Set Design and Construction: Has anyone started to work on The Producers yet?

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Has anyone started to work on The Producers yet?

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Set Design and Construction
Forum Discription: Post your questions or suggestions about designing or building a set here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3271
Printed Date: 11/27/24 at 7:15am
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Topic: Has anyone started to work on The Producers yet?

Posted By: tonyboling
Subject: Has anyone started to work on The Producers yet?
Date Posted: 7/02/08 at 10:31am

Our board is considering it, but I was curious as how to accomplish turning the office white and if anyone planned on using a gigantic mirror or just doing something different?

Even if you're not doing it, how would you do it if you were?

Replies:

Posted By: spikesgirl
Date Posted: 7/07/08 at 4:56pm

We are hoping to grab it for our 09-10 season, but have to say that I haven't had the opportunity to reading the script with any thoughts on how to design it yet. How to accomplish it would really depend upon where the 'white office' first appears. Is there time to do a massive office change? Would it be better suited to taking furniture off and replace with white copies? It might be that the walls have a fake treatment on them that can be easily (and quickly) removed.

I think that we will have to pass on the giant mirror, only because we just don't have the fly space for it and everything else that will have to be done that is more necessary for the show.

With our theater, that may be one of the scenes that we need to play with before moving forward with the design, but I would favor the later scenario. It will all depend upon the timing and, of course, the budget.

Charlie

Posted By: chel
Date Posted: 7/19/08 at 7:02am

If there was time to make a change, I would have Periakoti (I just call them triangles lol) and use 3 or 4 (what ever needed) - one side on each for the regular office and then one turn each for the white office set. If the furniture is positioned in such a way to make this work...half and half furniture.

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chel

www.windhamtheaterguild.org

Posted By: richpc
Date Posted: 7/23/08 at 3:55pm

Just finished photographing the show. They built the same
set twice. Biggest problem was lack of space to move around.
Show was done at Plays in the Park in NJ.
If you have a myspace account I have pictures from the
Producers posted at Myspace.com/richpc
Send a friend request and mention this forum.

And a few more shows that I've recently photographed.

richpc

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richpc

Posted By: richpc
Date Posted: 7/23/08 at 4:04pm

In case you don't have a Myspace account you can also
see the Producer photos here.

http://photosbyrich.fotopic.net/c1546655.html

Thanks,
richpc

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richpc

Posted By: vickifrank
Date Posted: 7/24/08 at 9:35am

The gigantic mirror can be accomplished easiest by live action projection. Camera is recording and playing back at the same time. The tricky part is hiding the camera. I wouldn't suggest the handbuilt mirror alternative (mylar film on flat surface)--they are a bear to polish and get flat and every ripple shows in a magnified way, not to mention the glare issues.

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_____________

http://www.studio-productions-inc.com
1-800-359-2964

The theater scrim people

Posted By: actorgeek
Date Posted: 8/14/08 at 5:24pm

When I saw the show at my local CT, they had made just one office. The walls, doors and moldings were all white. Then they covered the walls with pictures, a clock, and musical posters. When the scene with the white paint came, they had just taken off the pictures, clock, and musical posters and replaced them with the same thing painted white. They finished by replacing the furniture with white look-a-likes.

It worked really well.

Posted By: Russell W
Date Posted: 8/16/08 at 8:34pm

We are in the middle of a run of "The Producers" -- in Surfers Paradise, Australia. Our stage is approximately 12m (wide) X 8m (deep) (or; 40ft X 26ft, if you think in Imperial measurements).

Max's office wall is made in five sections. We have (from stage-right):

* a door flat (white), for the bathroom;
* a Z-frame (one flat wide, one deep, one wide) with a single french door attached. This is a double sided frame;
* a truck-mounted flat (with cupboard for all the old lady pictures, etc...) which has a single french door attached at each end;
* a second Z-frame with a single french door attached; and

* a second door flat (white), for the office entrance.

The middle three sections are dressed identically on both sides. One side is the "standard" office. The other side is the "white" office. The transformation is made during the intermission. The single french doors are moved to the other end of the Z-frame.

Obviously two complete sets of furnishings are necessary; two couches, two office desks, two hat stands, two vases, etc..., etc... One in your "standard" colours and one in "white".

I hope that this does not sound too complicated. It actually works well in practice.

(P.S.: We also have about 250 costumes, too. It is an expensive show to mount!)

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"Without music, the soul is silent.
Without education, the world is dark."
-- Melia Peavey, 1997
(Director, Peavey Electronics Corporation)