The case for a black stage floor and surround

[tekgoddess]

Black is better. We have a brand new space and the floor was gorgeous for a house. People went nutso on me when I said, "yeah, beautiful floor, paint it black."
I have a formula at my theatre that I'll send you for how many parts paint/seal ratio. Just black paint tends to show foottsteps tand dirt too easily. Scratches at the drop of a setpiece.
I would remind the administration that the most well respected theatres, including the ones that are multi purpose all have black floors. It frames the scene, speaker, musicicans better. Just like putting a matte and frame on a painting.
As for drapery, here's a trick I learned long ago. Have your security officer, principle, or whomever can make changes, come to your space. Go outside. Light a match to a small piece of your drapery that you've cut from a hem or someplace it won't show. If it burns it's not OSHA compliant. They have to replace it. Fire marshalls love to know this stuff if the admin won't listen.

 

[Wolf]

Well one thought is if they wont let it be painted then look into getting black dance floor. It is easy to put down and take up, and stores in their nice rolls on a rack.

As far as the walls go I think you will have a really hard time convincing them to paint it black bit long as the wings are black it wont be to bad in my opine but a dif color than the rest would be nice.

And as tekgoddess said it helps to frame the stage even if its the floor

Hope this helps

 

[zapthatmonster]

We paint and repaint our floor a couple times a year with Miller
"tough tread" which is a flat black floor paint, as some of our scenic requires painting directly onto it. Not sure what the floor itself is made of.

Our proscenium/balcony rail/etc is a light shiny wood, which is sort of unfortunate but doable. We can also curtain it if it is too distracting. Preferably it would be a different material. Our apron is black, with a wood border.

The rest is a dark red. Our walls are actually corrugated metal that is red, which matches the outside of the building. I love the color. It's light enough that it isn't depressing, but once you turn off works you can't see it at all. In a large theater it's okay to not have everything be black.

 

[tech2000]

You should definately at least paint the stage and apron. We painted our apron several years ago, and why it wasn't done sooner beats me. It was tan with a glossy seal on it (very strange looking when the stage is black). Then the district repainted our stage this year. Try to go with a flat black because when our district for some odd reason decided to paint it high gloss black, it looked like a lake, and only several work lights were on. (Good thing they repainted our stage flat black)

 

[napoleond]

Just black paint tends to show foottsteps tand dirt too easily. Scratches at the drop of a setpiece.

At my space we use a flat latex color called "Jack Black" available at Lowes. It is black with a hint of really deep blue. The floor is Masonite over oak.

We've found that using just a standard flat black reads kind of charcoal grey. With the addition of blue the stage looks more black than black if that makes any sense. Also the masonite is attached with countersunk drywall screws. That allows us to easily replace damaged sections and does not interfere with dance floors

The initial coat sucked up a lot of paint (about 8 gallons for a 60'x25' space) but it resists scratches well and subsequent repainting requires about 3 gallons for the same space.

 

[lieperjp]

Speaking of paint, I found out this cool tip from a pro painter. If you buy the paint in a 5-gallon bucket, leave the roller(s) in the bucket of paint for storage. That way, when you need it, you don't need to worry about a dry roller, plus the roller is super-saturated with paint. You can just use the roller handle or wire hanger to fish it out. The roller is good as long as the paint in the bucket is good.

 

[tngillette]

You gotta have the black floor. if you use the stage as much as we do at my school then you're going to have it painted once, maybe even twice, a year. my school has dark blue curtains, school color, but they still work well because they're still dark enough that it doesn't matter.

 

[Dally]

If you aren't painting your stage floor on a regular basis for shows, I would suggust just staining it black. It can be just as dark, look much nicer and then you don't have to repaint it once or twice a year to maintain it.

 

[Spikesgirl]

Back at my old theater, we had a department head who decided that we could no longer paint our deck (he also decreed that we could not get paint on the shop floor - he was a tad unrealistic). We got pre-painted masonite and put it down. lasted nearly half a season before it started getting really ratty looking. We had to constantly touch it up and then, thankfully, he moved on and the stage was again painted for each show.

 

[Van]

Back at my old theater, we had a department head who decided that we could no longer paint our deck (he also decreed that we could not get paint on the shop floor - he was a tad unrealistic). We got pre-painted masonite and put it down. lasted nearly half a season before it started getting really ratty looking. We had to constantly touch it up and then, thankfully, he moved on and the stage was again painted for each show.

Sounds like "Theatre with the Anal Retentive TD"

" Ok, when we finish with a roller what do we do ?
That's right wrap it in a paper towel. Then placing it
squarely in the center of your foil, wrap the foil tightly
and double crease the seams. Then place the roller in a
zip lock bag before disposing of it in the trash....."

God I miss Phil Hartman.

 

[gaafa]

We cover the stage deck with under gaffer taped MDF, for cheapness & easier replacing any damaged sheets.
Using black Matt paint, I get the paint Hardware Shop to add a shot of cobalt blue/litre. To the paint we add a PVA [wood] white glue, which mixes easy & drys clear. [You need to experiment with quantanties to suit]
This gives a hard waring surface & far cheaper than buying 'Rock hard' paint. Also with the black normally, over a period of time with wear, it becomes washed out & brownish in heavy traffic areas. The blue helps to retain it as a blue/black colour longer.
With the MDF sheeting it is far easier & quicker to use a ordinary kitchen Squeegee mop. Rather than mess of the paint spray caused by roller action. The mop heads are cheap & easily replaced, also no need to worry about storage after use. Further I have found you get more economical paint coverage & less wastage.

 

[gayle]

What would be people's thoughts on painting stage walls and ceiling in a light grey with black curtains to pull over the back wall for productions. It is a small odd shaped 6 sided hall in a small rural high school. The drama teacher and some P & C members (myself) dream of a boutique theatre for school and community use but we have to be practical; it is a multipurpose building. She also wishes to teach a class on lighting for drama next year. I know nothing about lighting effects. Would white ceilings be too stark?

 

[kicknargel]

You want to paint those areas black (or dark) for the same reason you turn out the houselights during the show, or watch a movie in a darkened theater. You want the stage to be the only thing visible (more or less). You're trying to create a situation where people get caught up in the artificial world on stage, and you do that by making the real world fade away.

Not to mention, from a lighting design standpoint, much of what you're doing is directing attention by selecting what should be the most lit. Generally you want the actors to be the brightest thing because that's where people will look. With all that whiteness you'll never achieve that.