Breakable door

[McDermott]

An upcoming production I am working on requires I create a breakable door. The door is to be usable during the show until a character uses an axe to bust through it. My problem is that it will have to be resembled for the next nights show. Has anyone here taken on this task before? Any suggestions?

[Footer]

How many nights does the show run?

This might fall under the consumable scenery catagory. If the break through has to look real, odds are you will have to get a new one built every night. What kind of door is it? Bedroom, office, front door?

If you make something that easily comes apart, its going to look pretty cheezy when it breaks apart becuse it will break in clean lines. It will look more "kool aid man".

I would also bring up.... does the door have to be broke through or can it be knocked down? Knocked down is a bit simpler, you just have to put the door on loose pin hinges that are on the offstage side of the set and pull the pins before the door is knocked down.

[kicknargel]

If you just need to axe a hole, then reach through and turn the knob, you could have one section of the door panel be replaceable. Or maybe combine this with the idea above--axe a hole in it for effect, then knock it down.

Of course, if you're actually breaking stuff on stage, there are safety concerns. Technically, everyone nearby should be wearing safety glasses.

[McDermott]

This is true. Thanks for the help. Think I may just do a few break away hinges without having the door get smashed.

[FatherMurphy]

If you do go with the breakaway hinges, remember to build the door more stoutly than you might have done for a normal door - falling over with a crash every night will take its toll on the wood and fasteners, especially if the actors will be walking on it. Doing the frame with shiplap joints and lots of glue has worked for me in the past (assuming a traditional four or six panel door design). The area around the knob will be a stress point on landing as well, since the door won't be landing flat on that side.

[deadlygopher]

Originally Posted by FatherMurphy

If you do go with the breakaway hinges, remember to build the door more stoutly than you might have done for a normal door - falling over with a crash every night will take its toll on the wood and fasteners, especially if the actors will be walking on it. Doing the frame with shiplap joints and lots of glue has worked for me in the past (assuming a traditional four or six panel door design). The area around the knob will be a stress point on landing as well, since the door won't be landing flat on that side.

We to kick in a door for a scene last year, but it also had to be quite operational for the rest of the show. Since the door opened upstage, we just added an unhinged fake door downstage of the actual door for the one scene that needed it. It looked reasonably convincing, and reduced wear and tear on the actual set. We made also placed the door (partway up a set of stairs) so that it would land with the knob in open space to prevent the knob from being a stress point.

[FatherMurphy]

I worked a stop on the "City of Angels" tour years ago, they had three doors to go into one door frame on a wagon - one hinged on the side for normal use, one hinged to the bottom for a couple of mafia goons to kick down (so it didn't skitter away, but stayed captive), and a second 'down' door that was cut short to the edge of the wagon to enable it to clear something else the second time it went onstage.