Waterfall on stage
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Set Design and Construction
Forum Discription: Post your questions or suggestions about designing or building a set here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2097
Printed Date: 5/19/24 at 12:35am
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Topic: Waterfall on stage
Posted By: swizzle
Subject: Waterfall on stage
Date Posted: 10/29/06 at 6:07pm
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I'm tech director amongst many other hats for a local village show. The director is looking for a water fall on stage. The stage isnt high, we dont have a fly gallery, the roof is about 10' above the stage. Just wondering about the waterfall. Has anyone done something similar. Obviously the catchment is my main concern, avoiding any splash is the idea, also ideas on how to make the water more visable. Anyone tried glitter in the water? PLanning on using probably a submersible pond pump in a tank under the stage, when water enters the catchment, drains out the bottom and back into tank. Any ideas anyone has would be great. Especially 'anti-splash' catchment ideas! many thanks! |
Replies:
Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 10/29/06 at 7:01pm
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I have used water recirculated running down the front of perspex, into
a catchment tank on stage & being pumped back again. There is no
splash what so ever, but how big does it need to be? This is the same principle as the ornamental garden waterfalls & the stage lighting is bounced off, high lighting the water flow. Also I have used a rotating cylinder upstage of a cut cloth with scrim inserted, giving an impression of moving water over a water fall, similar to a moire paten. Also with splash from an over head sprinkler rain effect, from upstage of s scrim, is effective in containing it. But this probably not what you want. ------------- Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house} |
Posted By: swizzle
Date Posted: 10/30/06 at 7:13am
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Doesnt need to be large, as i said, the stage height is only 10ft roughly, would probably only need to have a width of say 2 or 3 feet. Perspex is probably a good idea, but it does have to go on and off stage. Whatever we use as catchment, i'm thinking a drilled hole in the stage with piping attached, so whatever sits on stage for catchment fits into this hole and water drains straight down and away. |
Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 10/30/06 at 9:58am
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The actual tank or pond catchment can be self contained, even on a
truck. Therefore as it is a recirculating pump, there is no need of a
drain. With the perspex or plastic mirror, if you glue on rocks or what ever to break up & undulate the surface area, this would make it a bit more realistic. ------------- Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house} |
Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 10/30/06 at 10:33am
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Back to your question on adding glitter, I would be worried about putting anything in the water that might accumulate and clog the pump, but otherwise, just like gaafa says, it's just like doing a small gardet water feature... ------------- Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.." |
Posted By: TimW
Date Posted: 10/30/06 at 12:26pm
| I have yet to make a waterfall, but I have seen a small garden feature where the catch basin had alluminum screen (the same for sceen door and windows) across the top. This did help control some splash. Like Gaffa mentioned, keep it self contained. Build your catchment as part of the fall and face it to match. |
Posted By: Spectrum
Date Posted: 11/09/06 at 11:23pm
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Has anybody ever considered your audience being subjected to the sound and sight of continuous water movement? You might suggest they all visit the restroom before that scene. It's amazing how much that sound effects a person's bladder. ------------- Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional. |
Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 11/10/06 at 1:03am
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Bewdy Spectrum! That?s something I have never thought about! It would have been lucrative a few years ago, when you had to spend a penny, to use the loo in theatres. But that was only in the female toilets, the blokes got to soplash the porcelian for free of course. I wonder if we shouldn?t bring it back & put a $2 coin vending machines on all the dunny doors. Then ensure subtle waterfall music is played in the foyer/house & with the interval music. The coin mechanism is easy to make that weighs the coin, rejects slugs & has a refund as well! Let?s face it if major Railway Stations & even some hotels get away with it here, why not amateur theatres? It reminds a bit of a theatre we played in at John O?Groates in Scotland. Who would purposely stoke up the central heating in the middle of winter, during the show, to sell more ice cream & cool drinks,. Now this could be lucrative & something to ponder!  ------------- Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house} |
Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 11/10/06 at 8:11am
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We had a "marked" increase in toilet usage during Once Upon A Mattress, were we had a moat that was continuously filled by a spouting face fountain.... made a great SPLAT sound as it hit... ------------- Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.." |
Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 11/10/06 at 9:38am
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It would've been funnier if, every time someone flushed the toilet, the face would spit more water farther. ------------- "None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone |
Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 11/11/06 at 2:26am
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This reminds me of the drama the architect & acoustic
engineers went through, when building the Sydney Opera House. They
realised that if the toilets were used during a performance. The noise
of the conventional dunny cisterns, would be amplified &
create problems. Caused by the unique structure of the building &
the number of loo?s through out it. This was obviously resolved, but at great cost to the state government, putting silencers on the bog standard ?Sir Thomas Crapper? water valve toilets. Attempting to modify the ?thunder from down under?! ------------- Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house} |
Posted By: swizzle
Date Posted: 11/12/06 at 1:53pm
| Behold the power of sound! |