Set Design and Construction: Thoroughly Modern Millie Elevator

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Thoroughly Modern Millie Elevator

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=3946
Printed Date: 11/23/24 at 4:59pm
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Topic: Thoroughly Modern Millie Elevator

Posted By: Bbentler
Subject: Thoroughly Modern Millie Elevator
Date Posted: 4/14/09 at 3:30pm

I am currently directing a production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. We need to figure out how to the elevator (we cannot do a lighting technique). Any ideas of how to rig this to go up and down? We have a welder. I am also open to a different sort of contraption. I've checked out Flying by Foy and it would cost around $3500. That's just not an option. Help from anyone! :D

Replies:

Posted By: ddave
Date Posted: 4/16/09 at 10:31pm

How far does it have to travel?
How big?

Posted By: Bbentler
Date Posted: 4/17/09 at 12:37am

It has to travel about half the height of the the proscenium in order for to be effective I would imagine, but i'm open to anything. It has to hold two young ladies then tap dance on it.

Posted By: David McCall
Date Posted: 4/17/09 at 12:52pm

lifting an actor off of the stage can really be a dangerous thing to do.

You really need to have someone that is a professional (insured) rigger.

Lacking a rigger, I would want to consider another option. If it is to be a

modern fully enclosed elevator, then I'm not sure what I would do,

However if it is an elevator that you can see through as in an old

freight elevator or those cage like elevators then I might consider

putting a screen behind it and projecting the movement with video.

David

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David M

Posted By: Bbentler
Date Posted: 4/19/09 at 10:13pm

I am willing to get a rigger to do what they need to do if that is what has to be done. I was thinking about what other ideas might be out there. It's an old fashioned elevator luckily so that should help with the process.

Posted By: Bbentler
Date Posted: 4/27/09 at 8:15am

Any other ideas?

Posted By: GracieGarland
Date Posted: 4/27/09 at 3:54pm

http://www.cougarsalesrental.com/Rentals.aspx - www.cougarsalesrental.com/Rentals.aspx

I don't know anything about rigging but this came to mind. You could skirt it on the bottom and the fabric could grow as they go up? I'm sure they come in all sizes and you could build around it to look like an elevator? The have these at our local rental place. They come a lot smaller than the image included on this page. Hope this helps.

Posted By: Bbentler
Date Posted: 4/29/09 at 6:47am

Are there any of these devices that could be quiet going up or do you think we would be dealing with lots of noise?

Posted By: ddave
Date Posted: 4/29/09 at 7:54pm

After much contemplation I came up with this:

Get a hydraulic lift table or 2 - depends on the size of elevator. (one would be simpler to control)
Build & bolt the "elevator" to the top.

Manual pump I have one that was under $200.

Downside, it would not move smoothly.

Electric pump cost more, but you have everything.

Depending on $ and skills - Remote the manual pump with a long hydraulic line. This could be done with an electric one also, if it was too noisy. For this to work, the pump and cylinder need to be seperate parts.

Here are a bunch for ideas:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatDsp?storeId=6970&N=1541+774733&cm_ven=natural&cm_cat=netconcepts&cm_pla=Google&cm_ite=lift%2Btable

It might also be possible to build or modify one to make it wider since you have a welder.

Posted By: Bbentler
Date Posted: 4/30/09 at 1:02pm

These sound like great ideas. I will definately look into the hydraulic pump idea. I wonder how high one of these could go? Do you think a scissor lift would be too noisy? Those are run with a motor not with hydraulics if I remember correctly.

Posted By: ddave
Date Posted: 4/30/09 at 8:01pm

The first one on the link goes 12" to 52". The single stage one I have gets to about 36". That would be different for each model, but they list the low & high limits in the descriptions.

A lot of the car parts stores carry the lift tables also, so you could get a look at one.

The last scissor lift I was near was electric - hydraulic. Made a moderate whirring noise to raise. Fairly quiet going down.