Set Design and Construction: trap door out of an orchestra pit?

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trap door out of an orchestra pit?

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Set Design and Construction
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URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4129
Printed Date: 11/24/24 at 2:28pm
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Topic: trap door out of an orchestra pit?

Posted By: Kim L.
Subject: trap door out of an orchestra pit?
Date Posted: 7/16/09 at 8:57pm

I am going to be doing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. For the Nut Room Scene, it would be cool to have Veruca give the illusion of falling into the nut hatch by having her slide down a slide that goes into a trap in the stage. I just looked at a theatre I would like to rent. It does not have a trap. But, it does have an apron that can have the floor removed to become an orchestra pit. Therefore, underneath the stage is space for people to stand up in.

The way the apron stage transforms into the orchestra pit is by removing panels on the stage floor. Anyone have ideas of how I could do this? Could I replace the stage floor panel with a panel that has a door in it? Would that be safe??

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Kim

Replies:

Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 7/17/09 at 4:31am

Depending on the venue & type of structure of the false floor, this may be a giant headache. The simplest things, is to ask the venue manadement, if this is possible?

I feel it may fall into the Health & safety area, if it can be effected easily.

Which ever way, it would cost, on top of the hire fee to have it done on bump in & then returned back to 'Square One' on bump out!

This would be of course at an hourly rate & may extend your venue hire & cost more for Insurance coverage &/or Indemnity!

Have her slide off stage or into a set piece of a machine - much cheaper.

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Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

Posted By: David McCall
Date Posted: 7/17/09 at 11:58am

I would expect that the slide should go well into the pit to give stage hands the time to stop her and help her get off the slide safely. The easiest thing that comes to mind would be to install the slide from below the stage after the set piece is in place on top. That way the slide can be one piece instead of 2. The slide needs to be secured to the floor of the pit once it is in place. If you can't screw into the floor then put a platform in the pit that you can screw into. The trap door needs to be very secure when closed. perhaps 3 henge's and 4 slide bolts from underneath. Since the stage over the pit comes off in sections, then you just need to replicate one of the sections and put a trap door in it. bolts are typically more secure than screws when building the trap door.

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David M

Posted By: AzBobby
Date Posted: 7/21/09 at 8:11pm

Our theater has a trap door exactly as you suggest. The orchestra pit forms an apron with removable panels for the stage. The center panel has a trap door built in. The usual way it is used is with a platform in the pit below, so that the drop is far more shallow than the pit while allowing actors to disappear within by climbing down alongside the platform with steps and/or the assistance of stage hands. It may be possible that for your play, one such panel may be replaced with one of your own design if the theater doesn't already have such a thing. This approach has been reasonably safe for us through many productions.