Scaffolding as Set?

[Painterspoon]

Hello smart people!

I will be mounting a production of Jill Santoriello's "A Tale of Two Cities" in May 2014 with my high school students. I'm trying to work out set ahead of time. In the past, we've done a pretty standard mix of painted flats and periaktoi, with the odd moveable staircase.

The problem I have with going this route is that the set becomes a literal painted backdrop, eliminating the audience's imagination from the mix. There's also the purchasing of lumber and the time in painting and setup. I'd like to focus on small practical set pieces and strategic lighting to get the setting across. I also have a chameleon scrim and some 4' high portable stage sections which I can incorporate.

What I would like to do is rent scaffolding (the kind that they use to work on second levels of buildings, while people are able to pass through on the sidewalk below), use this as a perimeter (so the chorus can remain on stage, lurking in the darkness). I'd also like to be able to have a section or two on lockable casters, to simulate a few different settings. I was thinking, additionally, that I could rig up the odd Oleo drop across sections (e.g. to drop a flag or sign).

I should let you know that I am in Ontario.

Before I start thinking about actual design, what are my considerations in working with scaffolding?

 

[techieman33]

The first consideration is the cost. Renting scaffolding can get expensive pretty fast. Obviously I don't know what your budget is, but I know most high school productions operate on very tight budgets. I would check with your school districts maintenance department to see if they have any that you would be able to use.

 

[Painterspoon]

These are important considerations! I maaaay be able to borrow some from a very handy uncle, as it turns out. Perhaps asking my head custodian is a good route too. Next question - casters on scaffold? Is it possible to get side leg extensions for scaffolding if I will be moving them on casters?

 

[chausman]

Scaffolding can be very cool and creative, but it can also be very loud when you walk across it.

 

[Painterspoon]

Thanks Chausman - I don't think I'd use it as active set - just basically a place to have the chorus go about some business in the background - but not to walk around...I could probably absorb the sound somehow....? It makes me think I will need to be careful about when the chorus is singing versus moving....ie. condenser mics off while they're moving around, and on for chorus numbers...

Any other thoughts?

I *could* build this type of thing out of wood....but it seems to me that it makes more sense to rent....it's obviously anachronistic, so would that be distracting?

 

[Footer]

Scaffolding has all kinds of issues as a scenic piece. Railings become a big issue. The stuff is simply not designed to have well placed railings. Sound is also an issue, there is no way to really make the stuff quiet. Any vibration shakes the whole thing so it becomes very loud very quickly. Finally, the biggest issue with scaffolding as scenery is safety. Scaffolding is designed to be walked on in daylight (or other well lit situations) with construction boots. It is not designed to be walked on in character shoes or other light weight shoes.... or in the dark. This goes without mentioning that most rental scaffold has years of construction gunk on it that is nearly impossible to get clean... and it gets everywhere.

Rolling scaffolding brings in a whole new issue. Scaffolding casters tend to be hard to lock and unlock. They are also usually freakishly loud. Finally, they are not designed to be moved with people on them.

Try to avoid this if at all possible.

 

[Painterspoon]

Alternatives?

We are on a typical tight school budget, and I want to be able to have levels/suggested staging in the background without resorting to heavy construction.
I do have 9 4x8 sections of stage with 48" legs....was going to use some of them to encompass the orchestra out in front and serve as stage extension...but maybe they would be best used in place of perimeter scaffolding?

 

[TheaterEd]

I just started building platforms using the leg system described in this thread [url]http://www.controlbooth.com/threads/my-platform-system.5191/[/URL]
You could try building new legs for your platforms to give you some varying levels. If you need them to roll, they will be significantly quieter than the scaffolding, and with some clever painting, you may be able to get an industrial feel.

 

[bobgaggle]

Years ago I saw a high school production of Romeo and Juliet that used 4 scaffolding platforms of varying heights as the set. The lids were plywood so there was a smooth walking surface (I assume they just laid it across the standard scaffold flooring). I didn't notice the types of casters they used but the movement was fairly quiet. They never shifted with actors on it, but the various configurations worked well to denote different locations. They didn't use railings of any kind however, so its not the safest for the actors up top.

 

[MarshallPope]

The college theatre that I work at has a unit of scaffolding that we purchased for a show and still regularly use as a set piece. After the actors get used to the slight wobble and get over their seasickness, it really isn't that bad. We've rolled it around with someone singing up top and it was most recently used with 4 wind players and all of their music stands and crap on it. It has been danced all over and hung from and we haven't had any issues apart from a bit of noise when it's walked on.

I've also worked local crew for a show thats set was made from regular rental scaffolding, much like you are describing. Rather than the regular aluminum decks, they used wooden decks (like this) and then screwed a piece of plywood across the top and carpeted it. There was very little noise, and with the multiple sections of scaffolding linked together, wobble was very minimal as well.

As far as railings go, we always use the double railings on three sides of our unit and just a top railing on the ladder side for the security of our actors, especially if it is moving. The other show that I worked just used a railing across the back of the scaffolding and it felt just fine to me.

 

[Painterspoon]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I'm leaning now towards keeping most of the scaffolding stationary, but with one or two units that shift around to create a variety of settings. My local rental fees seem pretty reasonable so we have some room to try some things....all under the umbrella of safety of course!

 

[Les Engineer]

Painterspoon, I was so interested in responding to your inquiry that I signed up for the site, something I rarely do. I've used scaffolding a bunch of times over the years, fixed and mobile, as framing and as art design. I've never had any problems that I couldn't easily work out, and, of course, these days I can anticipate the problems before they occure, but that comes with age and use.

Here were my thoughts (then and now.) Safety is always our first consideration, of course, but scaffolding is extra dangerous. Plan hard and think it through. Make sure EVERYONE has the right PPE (personal protection equipment) and training. Just last month we sent a girl to the hospital. She now has a Harry Potter scar. The very last horizonal piece was being taken off and she had removed her hard hat just moments before. Scaffolding is inherently dangerous. On the other hand, I can be much safer than other forms of construction. What matters is your knowledge and attention to detail.

Check the stage floor. Make sure it can support the weight. If you're unsure, have a qualified engineer come take a look at it. I've had to forego scaffolding because I wasn't sure the joists would hold. Always go beneath and check. On the other hand, I've built 3-story sets on stages that were well-made and solid.

I've never had problems with noise that I couldn't fix. This page isn't big enough to hold all of the solutions to noise issues. Railings, too, aren't an issue if you rent from vendors who have the right pieces. ladders and doors are trickier.

Safway has a very nice system that works well for theater companies. Find a vendor you like and you can't go wrong.

One of the great advantages to scaffolding is that you can adjust the heights with adjustable legs, if you get the right style. This keeps everything level.

In short, don't let it overwhelm you. Plan well in advance, and measure mulitple times! Read up on all the specs, and play it safe. When it works, it makes you want to do it again and again. No screws! (Well, very few, anyway :>} )

 

[Les Engineer]

Also, Painterspoon, check with the rental company to see if you can treat (i.e. scrape and or paint) the scaffolding. The guys I rent from laughed at me the first time I asked them this question - no one had every asked them that before. They shouldn't care (unless it's pink, I guess - the construction trades might not go for it.) I paint mine all the time. Also, there are lots of ways to ADD to your scaffolding in ingenious ways that make it both safer and more user-friendly. By that I mean that you can "mix and match" by adding pieces of iron and wood with clamps and things to provide pieces that the scaffolding company doesn't carry. Set's I've built using a variety of materials, including scaffolding: Noises Off, Avenue Q, Bat Boy, Les Miserables, Next to Normal and more.
Just make sure you use sound engineering principles.
It also just occured to me that mobile scaffolding painted safety yellow will have to remain that color, of course.

 

[farniwho]

One thing we had a problem with when using scaffolding (given, it was old and cheap), was ripped costumes. The splintered corners of the platform tops, the locking pins, and the rough cut pipe did quite the number on a few of our costumes. (Tights, gloves, and thin flowing material are not great choices).

The other was the noise- much louder than you expect.

 

[MichaelPHS]

To add to this, we have a student piece coming up into which they have incorperated our scaf tower that we use for rigging into their piece. I've no concerns over the tower itself, rather the way they are using it. Several of the performers will be climbing the tower on the outside, which is a nightmare on its own, but to make it worse it will be unbalanced as there will be 3 actors in it. They had been rehearsing for so long before I started that it is too late to change it and it stay looking good (it is for a graded assessment) but wanted to know if there is a way they can keep using the tower but to make it safer IE strap it down so it won't tip or any similar idea. I still don't like the idea of them climbing up the outside small as it is (platform at 7 and a half feet and they won't be up that high) but I've heard horror stories that make me never let anyone go up the outside of a tower, so any help is appriciated

 

[Les Engineer]

To add to this, we have a student piece coming up into which they have incorperated our scaf tower that we use for rigging into their piece. I've no concerns over the tower itself, rather the way they are using it. Several of the performers will be climbing the tower on the outside, which is a nightmare on its own, but to make it worse it will be unbalanced as there will be 3 actors in it. They had been rehearsing for so long before I started that it is too late to change it and it stay looking good (it is for a graded assessment) but wanted to know if there is a way they can keep using the tower but to make it safer IE strap it down so it won't tip or any similar idea. I still don't like the idea of them climbing up the outside small as it is (platform at 7 and a half feet and they won't be up that high) but I've heard horror stories that make me never let anyone go up the outside of a tower, so any help is appriciated

Michael, I'm not familiar with this particular tower, but it sounds pretty scary. There have been times when I've sat bolt up in the middle of the night sleepless over this kind of thing. Scaffolding over a certain height requires ancoring. I imagine this applies to anything that makes a designer nervous. Yes, please introduce any reasonable safety measures. I would look at bracing the tower with aircraft cable horizontally (at the same height as the tower, rather than down and diagonally, i. e. to the floor. But I would love to hear other comments from more experienced riggers. I know I've had to use cable to platforms off all kinds of height and weight and constuction methods just for piece of mind if nothing else, and still sweated it out. An abundance of caution is rarely negligent.

 

[TheaterEd]

To add to this, we have a student piece coming up into which they have incorperated our scaf tower that we use for rigging into their piece. I've no concerns over the tower itself, rather the way they are using it. Several of the performers will be climbing the tower on the outside, which is a nightmare on its own, but to make it worse it will be unbalanced as there will be 3 actors in it. They had been rehearsing for so long before I started that it is too late to change it and it stay looking good (it is for a graded assessment) but wanted to know if there is a way they can keep using the tower but to make it safer IE strap it down so it won't tip or any similar idea. I still don't like the idea of them climbing up the outside small as it is (platform at 7 and a half feet and they won't be up that high) but I've heard horror stories that make me never let anyone go up the outside of a tower, so any help is appriciated

I'm with Les on this.
These students are not taking their safety seriously. You need to find a way to secure the tower. I know that the actor part of me would be all for this and not see it as a problem, I know what I'm doing and I know how to do this. The TD part of me on the other hand says NO. You need to be the voice of reason here and caution them on the worst case scenario. Young people tend to think they are invincible, its your job to remind them they aren't before its too late.

Find a way to do it safely, or don't do it.

 

[MichaelPHS]

Sorry its a lil later than planned but this is our tower. Ideally it should have all 4 outriggers attatched I know, but one of the ex-students "misplaced" the other two back when they had a Pasma trained tech. Its sturdy enough to withstand a fat git like me hanging off the side (as a demo of what NOT to do so students can have a more visual representation and can see why not to, would use a board or powerpoint but all classrooms were busy *note, I had 2 strong lads on the other end to hold and secure as a counter balance*) I was thinking of going with Les' idea of the horizontal bracing, as well as outriggers down, to try and ensure it won't shift. I presume simplest way to do so would be eye hooks bolted directly into the wall either side of the space, with the line running across, through the tower and secured to the matching hook the other end? And as a means of fastening the line, would a bowline knot be sufficient or would I need the double back and fastened (I forget the name at present, but the same as the loop on a safety bond). And what kind of line would be best, thick rope, steel cord? (I'm adverse to go for the steel cord as if something DOES go wrong, it fall and the lin snaps, or even pull a hook out the wall, it'd just act like a giant cheesewire). As I mentioned first of all, I still don't like the idea of them using it in this manner, and all the adding lines to brace, good as they may be, just screams of FB's Dodgy Technician page

 

[JChenault]

Looking at your image, it appears to me that you have a Werner aluminum scaffold ( 4'6" x 6'). and it is not very tall. I believe that if the work platform is less than 12 feet above the floor that outriggers are not required.

This unit appears to bevan adjustable height unit and you might want to think about adjusting it down. It will increase the stability.

The platform on your unit appears to be about 9 feel off the deck. If this is the case, and the actors are not throwing themselves about, I would not be too concerned about tipping over.

 

[MichaelPHS]

I wasn't aware that the tower had to be a certain height before outriggers became a must, I was always taught they should always be on. If this is the case (while I'm waiting for my PASMA course to be confirmed) could someone knowledgable send me a link to some legislation about this I can pass to my H+S exec? So far in he rehersals they don't throw themselves about but can't guarantee they won't start. At most I think they just extend their arm, keeping their weight with the legs