I saw this show at the Erie Playhouse, and for the dance scene they put together essentially a large wagon with a trough and a lampost; the whole thing was placed down center so it only had to rain in one limited spot. I can't remember whether the rain came from the contraption itself or whether it "rained" from higher up, but the point was that it was all a fairly self-contained unit. The dance was a little cramped, but it did rain! You might want to check with the Erie Playhouse (www.erieplayhouse.com) and see if anyone there will tell you how they did it.

I did a design of this effect by taking a three hundred gallon tank of fresh water and locating it above the stage. The water was temperature regulated for the comfort of the actors. Low-pressure pumps moved the water from the tank through two large pipes to a copper manifold that contained nozzles of sorts located every 18 inches along the line. This allowed the rain to be “shaped” or custom designed to achieve the look they were after in a specific scene. Each pipe was also individually controlled to offer additional “shaping” of the rainfall patterns. Basically, a solenoid valve was opened on cue for the rain to start falling. Of particular note, for health reasons, the water was always fresh and never recycled. After the first tech with the system, we realized that unwanted water continued to drip for the rest of the show because of the residual left in the manifold and distribution system. To solve this problem, after the effect ran, compressed air was blown through the plumbing to evacuate the lines of any residual water to prevent water droplets from falling off cue.

The floor of the stage obviously received the water or rainfall and contained curbs to direct the water to the drains. Small rises were installed in the floor to make puddles for the actors to make a splash when they were stomped. The floor of the rain stage was raked and made of waterproof plywood. A layer of rubber roofing material was laid down to prevent leaks to the stage floor. It then received a coating of material containing epoxy and sand to make it durable, skid-proof and attractive.

Bil K

Fiat Lux!

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"The Director is simply the audience.......
His job is to preside over accidents."

Orson Welles

I don't have any drawings, but may be able to recall some stuff. I think we are close in location. Please contact me off-line at FiatLux@email.com.

Cheers,

Bil K