat or get some plastic Hold On's from a theatre supplier.

Sorry if I drivel on, I find it easier to show 'n do rather than explain. I wished I was young enough to understand, how to place drawings on my posts?

I generaly get the calico from upholstry suppliers, which is cheaper, as it's used to cover under lounge chairs, but if there is a furniture maker localy, they might be willing to donate a roll for a few comps.

I'm sure Vicki Franks

would be able to help you with backdrops/Scrims, Matterial & ideas.

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

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Mr. Lowell
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Posted: 9/25/09 at 9:52pm

I did Seussical last year and I rented the entire "show package" of beautiful backdrops from Kenmark.

I don't know if they will allow you to rent just one of them though.

Regarding muslin drops, believe me, it will be virtually impossible for any of us to sew a drop ourselves. This is something worth paying professionals to do. The best in the country for inexpensive high-quality muslin drops is Stage Decoration.

If you do make your own drops, law requires they have flame retardant. Stage Dec also sells 5 gallon buckets of flame proofing that you can apply yourself with a sprayer.

Good luck with it! -Dana

By the way, here are photos of my production of "Seussical".

Mr. Lowell,
Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director,
for the Linda Sloan Theatre,
in the Davison Center for the Arts,
at Greensboro Day School

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podiumEH
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Posted: 9/27/09 at 7:47pm

Wow- I wish I had you nearby

Do you prefer muslin over canvas?

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podiumEH
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Posted: 9/27/09 at 8:11pm

Has anyone ever done a backdrop using outdoor billboard material?

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Gaafa
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Posted: 9/27/09 at 8:44pm

Originally posted by Mr. Lowell

If you do make your own drops, law requires they have flame retardant. Stage Dec also sells 5 gallon buckets of flame proofing that you can apply yourself with a sprayer.

Thanks Dana I forgot to mention the Fire Retardant!

This is something that has only been enacted here recently, under the H&S Act.

Fire retardant applied to stage materials, is something I have been pushing for years, especialy in theatre. Not that any of the Am/Proeatrs here, bother with it, for Flats, Drops, Drapes & costumes. I suppose it will take a major fire & having thier Insurance claims knocked back. To eventualy wake up my fellow lay back Ocker sandgropers!

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

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Mr. Lowell
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Posted: 9/28/09 at 10:50am

Originally posted by podiumEH

Has anyone ever done a backdrop using outdoor billboard material?

Yes, I did all the backdrops for a large studio production of "West Side Story" using gigantic photos printed by a local billboard company. They thought I was crazy! I was the first theatre person to ever request such a thing.

This was in 2001. I took digital photos of rustic exterior locations downtown, such as old brick buildings with grafitti and the underside of an old iron railroad bridge, etc... Then they blew them up to 20 feet wide by 10 feet tall!

They printed them on heavy stock paper in 5 foot wide rolls, so I had to piece them back together and staple them to my large flats. I think I had 7 different scenes and it cost me about $1,500.00 for printing...(which is about what I spend on muslin backdrop rentals for a musical anyway). The effect worked great!...and I still have the pictures rolled up in my office.

But nowadays the billboard companies mostly use vinyl drops for outdoor signs. So, while it might be more expensive, your vinyl images would be much easier to hang...and would last forever...so you could recoup costs by renting them out.

Good luck with it! -Dana

Mr. Lowell,
Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director,
for the Linda Sloan Theatre,
in the Davison Center for the Arts,
at Greensboro Day School

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David McCall
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Posted: 9/28/09 at 11:05am

How did you flameproof the paper prints?

David M

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Mr. Lowell
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Posted: 9/28/09 at 4:58pm

Originally posted by David McCall

How did you flameproof the paper prints?

Hi David,

It was a pain in the butt, frankly. We used paint rollers...(the really fluffy kind)...and "dry-rolled" liquid flame proofing onto the back sides of all the posters.

The stuff comes in large 5 gallon cans and is called "New York Fireshield Chemical". I got if from Stage Decoration for about $180 a can, I think. You have to tip the can over and shake it well because the "salt" solids tend to settle in the can during shipping. (I ruled out using Hudson sprayers or Wagner sprayers because I didn't want the "rain drop" pock marks all over the paper).

I stapled the posters upside down and rolled the FR on very lightly. I had a sheet of plywood next to my paint pan as a "test area" for the roller after each time I dipped it in the pan. That way it went on evenly each time. But if the roller got too flattened out and hard, I replaced it with a new one.

The thick poster paper did not show the wrinkles on the front side as bad as you might think. However, (since I was Lighting Designer too), I had to focus specials on each of the backdrops. These were very low-angle lekos shooting straight in at the image areas from the audiences' sight line. This acted to fill any shadows from ripples in the poster paper.

Gladly they have vinyl billboards now, so if I ever had scenery printed again, I wouldn't have that particular hassle.

*HOWEVER, are vinyl banners inherently FR?! And what about that mylar rain curtain I used in Pippin in 2000? Obviously the liquid flame retardent does not stick to vinyl and mylar. So what's the deal on those materials...?

Hey, I think I will start a new thread here about this...

Mr. Lowell,
Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director,
for the Linda Sloan Theatre,
in the Davison Center for the Arts,
at Greensboro Day School

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podiumEH
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Posted: 9/28/09 at 9:53pm

If we use the FR heavy weight Muslin (found a good price through rosebrand.com) can it be repainted and reused for a furure show or is it one time only use?

As for the vinyl billboard- we have access to used billboards for free. We'd have to paint it ourselves. Not sure what type of paint would adhere and hanging it could be a nightmare. But we'd need a letter from the manufacturer that it is fire retardant for our insurance. So that is probably out.... Sorry I am rambling

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