Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Help! Fake bookcase!!

Message

   We are performing Death by chocolate and need a fake 

bookcase for characters to come in and out of.  Our set is 

minimal because we need to clear the stage after every 

rehearsal.  We are using cloth and tubing to put wings and a 

background up.  It would be ideal to have a cloth with a 

bookshelf painted on, but I can't find anyone who is able to 

paint such a thing.  Is there something somewhere I can buy? 

Does anyone know?  

Author	Message
lrundear Walk-On Joined: 8/09/05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Topic: Help! Fake bookcase!! Posted: 8/09/05 at 3:40pm
	We are performing Death by chocolate and need a fake bookcase for characters to come in and out of. Our set is minimal because we need to clear the stage after every rehearsal. We are using cloth and tubing to put wings and a background up. It would be ideal to have a cloth with a bookshelf painted on, but I can't find anyone who is able to paint such a thing. Is there something somewhere I can buy? Does anyone know?

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Kathy S Celebrity Joined: 8/21/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 303	Posted: 8/10/05 at 1:27am
	I don't know if this will help you, but here is a fast and easy way to create a "bookcase" that can hang on the wall, or perhaps could be rigged to pivot on a center point if that is what you need. The one thing it will do is to save you hours and hours of detailed painting. Buy a roll of wallpaper border with a pattern of library books on it. We found some in a Diamond Vogel store several years ago and pasted it to a sheet of Masonite board in rows which were staggered to not repeat the same way each time.
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tblan Lead Joined: 8/10/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 36	Posted: 8/10/05 at 9:47pm
	Another option is to paint a sheet of 3/4" ply the with horizontal lines (shelves) and a outerframe to look like a book case. Then cut pieces of lauan of various sizes to look like spines of books and paint them in a bunch of different colors. Finally staple the lauan "books" onto the painted "shelves". We did this in a large scale production fo Disney's Beauty and the Beast with much success. The only difference was we used massive hard cover flats instead of sheets of ply.
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lrundear Walk-On Joined: 8/09/05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 8/11/05 at 11:49am
	Thank you so much!!
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Topper Celebrity Joined: 1/27/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 543	Posted: 8/11/05 at 6:05pm
	Great idea, tblan! And if cutting individual pieces of lauan is too time-consuming or expensive, then merely cut three or four at different sizes and use them as printing blocks. Dip the blocks of luaun into paint and transfer the prints onto the painted shelves. Vary your pattern and colors as you see fit. Good luck.
	"None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone
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TechieOfDoom Walk-On Joined: 11/01/05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 11/01/05 at 9:55pm
	well for dracula we put our bookcases(we constructed actual bookcases out of luaun and plywood) on a wagon (we had two bookcases, one "real" and one "fake") and we attached castors to the bottom of our fake one and attached hinges to it so it swung inward like a door. (its hard to explain but if need be i can send pics) ... as for deco we used real books and knick knacks
	Fortune cookie says:"'actions speak louder than words' [in bed]" Dave: "I dont have to talk to myself in bed, because actions speak louder than words!"
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MartyW Celebrity Joined: 2/02/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 555	Posted: 11/02/05 at 9:41am
	All of the above are tried and true for the bookcase proper... Some other options we have used for the books are... assorted card board food boxes. (your moring Wheaties, or box of favorite crackers..) cut down to a few inches deep and painted to look like book spines. Also, and my favorite, is to take old books and take the chop saw too them, saving only the last inch or so with the spine... both options really cut down on the weight of the overall unit..
	Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.."
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castMe Celebrity Joined: 11/02/05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 206	Posted: 11/04/05 at 6:07pm
	We have also used different sizes of half round molding to replicate book spines. Vary the sizes and don't forget to lay some "books" down and lean some at an angle against standing books.
	Investigate. Imagine. Choose.
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Julien Walk-On Joined: 11/04/05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 11/04/05 at 6:11pm
	if it needs to be light, try using large peices of styrofaom with that book wallpaper attached to the front, it will greatly lessen the load of all that wood, and it will look the same.
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