Scenery Q.O.T.W.-Building a Chess Board (11/6/09)

[Footer]

You are working on a production of Chess as a Technical Director at an equity LORT C house. The designer has charged you with creating a Chess Board set at a 45 degree angle to the stage, so that the point of the board hits downstage center and the other point hits upstage center. The designer also indicates that the board should be raked at a rate of seven degrees. The lighting designer has requested that the white portions of the board should be able to be lit up but when no light is present they should appear white.

How should you build this design? What materials should you use? What other considerations should be made?

[photoatdv]

Uh the equity people don't like raked stages...

[Van]

Originally Posted by photoatdv

Uh the equity people don't like raked stages...

This is true but check your rule book. You have a copy? Right ?
Good QOTW!

[photoatdv]

Nope (doesn't really apply to the stuff I do)... I've just heard about that before.

I don't do carp stuff nor do I work for an equity theatre... so that's about my knowledge of this. When I have time to really think I might be able to come up with the white material though...

[Reynolds]

First, some things I'd want to clear up with the designer/director:

Big question:
Will the board be walked across by actors?

Minor issues:
Will tracks be needed to run chess pieces across the board?
Should the board fill the stage?
Should the board be square?


If the board will be left alone during the show (no actors/chess games) I would construct the board with aluminum frame suspending an 8x8 grid of squares (size of squares differing based on size of stage). I would use luan for black squares, and install the luan flush with the grid supports.

Depending on budget, I would use either a square of white scrim to fit beneath the grid frame, or another white cloth.

To light, ideally one would have enough instruments to focus on each square individually from above, or use cyc lights projecting up to light the fabric squares from underneath. With this option, I would mask the legs of the frame to avoid the aluminum being seen when the scrim becomes transparent.


If the board will be walked on during the show, I would use lumber to construct the base and add column style supports underneath the board at all joints or four foot intervals for larger pieces.

The frame of platforms would be painted in the style of a chess board, and a gelled instrument would be focused on each white square


To address the orientation and raking of the stage, if my calculations are correct, the board would need to gain 4.5 inches in height every foot.

In the case of the fabric board, to light the panels while the board is constructed on a rake and at an angle, cyc lights would need to be installed in both of the downstage sides so any loss of light coming through the panels would be spread upstage/downstage instead of stage left/stage right.

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by Reynolds

...To address the orientation and raking of the stage, if my calculations are correct, the board would need to gain 4.5 inches in height every foot. ...

By my calculations, a rise of 4.5" over a run of 12" would yield ~20.6°.

What is the maximum rake permitted by AEA guidelines? By ADA guidelines?

[Footer]

The board would look something like this....



Needs to be fully walkable. Each square would be at least 3x3. The rake starts downstage center and rakes upstage center.

In one of the many revivals of this show they automated the chess board so it could pivot any direction on a central axis. It ended up injuring most of the cast and the automation was cut.

[scenerymaker]

The tangent of 7 degrees is 0.1228, so the rise is just under 1-1/2 " per foot. Could you make the white squares out of 3/4" white plastic with lights under them?

[BrianWolfe]

Essentially build it as a heavy duty lightbox either making many small lightboxes or making the whole deck one big lightbox. Steel frame and legs with 3/4" transluscent white ploycarbonate decking. Paint the black squares opaque. Probably add an additional opaque layer of material(masonite, plastic or whatever) to insure opacity when the white squares are lit from below. Cover the sides of the deck with wood, masonite or fabric to keep the light from leaking out. The whole effect should be similar to the floor decking done for Broadway's Evita.

[icewolf08]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

By my calculations, a rise of 4.5" over a run of 12" would yield ~20.6°.

What is the maximum rake permitted by AEA guidelines? By ADA guidelines?

AEA says that any rake up to 3/4" per foot is acceptable. Over that you would have to add a rider to all the contracts and pay hazard pay.

If I were designing the show I would do the board in forced perspective as a square board at that angle will take up a lot of space and look kinda funny.

Now, what does the LD mean when he says that he wants the white squares to be visible/white when there is no light? Does he mean that he wants them to be backlit (or lit from below)? Need the thing to be backlit, does it need to be dimmable?

I don't know enough about the material, but I would doubt that you can really get away with an unsupported 3'x3' section of plexi unless it was pretty thick. This might be cost prohibitive. However, if you can afford the plexi to do it, then this is what I would do. If you have the space, I would make the squares 4'x4' so that you can evenly cut them from 4x8 sheet goods. Then build your platform with framing on 4' centers. Leg it up and away you go, just stay in the AEA guidelines for the rake.