Outdoor Theater Scenic Advice! Help!

sheamorgan

New Member
I'm currently working on a production of Shakespeare's "As You Like It" in the courtyard of my high school for the summer theater camp I work at. The space is very uneven with many steep hills and trees. The good news is that it takes place in the woods. The bad news is that the clearing we have (the main acting space) is a big eyesore with dry/dusty dirt and patches of dead grass. We're looking for a solution to cover it up with something the actors can work on and doesn't scream industrial or fake since we want it to bled with the world. The best I've got right now is a dark tarp. Bringing in new dirt or earth material isn't an option logistically.

-Uneven space
-Dusty
-Nothing "fake"
-No large earth material

Any suggestions? I can upload pictures if that would help too.
 
Pictures would probably help. Is it more dirt space or more grass space? You can buy grass paint if the issue is just the dead grass -- and since you are at a school, the facilities crew should be involved in this conversation. They may already have a similar product. For the dirt -- when you talk about it being dusty, is it loose dirt? If it is not well packed, you could look at renting a tamper and compressing some dirt. It won't eliminate all of your dust but it may help.
 
Yeah need some pictures for this one.

A lot of ideas come to mind. These are the top two.

Off the top of my head. Build a deck face it with the surrounding tree branches and leaves. Paint the deck to match the grass/dirt.


Rake and till the ground til even.
Get a few bags of grass seed and a bale of straw if this isn't for a while and grow some grass.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back