This isn't a question, this is just a post in case anyone was interested. My local community theatre has a problem. We don't have a theatre any more - ours burned to the ground two years ago and rebuilding is taking forever. In the intervening time, we have been renting space, but that time is up, we were supposed to be in our new theatre by now. So, this current show and the next few are mad scrambled improvisation for space and for this show, we ended up in an abandoned storefront to do Julius Caesar.
Here are the challenges we faced :
* only 4 circuits, 15 amps each available for lighting
* no built in seating, no built in stage, no level differences, tile floor
* No sound system
* Low ceilings (about 10 foot)
Our advantages :
* A back room to use as a green room, complete with a bathroom!
* We can paint the floor as the place will be gutted when we leave (though not touch the walls, they are being reused)
Our solution :
* Scale back the production quite drastically. The original spec included multiple levels of platforms. We reduced this to three riser groupings, back on the edge of the stage area
* Paint the floor black in the stage area, leave it in the audience area, clearly defining the performance space.
* Remove flourescent bulbs so we could control the lighting over the stage and in the audience
* Use worklights and floodlights to provide auxilary lighting, run by dimmer packs. Using these standard household fixtures allowed us to stay within the restraints of the electrical system
* screw flats to the base of the risers and brace them back against the wall. This gave us a back to the stage, complete with wings. We had to brace to the back walls because stage jacks would take up too much of the limited room
* laptop plus old stereo plus mounted speakers makes a dandy sound system
* front of house blocked from stage area with a long row of christmas card holders, left over from the last tenants. Free wall!
* checkout counter makes a dandy ticket booth
* curtains over the sliding doors block off light, allowing us to control the environment to the best possible.
* because the production was simplified, major prop and set construction was limited to the theatre itself. Only other construction was a standard, a stretcher and a throne, which was far simpler then the normal construction load. That meant we could concentrate on actually assembling the new theatre
* stacking chairs gave the audience a place to sit
The final result is a very workable little theatre, holding about 80 people (which is about standard for our theatre group). It will be a shame to have to go to our next improvised space, but the building is coming down soon! Just goes to show that given an empty space, theatre people can put on a good show anywhere. As a bonus, walkby traffic in the mall will help us put bums in seats.
-OG, Carpenter, KWLT - The Show Must Go On!
Here are the challenges we faced :
* only 4 circuits, 15 amps each available for lighting
* no built in seating, no built in stage, no level differences, tile floor
* No sound system
* Low ceilings (about 10 foot)
Our advantages :
* A back room to use as a green room, complete with a bathroom!
* We can paint the floor as the place will be gutted when we leave (though not touch the walls, they are being reused)
Our solution :
* Scale back the production quite drastically. The original spec included multiple levels of platforms. We reduced this to three riser groupings, back on the edge of the stage area
* Paint the floor black in the stage area, leave it in the audience area, clearly defining the performance space.
* Remove flourescent bulbs so we could control the lighting over the stage and in the audience
* Use worklights and floodlights to provide auxilary lighting, run by dimmer packs. Using these standard household fixtures allowed us to stay within the restraints of the electrical system
* screw flats to the base of the risers and brace them back against the wall. This gave us a back to the stage, complete with wings. We had to brace to the back walls because stage jacks would take up too much of the limited room
* laptop plus old stereo plus mounted speakers makes a dandy sound system
* front of house blocked from stage area with a long row of christmas card holders, left over from the last tenants. Free wall!
* checkout counter makes a dandy ticket booth
* curtains over the sliding doors block off light, allowing us to control the environment to the best possible.
* because the production was simplified, major prop and set construction was limited to the theatre itself. Only other construction was a standard, a stretcher and a throne, which was far simpler then the normal construction load. That meant we could concentrate on actually assembling the new theatre
* stacking chairs gave the audience a place to sit
The final result is a very workable little theatre, holding about 80 people (which is about standard for our theatre group). It will be a shame to have to go to our next improvised space, but the building is coming down soon! Just goes to show that given an empty space, theatre people can put on a good show anywhere. As a bonus, walkby traffic in the mall will help us put bums in seats.
-OG, Carpenter, KWLT - The Show Must Go On!