Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:12:31 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rolande Duprey <roboladupe-AT-yahoo.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Set building advice


Mathieu,
Open Hand Theatre did a production called "The Chocolate War" which had just the type of set you described. I don't know if they have a photo on their website, but you could check it out. 
www.openhandtheatre.org.

I believe for the most part, it was painted fabric. Gorgeous rolling hills.

Rolande


Mathieu René <creaturiste-AT-magma.ca> wrote: Hi all.
I have been approached to design and build sets for a puppet play (for a classic fairy tale).
I don't have any confirmation as to what type of puppets yet (customer is still exploring), but from the little bits I know, I have a strong feeling it will be some kind of tabletop manipulation.

I don't usually get set design contracts, but this one fits with the kind I was planning to do for my own show someday.  The only sure criterias are:

-the entire set is a forest, as an environment within which the action will take place.
-the entire set must be able to be compacted very well, to take as little space as possible, to be easy to carry and stock in a small appartment. My customer is elderly (50+ years in the puppet biz), so I want to make it easy for his wife and him. I think separating the long stage into three equal parts would be ideal for transporting and storing purposes.

I am thinking ahead, even though I shouldn't without first meeting the customer in person, but hey, you know me, I love exploring. And this time, all I design and learn can actually bring me closer to my own future show.

What I intend to present as a first draft-idea, is a very long and narrow table (2 feet deep by 8 feet wide) making up the stage. It will be a long panorama of the forest, with the trees upstage (in non-theatre language it means in the back of the stage) and on the side. The action will take place in the middle of the forest, where it's a clearing (almost as wide as the stage itself). There will be a forest and sky backdrop standing up a few feet behind the set.  These dimensions will allow for a sense of "voyage" within a limited space. 
A left to right voyage, in the same way as most written languages are read.
I will make sure the scenery gradually changes from one side of the stage to the other (bushes, river, change of trees, subtle terrain variations, and a final high hill where the big action will take place.
I think tilting the stage forward will also allow for more people to see the action. Small crowd of 100 people and less, but still, I would want everyone to see everything. Actually, the stage would be flat, but the terrain would be built higher upstage and gradually fading to a very low downstage.
 
I will advise the puppeteers to stay visible. The classic tale they chose really lends itself well to it.

Now, as a spectator, I am bored of seeing puppet shows performed on flat tables.
I want volumes, rolling hills, ravines, mountains, cliffsides, and caves, all functionnal, meaning the puppets can walk, climb, or slide on or in them.  The puppets should have more of a real environment to live in!

Which is why I need advice.
How can I build such a thing and make it strong, lightweight, and easy to assemble/dis-assemble?
For this project, the terrain would be modest, no huge mountain, mostly plains and a few low hills.
Highest terrain feature would be 10 inches high at the most. Perhaps that higher piece could be made removeable. How?

I have thought about glueing hard insulation styrofoam over a board (which type won't warp?) and sculpting it into my landscape. Then I would cover with paper mache pulp, and possibly a layer of cloth mache as a first coat, for added stiffness. I wonder how I would be able to make the seam lines invisible. Perhaps by using bushes and ravines? I think separating the long stage into three equal parts would be ideal for transporting and storing puproses. I already know the old trick of the dismantled hinges one hooks together with a bent nail, and I want to try that as well. Is there a way to build the base of the landscape as a box that would protect the lanscape? Maybe stack them over each other, but what about the third piece on top?

This kind of hard lanscape would make noises when hard puppets touch it, so I think it imposes that the puppets should have soft feet and legs. I could make the lansdcape in soft foam and cover it with fabrics, but they are not materials I'm comfortable with for the kind of look I'm after.

I don't know if it would be wiser to include removeable legs underneath the set, or to actually install the set onto a table (folding legs) they would also have to carry?  I wouldn't want them to rely on venues to provide a table.

Any clues will be appreciated,
Thanks a lot!


-Mathieu, as crazy as ever (also just about to sign a contract for building 6 tv puppets in a month, and continuing to do my promotion). 


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