Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: scenes as pages in book

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   Need help!  We are doing Emperor's New Clothes, wanted to "turn pages of book" to do scenes.  
The thought for the set is to make a huge book where the pages turn. Originally we were going to borrow a hanging rack from a carpet store that rugs hang on and put the painted canvases on the racks. However, that arrangement fell through. I am now trying to come up with new solutions on making the book. My backup plan is to construct wooden frames (10x10 or 10x12) on wheels and then stretch muslin canvas across the frames and paint the scenery onto it. These frames would somehow attach together and make a book. 
Here are my problems with this design – 
1.    I am unsure of how to connect the panels to turn the pages (we need 8 pgs that turn total) 
2.    The entire set has to be transported in a u-haul to each location that we compete at 
3.    I am afraid this construction will look flimsy and not result in the effect that we are going for

ANY AND ALL ADVICE APPRECIATED!
We're willing to buy something, just need to know what & where!!

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okla-hs-drama Walk-On Joined: 9/03/10 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 1	Topic: scenes as pages in book Posted: Yesterday at 6:18pm
	Need help! We are doing Emperor's New Clothes, wanted to "turn pages of book" to do scenes. The thought for the set is to make a huge book where the pages turn. Originally we were going to borrow a hanging rack from a carpet store that rugs hang on and put the painted canvases on the racks. However, that arrangement fell through. I am now trying to come up with new solutions on making the book. My backup plan is to construct wooden frames (10x10 or 10x12) on wheels and then stretch muslin canvas across the frames and paint the scenery onto it. These frames would somehow attach together and make a book. Here are my problems with this design – 1. I am unsure of how to connect the panels to turn the pages (we need 8 pgs that turn total) 2. The entire set has to be transported in a u-haul to each location that we compete at 3. I am afraid this construction will look flimsy and not result in the effect that we are going for ANY AND ALL ADVICE APPRECIATED! We're willing to buy something, just need to know what & where!!

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JoeMc Celebrity Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 675	Posted: Yesterday at 10:21pm
	Besides you rug rack idea, which is quite good. You could consider producing a set of Booked Flats, skinned with calico [muslin] or panel board on both sides, as with soft flats or hard board 'studio' style flats, making it four double skin flats, +/- the front & back cover. [the back flat could be fixed & french braced [jack type stage brace] to give stability & anchor to allow the books page movements. http://theatre.sjsu.edu/~culley/PartsFlat.html Further the use of the slip pin hinges, will help with putting the flats together during bump in/out [get in/out] at each venue http://www.doughty-engineering.co.uk/cgi-bin/trolleyed_public.cgi?action=showprod_T61700 Also instead of castors it would be far easier, that is if the stage decks are flush, is to apply strips of old deep pyled carpet to the bottom rails of the flats. The old carpet strips are fixed with the pyle down, to face the deck surface. This would make it easier in paging each page of the booked flats, without the hastle & bulk of all the castors for each of the pages. There again have a think about using Cortec Scenery cardboard flats, which would reduce the the thickness of the book. Edited by JoeMc - Today at 4:31am
	[western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!}
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Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup
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