Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup: 6ft. picture frames for reveals

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6ft. picture frames for reveals

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup
Forum Discription: For how-to's and where-can-I-find
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3013
Printed Date: 6/09/25 at 11:32am
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Topic: 6ft. picture frames for reveals

Posted By: Kim L.
Subject: 6ft. picture frames for reveals
Date Posted: 3/03/08 at 8:13pm

We are doing Pride and Prejudice, which has "reveals" of characters all throughout. My director wants the reveals to occur in 6ft. picture frames, to indicate that the reveals are happening outside of the plot line (if that makes sense). With this being Pride and Prejudice, I would like the frames to be gold. We would need 6 of these frames to accomodate all the reveals. This production is for a home school co-op. My backstage budget is between $3-400 for the whole thing. I really have little money to make these frames. The only idea i have been able to come up with is making the frames out of 4 x 8 sheets of cardboard and brace them with some thin strips of wood. I figured I would create decorative edges and paint them gold. The problem is time. I have so many other things I have volunteered to make for the production. Does anyone have any other ideas for the frames? I think wood would be too heavy and expensive. I just dread making 6 of these things. I'm starting to think that when you have a small budget, what you save with money (in creatively making things) you end up spending in time.

Thanks for any input.

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Kim

Replies:

Posted By: Linda S
Date Posted: 3/04/08 at 7:43am

They have a cheap plastic sort of styrofoam decorative molding at most box stores like Lowes and Home Depot. Even my local lumber yard has it. When I say cheap, I mean cheap. The last time I bought some I paid a 3 dollars for an 8 foot piece. Also, it chips easily, so if you don't need a full piece, or are willing to work around a nick, I have one place that will give it to me for a dollar. It paints up great. You have to be careful with it because it will break, but it is at least as sturdy as cardboard.

Good luck with your show.

Linda

Posted By: neilfortin
Date Posted: 3/04/08 at 8:33am

i think its been said on here about fake food, that with a good paint job...things can look truly realistic. We just finished using some great hard-board insulation (the pink kind) to make the large spaces of stone wall for Cyrano. The best thing about this insulation is that sheet by sheet its really cheap, easy to cut, a little bit sturdier than cardboard, and is moldable with a small blow torch!! We melted the rock pattern into it..painted it up...and it looks amazing! You could melt the fancy design into the pink board, spray it gold, and you would have a great life size picture frame!

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Community Theater makes us smile

Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 3/04/08 at 9:21am

Linda hit the nail on the head. The cheap plastic molding is best.

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Patrick L. Davis
Fort Findlay Playhouse

Posted By: Nanette
Date Posted: 3/04/08 at 9:47am

Okay ... here comes the teacher in me ... Why not get the kids involved and let them cover your cardboard "frames" with dried pasta? Then paint the whole thing gold. (I can imagine spirals around the edges and macaroni lining the rest of it.) It sounds weird, but painted pasta actually looks pretty good from a distance. Your local market may even donate it to you.

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In a world of margarine, be butter!