Set Design and Construction: Cutting, gluing and painting styrofoam

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Cutting, gluing and painting styrofoam

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=4364
Printed Date: 11/24/24 at 10:35am
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Topic: Cutting, gluing and painting styrofoam

Posted By: peacock
Subject: Cutting, gluing and painting styrofoam
Date Posted: 12/07/09 at 8:45pm

We are doing Wizard of Oz, which has lots of scene changes. I want to use styrofoam for some set pieces. What is the easiest way for my kids to cut, glue and paint it? I work at in international school in a poor country, so please suggest basic tools and materials as specialized things are not available here.

Replies:

Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 12/08/09 at 8:50am

Just a key, unless you have an inexpensive/free source for your styrofoam, the "poor" thing is going to be a big factor. Styrofoam (at least around here) is not cheap.

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Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

Posted By: Spectrum
Date Posted: 12/09/09 at 5:50pm

Using Styrofoam could make your set pieces so light and brittle they might be very UNSTABLE and fragile. Since basics are the preferred way to go, material-wise and tool-wise, why not use lumber and traditional tooling? If weight is the issue, take care to design the pieces with minimal (but adequate) substructure to keep the weight down. You could attach strips of carpet (or if they're available, the Teflon sliders) on the underside of your set pieces to slide them around on (or off) stage. A clever designer might even design disguised hand holds and leverage amplifiers into the set piece to assist moving/placing them. Whatever you do, I wish you the best of luck!

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Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.

Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 12/13/09 at 7:08pm

Nan

You can produce some very effective sets cheaply with cardbord.

http://cortecscenery.com/ - http://cortecscenery.com/

Check out the 'Gallery' pics of the stage sets.

I think this may be a better option, for the students than styrofoam.

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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: js405
Date Posted: 12/18/09 at 11:20pm

I've found a fantastic way to cut the foam is with a fillet knife- gives you sharp, clean cuts.