Design Need some creative ideas for a class project

[thatlightinguy]

Today during stagecraft class my theatre teacher gave us a new assignment. I am tasked with coming up with a clever way to transform our theatre space into anything I can imagine. The catch is I only have 15 total minutes to use for this project. 5 minutes to set up, 5 minutes to present, and 5 minutes to strike. I am allowed to use anything in the theatre space as long as it is properly used, and restored as part of my strike portion. While I set up the entire class and instructor will remain the dressing rooms so they are "surprised with the transformation". This means I have to set up all on my own. I cannot alter the physical infrastructure of the space in any way, ie... I cannot paint the walls of the theatre or anything like that. My main area of expertise is in lighting design, however I am fully capable of building things in the scene shop, and using the sound system etc. etc. Some information about our theatre space... The stage is about 60' wide by 30' deep, the entire deck is painted black. WE DO NOT have a fly system. We have 3 electrics that are on an electric winch system I can lower down. We have 3 FOH "coves" as we call them, all containing 5 ETC S4 26 deg. We also have two box booms on each side of the house( these are very hard to get to, most likely not going to be able to in 5 minutes). Our lighting inventory consists of about 7 ETC S4 50 deg, 20 ETC S4 36 deg, 20 ETC S4 26 deg, 5 ETC S4 19 deg, 2 ETC S4 deg, 1 ETC S4 5 deg, 14 ETC S4 Fresnels, 10 Altman 6 inch fresnels, 20 ETC S4 junior zooms, 14 ETC S4 pars, 15 old strand lekos, 8 L+E 6' ministrips, 10 old 16" scoops, 6 Altman spectra 100 cyc lights, 6 Apollo color scrollers, 1 Gam fx loop with a rain pattern, 1 Rosco I- cue, 1 ETC express 48/96, and 1 ETC element. We also own a Chauvet Hurricane fog machine, a wirelesss DMX transmitter, loads of feeder cable, and many different gel colors, and stock gobos. The house is about 700 seats, which are all blue if that helps. The walls in the house are a beige-ish white. We have 3 curtains, a main drape( grey) a mid traveler( black) and rear traveler( black, which hides the cyc) All curtains open to the side. With this information I was hoping people could come up with some clever ideas that might fit in with my assignment, particularly with the time constraints. So far I was thinking about possibly making some type of alien freak type radioactive lab on stage. I thought about using our old scoops with some neon green gel to flood the stage, then maybe using a s4 to highlight sometype of radioactive spill? I am open to any cool Ideas anyone would be willing to share! Thanks alot!

 

[ship]

This is a stagecraft class, not a LD class. For now don’t worry about lighting unless say projected scenery on a cyc with or without a scrim in front. This say with some stock wing and boarder type stuff fast installed that probably won’t be in time. Very hard task to impress on.

Didn’t describe much your drape, possible to wing and boarder and prop up a bunch of Alice in Wonderland set of doors in transforming the space from large to very small persay? Might be easy to do for set up and lowering or masking up a few layers of increasingly smaller sizes to the set. Just an idea. That’s for a simple student concept.

In my past and in that time line of set design produced, I conformed a stage from “The Shadowy Waters” to “Riders to the Sea” in 15 minutes. Imagine, converting from a 31' long half sunk ship in also half flying from the grid, to a hovel in the ground with hills about it climbable in a 15min. changeover. Obviously it took more than 5 minutes to rig and re-set for the next night of the production, this much less I was also using projected scenery for both acts and it took another person to change the slides who was not involved with fly on a 14' ceiling to get stuff like cyc or scrim out of the way, or in general removing a boat from the stage, and replacing it with a hovel in the hills for the next scene.

One scene, if you have the crew, perhaps study some Irish one act plays that are fairly simple in concepts for set design - dependant on talent verses set needs. Easy in a one act for set pieces to move into place and remove, but don’t forget that projected scenery. Look into plays like “The Golden Gates” or “The Goal Gates” from memory that are easy to for one act do scenery for. Irish one act plays are perhaps a thing to look into. The Abby Theater, believe it was called for a theater during the "golden age" of theater in Irleand, was a small space and without fly or much in lighting. That plus one act plays were common. Those required quick set changes, modest sets and modest theater needs. Given all of this... how did this ever become a "golden age" of theater? Talent, scripts and the set design I believe you are tasked with given while in that age they probably could do projected scenery but for the most part and for your stagecraft class requirements.... lighting won't become a factor - only help push it over the edge were it in production in a modern sense. Fog/smoke back than... don't have time. Talent on stage though... that's your key.

First the play, than the concept - lots of Irish one act plays out there that would be easy for a start in only set piece and adding to it, and perhaps as with in general design, start with the play needs, than get into the details.

Given a very good chalenge to you and fellow students - you should designite your sources for research including this above one. If idea, you didn't come up with it on your own but fair enough in being honest. Should be fair enough in research on the task accomplishing, and you still have a lot of research to do.

Main challenge on the concept front is what for your stage can you put on and pull off to the extent of the transforming. Obviously everyone can fog and or haze the heck out of a scene and you will probably be best off also. That's details... believe it was the
"Glittering Gates" I thought would be most fun for aat s preformance. Don't believe you listed if of part of that set, talent acting out the scene in making it become a scene.

Set follows the function for it in talent portraying the script. Seen some sets that were very much sufficient with only some boxes on stage for the play and the talent made sufficiently the set for their surroundings. Designed show where it was only an office, lighting and great talent in like a five foot circle important for most of the show. Talent was the main part of both. Even sets during the 60's that removed scenery including Godspell. Talent on the stage ready as per Shakespere on stage in transforming his own world, should be sufficient with say some props.

Mostly though follow the one act stage concept in what's needed for set design. In if doing "Glittering Gates" keep in mind that you don't need to accurately reproduce beer cans on stage - any can will do for the extent of this 15 min. project. As with it in talent on stage, just some gates upstage, framing in the stage size, perhaps a mound or not, some beerish like cans and mostly talent to transform. Start the play as the teacher comes into the room. Either will stop it or not. Last minute is going to be in soda cans brushed off the stage perhaps.

Good luck but an idea. Overall... You get rehearsed and good talent on stage to start once the techer leaves the dressing room - or sooner given mics' to them... Talent acting out a play of your choice, I would hope in even free lance production of it gets to extend to it's conclusion. Pissed you made the teacher watch a perhaps good play, or in having to cut it off.... It's something in whole design concept for transforming the stage in not even spending any time on lighting.

 

[ship]

Want to go really spectacular... study Africican type siluete type plays that have toured the US. Done one, was like take a frosted screen and cut-outs behind it that were acting out what was a great show behind this rear-lit shadow production. The action was all about that screen with two dimentional minuetetts behind the sceen. Art was made thru talent and story combining.

Another concept in lowering the screen and as per above it in set helping to add to the story and talent