Sweeney Todd: Steampunk Set and Props.

I have spent the past few weeks carting the main elements of the set over to studio three. As the actors would be stood five foot high on steel deck during the performance I wanted them to get used to the height and general elements of the set before the get in (this wednesday) I there started to bring stuff over a few weeks prior to the planned get in in the tech schedule. This gave us a chance to see the main, bare structure of the set and work out any issues way in advance. As well as Lovet's counter, table and the numerous chairs we wold be using, I also brought over five steel decks, which then became seven (as the actors needed more space on stage). This was followed by twenty eight five foot scaff poles which would raise the barber shop up, as well as the stair cases.

The bare layout of the set.

I am extremely glad I decided to start bringing the set over sooner than planned in the schedule, although no major problems arose, I felt the extra time was hugely benefitially to the cast but also to me, the director and stage manager. It gave us a chance to watch runs of the show and form lists of little jobs here and there that needed to be done. Such as putting in an extra step at the top of the stairs to reach the steel deck, worrking out the mechanics of the trap door and the playing area we would lose with it in place. As well as many other issues including masking, storage, etc. 



Steel deck in place as well as more general set.

One aspect of the set I was extremely glad about was the fact that at the end of a run last weekend it took me only twenty minutes to put all the set into storage behind the curtain in the studio. As this is a teaching space I had imagined alot of issues arising from having to work around the teaching time table. However we had managed to transport and work with the set in the space pretty much hassle free.

Although originally supposed to be four foot tall I soon discovered that the only height we had enough scaff at was five feet. An initial concern I was glad to find that everything was still visible from the front row of the seating as we would have had no other option than to have removed the front row of seating had it proved an issue. In the end I found that once it was all in place the height of the steeel deck looked great and made for a more interesting set as there would be action going on at multiple levels in the space. After talking this over with the lighting designer we were happy with the look of the set.

The cast were happy with the set, the only thing we had yet to settle on was the trap door, which was the first thing we had designed but had gone through numerous changes over the months. These decisions were based first and foremost on safety, followed by budget. In the end it proved the simplest method was the best. As the trap door would not be in use during the first act we decided to simply use a steel deck in the space were the trap door would be placed. During the interval I would unscrew the section of steel decking from the rest and remove its two end legs, creating a slide which I would then tape a duvet too, as well as tape pillows to either leg of the opposite steel decks at the bottom of the slide. At the bottom there would be a crash mat with pillows and cushions on. Using sound effects of a trap door, as well as lightign it with birdies from the sides, we would give the impression of a trap door without actually constructing one. This would save massively on the budget, on of which I needed for the set in the end, and keep the cast more or less in one piece as they went down it.

One idea we had developed for the trap door was using the sheet of wood off a broken steel deck, this was replaced by the whole steel deck structure on two legs forming a slide.

In terms of what we had established with the set so far we came across no major problems, this was made clear in the feed back from the cast and stage manager. It also gave me a valuable chance to write up a list of everything that needed to be done over the final two weeks leading up to the production week.

 I first grouped all the little jobs I had left to do together, such as build jobs, paint jobs and finds. Then I re-organised these into what day I would be able to complete them, this was based on when they needed to be done by and when it would be possible to get into studio three or the uni workshop.

Bottles, Candle Stick Holders and Beer Tankards are a few of the props I gathered over the months.

One of the jobs I took on but wasn't crucial for me to do was the development of a number of props. I had the bare skeleton of a set but now had to dress it to give the impression of victorian London, and not just a load of bits of furniture that seemed appropriate for the time frame. As I started months ago this gave me the chance to look around while I was out and pick up anything I might stumble across, I also went to a number of antique stores and flea markets for inspiration. I had been collecting bottles and using clay to make them look dusty and now I began to start labelling them up and filling them.

I soaked the labels in tea, glued them to the glass and allowed to dry. I then used a number of fonts to give them the victorian look. I also dripped the candle wax over their holders to make them look well used.

Finally I filled them with water mixed with food colouring and corked them up with a bunch of corks I had bought, although some of them needed trimming down as they were going into screw top bottles. As they would be quite far away from the audience this wouldn't be an issue.

The bottles finished.

While in the workshop the other day I found a disgarded banister leg and decided to use it for the beadle's staff, as in rehearsals he'd been using a plain piece of dowelling and that was pretty boring. As it was square at each end I decided to sand it down with a surf form at both ends to make it smoother and more walking stick-like.

Once sanded down I found one end was hollow so filled it with builder's cork. I then started carving a head piece out of polystyrene but decided this wasn't very practical so carved one out of clay instead, as is shown below.

With the staff constructed all that was left was to stain the wod and paint the skull. I put that to one side and started to work on the sign for above Lovett's pie shop, being more crucial. As I had sketcked out the shape of the sign in hard board I decided to take it back into uni and cut it out properly with a jigsaw, as I had left cutting some of the signs out until after painting when I worked on The Visit, and it wasn't very practical.

The sign cut out I took it back home, drew out the lettering and began to paint. I played around on the computer with a rough sketck up of the sign before I chose which colours to paint it.

I decided to paint the sign green and gold, this made the lettering stand out and kept it in a style that would fit with the rest of the set.

Eventuallly the Pie symbol would be hanging from the main sign but for now I took it all into uni as the sign, like the barber's pole and wall hanging would need supports attached for hanging from the rig.

My next job was to construct an extra step for the stair case that leads form the barber shop to the pie shop, as the height between the final tread and steel decking was too high in rehearsals. I worked in the workshop on thursday morning to construct the step.

 My irst job was to cut out the step/tread as well as the rises for ether side that would go down to the steel deck the stairs were placed on. Using a jigsaw I sawed up plywood and glued each piece, bracing them together while they dried and I screwed them together. With the basic structure built and connected together I began to work on the supports that would be required to hold the steps form and take the weight of people standing on it.

Running two batons of wood underneath I glued them and placed stage weights on them, while screwing the into place. I also placed a piece of plywood along the front of the step, this would give it added strength and also stop the actors from catching their feet in the gap as they went up ad down the stairs. I also ran a plank of plywood across the middle to stop the sides from bulking under weight and hold its more solid shape.

Finally I painted the whole structure black once the supports were fixed in place.

The step held down with stage weights.

The finished step with supports in place ready for painting.

Sweeney Todd: Finishing the Oven

Back in the workshop I reapplied papier mache to the oven's chimney to bridge the gap between it and the main bowl form. This made them look more like one single structure, as shown below.

Whilst this dried I worked back ito the bars on the grill of the oven. As you could see the lines in the cardboard I essentially plastered builder's cork over them to create a more metallic look. As the dry brushing effect had been quite successful on the barber's pole I thought I would incorporate it into the oven as well to give a sense of unison in the design's of the two set pieces, they exist in the same world after all.

Here you can see the bars I had already done and the ones were I had applied builder's cork ready to be moulded. As I had plastic gloves in the workshop this made the job of creating the metal effect on the oven's surface much easier thn when I had done it on the barber's pole. Instead of getting my hands covered in builder's cork I could sculpt it more easily without it sticking to my fingers as badly.

As well as working on the front I also applied a thicker layer of paper to the back of the oven, which I then thickly coated in grey satin. This would protect the oven from the heat of lights behind it and bounce the light off its surface as well.

My next step was to start painting the whole oven black, apart from the sections that were still drying. I had orginally painted the oven white thinking it would be much brighter than I had eventually decided. Also, it gave me a better picture of the oven as a whole and any sections that were uneven. However, as I would be dry brushing it I realised it had to have a black base coat.

While painting it black I took the opportunity to practise dry brushing the surface, to see what kind of textures I could bring out of it's surface. This gave me a chance to have a play around with the technique before it would be painted properly.

Although I still hadn't settled on exactly what colours I would be using, I knew I wanted it to stand apart form the barber's pole, but still seem related in design style. I decided my first step would to give it a grey base coat. Using a grey satin with alot of black mixed into the paint I began to dry brush the surfaces. This gave the surface a shine but not as strongly as gloss would. I imagined the oven was quite ancient and had been installed in Lovett's cellar long before she took up residency there. I therefore thought it should still have a shine but not too strong, this gave the oven a feel of faded grandeur as if it was from an older age but you could still see the metal shining slightly in the dark. As it would be lit I didnt want the surface to be reflecting light too strongly either so I used the black to dull down the satin a bit more.

After I had finished the first coat I felt it didn't stand out from the back board enough so gave it another, lighter, coat. This made it stand out more but also added definition and layers to the surface where the two slightly different colours blended with each other, as can be seen below.

Here the surface really began to look more realistic. The dry brushing effect had given the metallic look I was trying to achieve but also gave the impression that the oven was bathed in alot of shadow, as it would be in the cellar, with only raised sections here and there reflecting the little light in the basement.

My next step was to give the grill and other features a dark brown base coat that was more liberally dry brushed on. This didn't make it stand out too much, as it kept alot of the black/shadow in its surface, but set it apart from the rest of the structure enough. I also began to dry brushed brown here and there on the oven's surface, making it look older and dirtier and generally well used. This added a bit more character to the structure and made certain areas stand out more where they had been bashed or rusted from the dampness of the cellar.

I began to pick out individual details in the pipe work, grill, motif, coggs and anywhere I thought it was worth spending a bit of time on bringing out the details of the design; as is shown above and below.

I also started to use a lighter brown mixed with a mstard yellow primarily on the grill but also to pick out little details here and there. I was really pleased with the rusted look I had given to the surface, especially as it seemed to shine different tones fro different angles, as can be seen in the bronzed look below.

I then worked on the feet in the same way so they stood out form the main bulk of the oven. At this point I considered the oven finshed, although I may go over certain sections in the next week if I feel they need touching up a bit. I would also like to give the back board another coat of black so the oven stands out more, but its not essential if I dont have any time. I could spend forever nit-picking at little parts of the oven, however, I was happy with the standard it had reached at this point.

Sweeney Todd Steampunk Oven.

Clockwork or All Wound Up

For the third year physical theatre show, all the theatre arts student who have been on working on placements will make up the technical team for the show. During our first production meeting last friday the concept for the production was presented as well, as the director's ideas on the set, lighting, etc. As the show is based on Phillip Pullman's fairytale, Clockwork, the setting would be a ninteenith century inn, primarily. It will also be performed in the round and incorporate puppets into the performance, as well as the twenty cast memebers. As a designer for the show I will be involved in the development of the set, as well as sourcing/creating props and working on the puppets that will feature heavily in the show.

Although in it's early stages of development one aspect we have been developing this week is the structure of the puppets themselves. The physical theatre students had sculpted a number of heads out of polysytrene and then papier mached the surfaces. Our task this week was to, using the heads, develop two prototypes for the director to see today (wednesday). First we attended the PT lesson on monday morning and, after talking with Kasia (the director), took away a number of heads we had chosen to incorporate with the rest of the puppet's structure we were developing.

Once back in the workshop, we chose a number of heads to develop and slightly recarved them. This defined the face's structure more, creating a more interesting character that would look more defined when painted and lit.

Kasia had made a point of the importance of them looking quite neutral and not too detailed as the audience would be able to see what kind of characters they were from their manipulation by the PT students.

We also restructured the jaw section, which was separate from the head, so that it sat and moved more naturalistically with the upper part of the head. W then re-applied the paiper mache to the surface to strengthen it and began to consider how the puppet would be operated and how the puppeteer would control and manipulate it's features.

We used a coat hanger, hooked over the thumb, to hold up the body and create a pair of shoulders, which the head would then sit on top of. Although this would need bulking out to make more life-like, it was a good start to developing the rest of the puppet's body. We allowed the heads to dry before experimenting with how the whole body ould connect up together.

To hide the hand, which went through a slit under the collar of the shirt, we create a sleeve out of material. Although the distance between the head and shoulders was too far, we thought it was a good idea to develop at this stage, as Kasia was only expecting a rough prototype.
 

Items collected to possibly be incoporated into the set design or used to construct props.


One thing we all began to realise as we worked on the puppets was the way in which Kasia liked to work. Where as in the past I would have a design meeting with a director and go away and develop something with a clear idea of what I was doing, this was totoally different to how Kaisa worked. Instead of sitting down and accurately laying out how things would work, she would prefer to give us a rough outline of what she wanted and then we would go away to develop something based roughly on what she'd described. Although stressful and time consuming at first, we began to develop our system of creating the puppets so instead of trying to pin own exactly what she wanted, we would develop something as best as we thought how and present it to her. This made developing the puppets ten times easier as she actually had something to look at and could explain to us what she liked and what needed to be re-designed or removed.


Re-structuring the jaw.

I suppose this was down to the fact she teaches physical theatre, and as such her whole method of working is to improvise and workshop ideas that would be developed as the process went on. Although completely different to how I was used to working, from a set/props point of view, and the girls in terms of costume, it was refreshing and incrediably useful to explore a different method of creating, and look at things from a new angle.
Our next job was to consider how we would bulk up the shoulders, creating a more natralistic look. At first we considered polystrene, but decided instead to create a selotape cast of someone's shoulders using selotape, as this was more flexible and easier to manipulate.

First we cling filmed the shoulders, then we began to cover them in tape. We decided quite a thick layer would be appropriate as this would hold it's form better and be much stronger.

The shoulder mould completed.

With the tape thick enough I carefully cut the back down the middle, so it could be removed and neatly retaped. With the mould finished we covered theinside with tape as well so it wouldn't fall apart. Next we attached the coathanger inside so that the frame was secured and the hook was ready to hold the head on top. Below is the shoulder mould with the head and shirt on. This looked dramatically different to what we had tried with just the coat hanger, and gave a much more life-like impression.

                             

Although the shirt we used was far too big for a four foot tall person, we felt the puppets were still beginning to take on a much more human look. Our next step was to show Kasia what we had done and get feedback on any alterations that needed to be made. Her first note was that the shoulder mould needed to finish higher up. Meaning that we kept the topmost section of the mould and trimmed away the lower section. This would keep the same form and hold the posture, but allow the puppeteer's arms to move more freely inside, without being restrictive to their actions.

The shoulder mould would be trimmed down to leave the higher section only.

Kasia also mentioned the neck needed to be smaller and the head sat closer above the shoulders. We also widened the neck area. As there would be no limbs, the pieces all had to be connected with material to hold it together underneath the costumes they would be wearing. Another point she made was that although there were no legs to the puppets a knee cap would be useful for defining the tops of the legs, although the rest of the leg would not be important. With this information we went away and finish our prototype for presenting on wedensday. As can be seen below.

As you can see we thinned the shoulder supports and created the pelvic structure using a coat hanger, covered in foam. From this we dropped the two knee cap sections and connected it all with material. Although only a rough construct at this time we had designed the bear strucutre of the puppet. At thi early stage it was great to be able to give ourselves the time to experiment with different ways of designing the puppets and meet up with Kasia to see what she thought of what we had made. As we knew a number of aspects of the puppet were likely to change as the design went on, we only pinned or taped the pieces together. This allowed us to show Kasia how we had interpreted what she had told us, but also easily alter parts that weren't quite there yet. As there were no arms (the puppeteers would use their own) we had cut slits at the top of each sleeve for the puppeteer, however Kasia felt it would be better if these slits were nearer the wrists to make it much easier to control the sleeve.

A good example of this is the mouth piece, which conects the bottom jaw to the rest of the head. This can be seen below. 

                                            

Here you can see we pinned the mouth piece in place so we could alter it later if needs be. We finally painted the faces a pale cream, flesh colour. Our next step will be to develop the prototype so its more structured and secure, as well as two cat puppets which may be a different style of puppet to the ones we had developed so far.