Curved staircase for school theater

[Scott Huntley]

I've had some success bending PVC with a heat gun. The trick is to fill the pipe with sand so it resists kinking. Heating up the sand in an oven might work but I've not tried it.

I invested in a pvc bendit......wasted so much time trying different ways of bending PVC. This tool is not cheap but with every penny.

https://pvcbendit.com.

If you use pvc on a regular basis, order one today.

FYI: Literally, just an enthusiastic user, I spent hundreds of hours trying to figure out a way to not buy it - I finally broke down and paid the exorbitant price for this thing and it changed my whole workflow when working with PVC - I have no connection with the company other than the fact that they have a bunch of my hard earned cash and I have one of their products.

 

[Chase P.]

When you say

people need to be able to walk underneeth the stairs, because the emergency exit is located right behind

, do you mean audience as well as actors? Don't forget that an emergency exit under a staircase or platform is going to require proper width and height (for the whole passage width, not just the highest point). It will also require some sort of block at a minimum height, so that folks exiting don't bash their heads on it. Think of the required dead space under stairs in new constructions, fenced off with railings and such.

It seems to me like a series of supported and angles stairs like StradivariusBone and SHCP pictured, with a bridged section of only a couple stairs for the exit might do the trick. Think one doorway-sized tunnel underneath individually framed stairs.

I'm sure some folks here will have better suggestions than I, if in fact this is between the audience and an emergency exit. A lot probably depends on the code in your area.