False Proscenium- build one or paint a drop and cut?

[Grayson Merchant]

Hey! So I'm designing the set for The Wizard of Oz. I want to have a false proscenium. I'm stumped on how it should be executed. Should I built the structure out of wood and make a frame and face it with masonite. Or, get a big canvas, paint it, and then cut out the shape I want? Which will be easier? I go to a high school, so the tech experience isn't up to a professional level.

 

[Robert]

I typically build mine out of lumber and use 1/4 ply/ luan to face it. I like the structure and permanent nature of it, won't tear and provides a surface you can attach to. Problems with building a hard portal is it is heavy, requires lots of rigging hardware and specific knowledge to install, and can be difficult to store. Cut drop is lighter, will be quicker to build, and cheaper (most likely). Fabric drops have some issues when cutting shapes into them and with the cut edge curling a bit.

 

[petercav17]

I think you should definitely build it with flats, faced with luan as Robert said (I have faced many a flat with maso, it's terrible). Traditional prosceniums were made of plaster, and I feel like muslin wouldn't look right, unless you framed it and pulled it taught across the frame.
If you frame it, you'll need the same amount of lumber as you would to build all the flats, and LOTS of framing if you cut out any shapes.
The process for building the hard proscenium is alot easier - build several flats and then paint them. Easy. You can even use some stock flats if you've got 'em. But if you're doing a drop you've got to stretch it and properly dry it, for which you'll need a lot of space and a lot of time.

 

[SteveB]

Agree with above.

Built scenery looks real, especially for a downstage piece that's closer to the audience. You would need a really good (and expensive) scenic artist to paint a real looking false prosc. and I doubt it would pass inspection close up even then.

 

[kicknargel]

But. . .
If you build a hard false proscenium, the overhead potion must be properly constructed and professionally rigged. You'll need more advice than you can get on the internet. Seek out someone at a local university theatre department or regional theatre to advise and assist.

 

[bobgaggle]

(I have faced many a flat with maso, it's terrible)

It is terrible, pay the extra $4 per sheet and get Luan. Another benefit to a hard portal is you can add a reveal to make it look thicker and more dimensional. A cut drop doesn't off the same realism, but if you go that route, I saw a cut drop that solved the wiggly curly edge problem. It was a sewer portal for guys and dolls, so basically just a giant semi circle cut out. They added a massive 6 or 8" hem around the cut out and sewed 1"x6 or 8" upholstery foam into the hem. It was just stiff enough to keep the fabric from flapping when someone ran by, but still flexible to fold for transport. It did add some visible bulk to the drop but the painters used it to their advantage and painted stone, using the foam edge as a grout line in the treatment.