Panto (December 2013). Dwarfs. Set Design.

Initially Pippa was to make the Dwarfs but I offered to help her out.
In the Panto the Giants are to shrink down to Dwarfs so it was decided that the Dwarfs bodies were to be made out of calico cut outs that were to be hung over a wall. The wall would have cut outs at the top for the actors to place their heads against (like an old fashioned stock). The actors would kneel behind the wall with the calico Dwarf cut outs hanging in front and their heads against the cut outs in the wall, thus giving the effect that their bodies had shrunk.

Pippa drew the design for the Dwarfs on paper and then transferred the design onto the calico and cut them out.
The calico was then backed with stage gauze to give them more firmness and body. The gauze was stuck in place with glue. Once dried the bodies had to be trimmed so no gauze showed beyond the body.  

 

The next stage was to 'size' the calico Dwarf bodies with white emulsion paint mixed with water. It was not to be too runny or too thick. If too runny it would soak through to the other side. Too thick and it would crack once dried. Both sides had to be coated but the first side had to dry first before we applied the paint to the other side. We had to paint both sides in case one side shrunk after being painted, this way if any shrinkage did occur it would be evenly distributed. It was a lot harder to paint the stage gauze side and a lot more paint was needed on that side.

They did look amusing when I hung them out to dry on a make shift clothes line outside. I did have to bring them in to continue to dry before we went home.

 

 

Once dried thoroughly we had to iron them so they would lay flat as they had curled slightly. Pippa then drew the original design back onto the now 'sized' Dwarfs.

The colours of the trousers was to be dictated by the actual colours of the full size costumes the Giants were to wear. The tops were to be plain and boldly painted in individual bright colours. Pippa, I and Paige painted the majority of the Dwarfs outfits and I gave the whole outfits shading.

 

 

Finally after the Dwarfs bodies were dry they had black marker pen outlines added to them.

 

 

I feel that now that I have seen the 'Tech' run and the set designs used, the Wall should of been made longer and the cut outs further apart and the Dwarf bodies made slightly taller and the Wall slightly shorter in height as when the Dwarf bodies are hung over the Wall they are hanging in mid air. The cut outs needed to be further apart to allow for the actors all to fit comfortably behind the Wall and allow the Dwarf bodies to hang without over lapping each other. This in my opinion was not thought about or considered when making the individual items of the Dwarfs and the Wall.