Tevye's House
River City Main Street
Paroo House
River City Iowa Train Interior
River City Footbridge
Baloo Headpiece
Maurice's invention
Rose Tapestry
The Performance: Fiddler on the Roof Junior
The Challenge: Create a dramatic set piece that symbolizes the house as the foundation of tradition, strong enough to support a fiddler, large enough to accommodate more than 8 cast members inside, stored flat to minimize backstage footprint and could be set in struck in under 15 minutes.
The Solution: Tevye's house consists of 14 separate pieces that hinge together for stability, with a lightweight roofline of faux shingles. The chimney features a hidden interior ladder and platform, providing a stable base for the fiddler; the position of the fiddler makes it appear the performer is on the roof. Attached lighting includes fireplace and candles to enhance lighting and transitions, while the frame only structure accentuates the eventual decay of tradition..
The Challenge: Create a dramatic set piece that symbolizes the house as the foundation of tradition, strong enough to support a fiddler, large enough to accommodate more than 8 cast members inside, stored flat to minimize backstage footprint and could be set in struck in under 15 minutes.
The Solution: Tevye's house consists of 14 separate pieces that hinge together for stability, with a lightweight roofline of faux shingles. The chimney features a hidden interior ladder and platform, providing a stable base for the fiddler; the position of the fiddler makes it appear the performer is on the roof. Attached lighting includes fireplace and candles to enhance lighting and transitions, while the frame only structure accentuates the eventual decay of tradition..
The Performance: Music Man Junior
The Challenge: Create downtown River City with limited stage space, making it lightweight and mobile to allow junior actors to manage numerous scene changes.
The Solution: Downtown is largely painted flats to reduce weight with limited three-dimensional touches to add depth. Handles were incorporated into the design to facilitate movement, without being overtly obvious.
The Challenge: Create downtown River City with limited stage space, making it lightweight and mobile to allow junior actors to manage numerous scene changes.
The Solution: Downtown is largely painted flats to reduce weight with limited three-dimensional touches to add depth. Handles were incorporated into the design to facilitate movement, without being overtly obvious.
The Performance: Music Man Junior
The Challenge: Create a realistic three dimensional front porch that can split open from the center to reveal the home interior, without spending much money.
The Solution: The porch columns are made from landscape timbers to reduce cost and give the impression of rounded profiles. Siding is painted and the shingles are made from upside-down paper bags to minimize weight. The rolling base is held together with eye hooks; the platform splits apart in the middle, with the seam concealed by the center column and the overlapping shingles.
The Challenge: Create a realistic three dimensional front porch that can split open from the center to reveal the home interior, without spending much money.
The Solution: The porch columns are made from landscape timbers to reduce cost and give the impression of rounded profiles. Siding is painted and the shingles are made from upside-down paper bags to minimize weight. The rolling base is held together with eye hooks; the platform splits apart in the middle, with the seam concealed by the center column and the overlapping shingles.
The Performance: Music Man Junior
The Challenge: Create a sturdy train interior large enough to hold eight junior actors, small enough to fit on a limited stage and light enough to be moved quickly and safely by junior actors.
The Solution: Benches, tables and chairs mounted on the platform provide the illusion of space without crowding the actors with excess walls or ceiling, while three-dimensional windows with screening and velour fabric swatches add depth. Shelving is made from lightweight hangers with upside-down decorative plastic fencing for accents.
The Challenge: Create a sturdy train interior large enough to hold eight junior actors, small enough to fit on a limited stage and light enough to be moved quickly and safely by junior actors.
The Solution: Benches, tables and chairs mounted on the platform provide the illusion of space without crowding the actors with excess walls or ceiling, while three-dimensional windows with screening and velour fabric swatches add depth. Shelving is made from lightweight hangers with upside-down decorative plastic fencing for accents.
The Performance: Music Man Junior
The Challenge: Build a working footbridge capable of supporting two junior actors, that is both simple and visually striking.
The Solution: The bridge is formed from sandwiched layers of 1/8" ply and 1/4" pine blocks, to provide strength without excess weight. The sides are faced with styrofoam rough cut to provide the illusion of stone, with simple porch bannisters finishing the ends of the bridge. Bright battery powered LEDs illuminate the top and bottom spans of the bridge for visual pop.
The Challenge: Build a working footbridge capable of supporting two junior actors, that is both simple and visually striking.
The Solution: The bridge is formed from sandwiched layers of 1/8" ply and 1/4" pine blocks, to provide strength without excess weight. The sides are faced with styrofoam rough cut to provide the illusion of stone, with simple porch bannisters finishing the ends of the bridge. Bright battery powered LEDs illuminate the top and bottom spans of the bridge for visual pop.
The Performance: Jungle Book Kids
The Challenge: Create a lightweight costume piece that conveys the essence of the character Baloo the Bear, without covering the actor's face and losing dramatic expression.
The Solution: The Baloo headpiece sits on a standard baseball cap, formed of craft foam and felt that has been pinched, folded, glued and decorated with acrylic paints and marker.
The Challenge: Create a lightweight costume piece that conveys the essence of the character Baloo the Bear, without covering the actor's face and losing dramatic expression.
The Solution: The Baloo headpiece sits on a standard baseball cap, formed of craft foam and felt that has been pinched, folded, glued and decorated with acrylic paints and marker.
The Performance: Beauty & The Beast Kids
The Challenge: Without spending any money, create a wacky invention for Maurice that would be easy for the child actor to bring on stage and demonstrate activity.
The Solution: Using only parts found in my garage, we transformed a wooden crate, light-bulb changer, tennis ball containers, plastic water bottle caps and a hand pump into a goofy invention that featured a moving handle and a honking sound effect.
The Challenge: Without spending any money, create a wacky invention for Maurice that would be easy for the child actor to bring on stage and demonstrate activity.
The Solution: Using only parts found in my garage, we transformed a wooden crate, light-bulb changer, tennis ball containers, plastic water bottle caps and a hand pump into a goofy invention that featured a moving handle and a honking sound effect.
The Performance: Beauty & The Beast Kids
The Challenge: Provide the illusion of Beast's transformation back into the Prince.
The Solution: A rose tapestry was painted on white sheeting, strung between filigreed curtain rods and waved by attendants while Beast 'transformed' behind the sheet.
The Challenge: Provide the illusion of Beast's transformation back into the Prince.
The Solution: A rose tapestry was painted on white sheeting, strung between filigreed curtain rods and waved by attendants while Beast 'transformed' behind the sheet.
