Help with supporting taller walls- Structural and Design help

[mikeschulz530]

(First off, I would like to say that I dont know if I'm posting this question in the right place and if there is somewhere else on the site that I should be making this post, someone please tell me and I'll gladly move it )

I'm the set designer for my High School's shows (I'm a senior this year, 17, and have been working with the crew for several years). The first play we are doing this year is Arsenic and Old Lace. For those of you who are not familiar, it takes place in an early/mid-1900's home with 2 levels, a front door, Kitchen door, staircase, bedroom, window and window seat (important to the plot) and another upstairs room.

I have created the basic lay-out for what we would ideally like our set to look like in Google Sketch-Up. I know that it's possible to get this design to happen, I just need a few pointers from some more experienced carpenters and hopefully someone can help!

This is the basic set up we've got going so far. Ive gotten to approval from the director on this already. The issues I'v having are with the walls in the upstairs being supported, and with the walls that are taller than 8' being supported properly.

Here's another look at the issue with the upstairs...

We obviously cant put bracing in the front, as the audience would see it. Does anyone have any suggestions to avoid needing to build another platform that is raised to the same height? These walls are going to be 8' in the air and of course, safety is our number one concern, followed by functionality, and we need to have them be secure enough to be used for about a month with minor fixes needed throughout the rehearsal process and shows.

the more pressing issue that I'm concerned with is how to create the essential effect of 10' & 12' tall walls. All of our flats that we build are very generic so that we can re-use them show after show until it's time to make new ones. they are just standard 8'x4' wall units that we brace from behind. In past shows, we have added 2' extensions, however we would like to go bigger this year. (New director, my senior year, and we want to go BIG.) It's also, in my opinion, important to have the tall, looming, creepy/intimidating walls in this show. It's essential for "setting the mood" in my opinion.

Hopefully this picture will help. The red lines I've added in are where the standard 8' mark is around the stage.


ANY help at all is greatly appreciated, and I would love any feedback on any of the problems I'm having or if you have any suggestions for the set. Thanks so much!

 

[bobgaggle]

From the way you said it, I sounds like you don't want to add extensions to your 4x8s, but would rather build new, bigger flats. If that's the case, Home Depot (or whoever your lumber supplier is) will almost definitely carry 2x4s over 8' long. All of your US walls can be built as stud walls rather than flats, and run from the floor to whatever height they need to be.

If I'm misunderstanding you, and you do want to add extensions to your stock flats, then I would suggest building your extensions, screwing them to your stock flats, attach them to your platforms, and build yourself some really tall jack braces that mount to the floor and extend to the top of the flats for stability.

IMO a stud wall would be the best bet. It will give you more stability and will allow you to cross brace the platform/wall unit from underneath the platform, giving you more space US of the set. Also in my experience you get cleaner seams more easily if you build new.

 

[2mojo2]

Good advice from Aaron Hess.
Think about your lighting options. Depending on your facility design and lighting positions, you may find it difficult to light actors standing eight feet or so above the stage surface. If you scale down somewhat, lighting may be easier and the stairs won't occupy as much space.

 

[scenicsauthoff]

Use tall jacks for the upstage walls. and where ever you are adding sections of flats together to make them taller than your stock flats, be sure to brace them in the back with a toggle. just run some 1x4 up along the seams of both flats to give them support as one whole flat.

Also, if it is out of sight lines, you can send a brace from the downstage flats to the upstage falts, over top the actors heads. Because there won't be room to place a jack.


Like the others said. Don't be afraid to scale it down some. You have two levels off your staircase, that in itself will give you a nice appearance of height and complexity.
Let the lights set the looming/creepy mood. If your talls go past 12', while people can make it work, it can also just become a negative and be too overbearing.

-J

 

[MPowers]

Be careful about the "looming Creepy"! Remember, it is intended to be a comedy, not a horror show or a murder mystery, in spite of the ladies well meant "activities".

 

[Robert]

When it comes to extending flats, I treat them like flats and cut some 1/4" or 1/2" ply to lay between the corner blocks and toggles, large enough to cover the rails or stiles. Screw them securely. For tightening up the rest of your set, I'm a big fan of "jogs" to help stiffen flat walls. A "Jog" a narrow flat usually between 6" - 12" wide. You can start by putting one on the SL and SR ends of your set. That will square those wall ends up nicely. I think adding some jogs near your doorways will stiffen up your walls and add some interesting shapes to your set. You could also add a doorway at the top landing to join the two upstairs walls together. That will add a lot of strength. Some 12" strips of 3/4" plywood attached to the US side of the landings along the second floor platform and extending up will give you good surface to screw the flats to at their base. Also look at the escape landing and see if you can add some small structure to stiffen that. My favorite stiffener is two pieces of 1x2 screwed and glued together to make an "L". However you build your landings, build them to be flush to the front (add another 2x4 if needed) and attach your flats the same way to the platforms on the first and second level.

 

[FatherMurphy]

The jogs mentioned above are the classic way to stabilize old-style theater flats. With enough jogs, a set would pretty much support itself, and only need jacks on the far ends.

'TV' or 'Hollywood' style flats (luan framed with 1x on edge) might be an option if you're wanting to build new, and can easily go 16' if needed, although handling during construction, load in, and load out is more of a problem.