Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup: spiral stair case & mechanical sailor

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spiral stair case & mechanical sailor

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup
Forum Discription: For how-to's and where-can-I-find
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1789
Printed Date: 5/02/24 at 5:45pm
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Topic: spiral stair case & mechanical sailor

Posted By: reith98
Subject: spiral stair case & mechanical sailor
Date Posted: 4/07/06 at 9:25am

For Little Theater of Owatonna's Upcoming production of Slueth we need to get a spiral stiar case and a talking mechanical sailor.

We need the stuff by the first of May.

Thanks!

Replies:

Posted By: Joan54
Date Posted: 4/07/06 at 11:51am

Try an internet search for theater rentals or prop rentals to find a rental company close enough to you. We have a lot of good ones here in New York but that won't help you.....you might find that they want a substantial deposit for such items as a talking mechanical sailor. We wanted to rent the umbrella gun for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and the deposit was 2,000.00. The transport of the spiral stairs might be very expensive. You should talk to your local lumber yard or home supply center..they may have a cheap one.....600.00 - 800.00 that comes in a kit that you would have to assemble.....or if you get lucky you might be able to buy a used one. By the time you rent a set of stairs and pay for transport it may make more sense to buy them. They'll probably get used in more than one production.

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"behind a thin wall of logic panic is waiting to stampede"

Posted By: Playwright
Date Posted: 4/07/06 at 1:06pm

One of the CT's I belong too has its sets built by a retired handyman. A local seniors centre might have such a fellow chomping at the bit for a project. Another option might be to apporach a local high school or commumity college that has a carpentry course. One of their classes might take on the project if you were to purcahse the materials. Also, check with companies that demolish houses, buildings. You might luck out and find one that might have a spiral staircase sitting around.

Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 4/07/06 at 1:30pm

We "faked" the laughing sailor for our production of "Sleuth." We simply used a store mannequin, dressed like a sailor - complete with fake beard, and hinged the joints in the arms and neck.

It was set upstage against the flat and the prop was manipulated offstage by our ASM using wires and pulleys, like a large marionette. On cue, the actor playing Andrew Wyke would "press a button" (also fake) while the Stage Manager played the sound cue of the laugh and the ASM tugged the pulleys.

No one in the audience noticed (or at least commented) that the mouth didn't move, as the sight of the sailor waving its arms and rolling its head back accomplished the effect admirably.

PS: as an added inside joke, the "laugh" was actually the actor playing Andrew Wyke own dubbed voice.

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"None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone