ASM. Marking out the Theatre Floor. Slice of Saturday Night 2014

Had to be involved in some marking out of the Theatre floor for the show Slice of Saturday Night. The plans had been drawn up and we had to work from the plan when measuring out the floor plan onto the Theatre floor.

(Picture above shows the scaled floor plan, top left and the beginnings of measuring and scaling up onto the Theatre floor)

 

We had to measure the floor and scale the plan up so we could mark it out on the Theatre floor. We took turns measuring and also laying down LX Tape where it needed to be, to mark out the plan onto the floor. When using the tape we had to make sure we didn't pull and stretch it whilst laying it down to stick to the floor as apparently when you do this it tends to lift up overnight and you end up having to mark out again. If left the bits that may of had risen, get scuffed up. The marking up was done so we would know where the staging and the set would be once placed in the Theatre. It would also allow us to know how the space would be used and how much would be taken up.

The set of Slice of Saturday Night will be using a Thrust format and the whole seating of the Lafranc Theatre will be changed for this show. The audience will be around the set in two places plus the audience will be able to stand on a third side or possibly sit on the floor. Slice of Saturday Night is a Promenade Show.

(The marked out floor)

Being a Dresser. Dance Show April/May 2014.

For the Dance Show I was asked to do the Dressing. The following is my account of how the week went:

(Picture shows the chairs Backstage where the Dancers Costume changes are kept)

On the Monday I watched the Tech Run in the Theatre which wasn't originally supposed to have any costumes in it but the Director wanted to see what the colours of the costumes looked liked under the lights so I took the costume rails, with the chosen costumes on, through to the workshop which is backstage.
I was given a running order of the show with the name of each dance and notes on costumes, LX, props and music etc. This had been made earlier by another crew member during rehearsals and I was to make my own notes on it whilst watching the Tech Run of what costume was needed and by whom. This was the first time I had been involved in the Dance show and the first time I had seen any of the dances. I do feel sometimes that you are thrown in at the deep end but I suppose that is life at times and the Theatre. I always feel I would like to have more involvement from an earlier start in each show.
Whilst watching the Tech Run I would occasionally have to get up and go backstage with them to assist the dancer to get their costume.
I also spent time gathering up costumes from around the Theatre after they had been used and re-hanging them back on the rails.
It was a slow day and by lunchtime only 4 out of the 18 Dances had been run through. We had no morning or afternoon breaks and only a 45 minute lunch rather than our normal hour. There is a lot of sitting around whilst running through a Tech Run if you are not involved in the actual lighting or sound, so patience is required and plenty of fluids as you start to dehydrate sitting around in a darkened, stuffy Theatre and can get a pounding headache by the end of the day if your not careful.

(The Monitor Backstage that shows what is going on on the stage)

On the Tuesday, whilst they continued with the Tech Run, I worked in the Costume Room labeling Dancers Costumes with their names and I also drew up a chart of the Dancers names so we could allocate them a pair of tights each. Usually new tights are bought for the Dancers and most never seem to be returned and there is no record of who had what and who had returned what. This time I was asked to label all the tights with a number and allocate each number to a Dancer. When at the end of the shows the tights are returned, the numbers can be checked off against each Dancers names. I also labelled the tights with their sizes as once taken out of the packet there was no visible evidence what the size was. I labelled these tights with a small calico label that i had cut out and wrote on and then hand sewed them into each individual pair of tights.
In the afternoon there was a full dress rehearsal and I must admit it was pretty chaotic and I did feel that I would not enjoy the shows at this rate. Again it had been a long day and various Crew and Dancers were dropping out and going early for various reasons and it did make you wonder how any show ever goes on. I had to help with quick changes, which mainly were with the 2 Male Dancers in the show. Poppy was allocated to help me with the dressing but she did also have to do some props and set changes as far as I was aware, so there were times where I was on my own. Plus we had decided to work opposite sides of the stage when necessary but we did have to do some of the quick changes together.

(The running order of the Dances to be performed during the show, copies of these were taped up in various places Backstage)

On the Wednesday I had to label all the chairs that were placed backstage for the Dancers to sit on whilst they waited to go on stage. I stuck their name on the wall above their chair. This is so they would know where their pile of costume changes were and for me to know whose chair was whose so I could also know where to place their costumes. The Dancers kept all their costumes on their own chairs in the order which they were to wear them. The last costume at the bottom of the pile. The first being on the top. Once used most costumes were then put beneath the chairs.
I would of liked to of known each Dancers order of costumes and what items each costume consisted of. This would I felt benefited me to be able to be more organised as I felt at this stage out of my depth not knowing what was happening and who needed what, what each costume was and the order of each Dancers changes. I felt that I should be able to assist in the order of each of the Dancers costumes and get their chairs organised if I needed to but I wasn't in the position to do so. I did mention this to the Wardrobe Supervisor but she felt that the Dancers needed to take this responsibility and that it wasn't down to us!!?? I'm not convinced but had to let it go and work with what I could.
Wednesday saw the open Dress Rehearsal and it did run surprisingly smooth and the Dancers did keep their costumes in order and although it did look pretty chaotic backstage they did seem to be organised in their own way. the open Dress Rehearsal went well I think and the only mishap was for the final dance of the 2nd show, as one of the Dancers T-shirts and bandanna seemed to be missing. They went on in a different colour T-shirt to everyone else and without a bandanna. I can only presume there must of been some sort of domino effect gone on with someone taking a costume from the chair next to them and not their own, so thus making each next person taking the wrong outfit, as the missing outfit was found during the dance routine quite a way down the line.
The other thing we needed to do was draw up a quick costume change list and pin it up on the wall. Something that we could work to so we knew what was going on and when. It was drawn as a chart with the name of the dance, the Dancers name, the outfit they needed, what side of the stage they were coming off at and what side of the stage they were to go on at. This helped us know where to have the costume ready for and when.

(Our quick change lists. The original list on top and below it our chart for the quick changes)

On Thursday there was 2 shows and all went well. The Quick changes did have to be done quickly and it could prove difficult at times as Dancers get quite hot and sweaty and taking down trousers and attempting to put on jeans to sticky bodies is not the easiest things to do. Doing up shirts and putting on bow-ties can also be tricky and its not the time to have fumbling fingers, which did happen on occasions lol. To speed things up shirts were done up to midway and put over the head so not so many buttons had to be done up whilst doing the change. Trousers legs are rolled up and the trousers laid flat on the ground so they can step in quickly. T-shirts are put onto the Dressers arms, their arm slotted through the neck and through to the bottom, so they can be placed quickly over the Dancers heads. Organisation is the key points of being a Dresser and a sense of calmness in a chaotic atmosphere. Quickness is needed as well. To be able to direct the Dancer/actor to what you expect of them whilst they are pumped up on adrenalin, such as left foot forward then right, take control of the situation and take the lead and always be in your position on time and be ready with your changes. I actually ended up really enjoying my Dressing experience, the Guy Dancers were both lovely and tolerant and I felt the changes went comparatively smoothly even though there were some hic-cups along the way but all went ok in general.

(Running order of set changes and props needed throughout the show)

Towards the end of the last show we started to gather up the used costumes and sorting them into colour costume piles ready for washing. This was to save time at the actual end of the show.

On the Friday I continued to sort through the costume piles. Taking out name labels.Turning things the right way out. Unrolling sleeves. Untangling items etc and then putting them into separate bin bags of sorted colours ready to take to the launderette.

I would happily do the Dressing again but would like more involvement in all costume related details. Attending the rehearsals. Help in choosing the costumes and having the knowledge of what is what and chosen for whom. I feel this would help benefit with the smoother running and understanding of the order of things for me.

Costume. Russian Hammer and Sickle logo stenciled onto a red t-shirt. Dance Show 2014.

For the Dance Show I was asked to stencil the Russian Hammer and Sickle logo onto several red T-Shirts. It was decided to not include the Star that is part of the logo.

(The finished T-Shirts hanging to dry)

 

First I researched the logo online and chose a very simple design with clean lines, nothing fancy or fiddly. I drew the hammer and the sickle seperately onto 2 pieces of paper, which I then had to adjust as it was felt that my original designs were just a little to large. Once re-drawn I then placed clear acetate over the drawings and traced them onto the acetate using a black permanent marker pen. 

(Above pictures show the internet designs and the pencil drawings of the Hammer and Sickle)

 

Next I cut the shapes out of the acetate using a stanley knife, after placing the acetate onto a cutting board. I used a metal ruler when cutting the straight lines. These acetates were then used as stencils.

(Cutting the shapes out of the acetates)

 

It was originally decided that the stencils would be sprayed on but after trying this out on the first T-Shirt it was decided to use paint instead, which was to be sponged on. I thought it may be possible to spray the stencil without adding anything around the stencil but that was not to be and I did add sheets of paper all around the stencil, stuck on with masking tape. Even with this it proved difficult to spray the T-Shirt without it bleeding to beneath the stencil. Also the spray kept coming out lumpy and bitty even though I had shook it several times. Plus it needed to be sprayed several times, building up the colour, for it to look anywhere remotely bright yellow as the colour just kept soaking into the fabric.

Using the paint was so much more easier and quicker and neater. I used a sponge to apply the colour. I stenciled all the Sickle's on first and allowed them to dry and then I stenciled all the Hammer's on next.

(Pictures showing the original Hammer stencil after using the spray and the tub of yellow emulsion paint that was finally used)

 

The T-Shirts had to have the logo stenciled into the middle of the shirt. I placed a thick piece of cardboard inside the T-Shirt to stop the paint from soaking through to the back of the shirt and even though I felt I had folded the top of the shirt and the sides over all roughly in the same place as each other, after I had finished the task discovered that somehow not all the logo's were central and some were down lower than others. Oopps!! I was told that they were fine and wouldn't matter. Next time I feel I should work on my own without the distraction of other crew members chatting to me whilst I worked lol.

Props. White Suitcase. Dance Show 2014

I was asked to prepare an old suitcase so it could be painted white for the Dance Show. I roughly sanded the suitcase down so the paint would adhere to it. I wiped the suitcase over with a damp cloth after rubbing it down to remove the dust from the sanding down.



 

I painted the suitcase leaving the handle and hinges. It did take 2-3 layers of paint. Originally I felt that it needed a varnish type of coating, as when dried, the paint could be scrapped off but I did not get to do this as I went and worked on something else. I do not know if someone else did do this but having done most of the shows whilst writing this, the suitcase does seem to of faired ok throughout the shows.

Mask Making Unit. 2013-2014. Venetian Style Mask.

At the beginning of the college year we had to get into pairs to make a mould of our faces with the intention of making a Paper Mache Mask. We made these moulds using 'Modroc' (Plaster of Paris bandages).
We covered our whole face with Vaseline, taking care to cover our eyebrows and eyelashes so they would not stick to the 'Mudroc'. We used the Vaseline to act as a releasing agent.
We applied the 'Mudroc' direct to our partners vaselined face, building up the bandages in layers, being careful round the contours, pushing the bandages into the creases of the face, and leaving the nostrils of the nose uncovered so the person could continue to breathe. We covered the mouth completely. We applied about 5-6 layers of 'Mudroc'.
When the 'Mudroc' was hard, the persons face it had been on, twitched their facial muscles and gently pulled the cast from their face. This cast formed a 'negative' mould for us to pour Plaster of Paris into to form our 'positive' mould from which we was to make our final Paper Mache Mask on.

(Pictures show the negative 'Mudroc' mould and positive Plaster of Paris mould and the 'donut' paper ring to rest the cast in)

 



From paper and masking tape we had to make a ring like donut in which to rest our 'Mudroc' mould. This is so it would balance without tipping over when we added the Plaster of Paris. We had to thoroughly and completely smother the inside of the 'Mudroc' mould with Vaseline, again concentrating to get into the nooks and crannies of the mould. This again was to act as a releasing agent as we were going to pour Plaster of Paris into the moulds.
We mixed the Plaster of Paris up in a bucket which we had added water to. We gradually sprinkled Plaster of Paris through our fingers and mixed into the water until it formed into a thick 'double cream' consistency. Once at the right consistency we poured the 'gloop' into the 'Mudroc' mould up to the lowest edge of the mould so it would not overflow and gently tapped the mould to hopefully remove any air bubbles. We left the Plaster of Paris to set hard in the moulds.
Once hard we had to remove the now solid cast from the 'Mudroc' mould. We gently pulled the edges of the 'Mudroc' mould away and due to the fact we had added Vaseline as a releasing agent, we was able to remove the solid cast from the mould.
Any air bubble holes we filled in with soft brown clay and smoothed over and any rough edges or uneven surfaces we used a Stanley knife to shave them off.

(Pictures show the air bubble holes filled in with soft brown clay and shaving the Plaster away around the nose with a stanley knife)

 

After the clay dried we were ready to cover the Plaster cast with strips of Paper Mache. Before doing this though we again covered the Plaster cast with Vaseline to again act as a releasing agent from the Paper Mache covering. We used approx: half water to half PVA glue ratio and I put on 8-9 layers of paper, this was to give the finished mask strength. We were also asked to make 5 tester strips, these were made with a strip of card and about 3 layers of Paper Mache added to the end. These were made so we could test our paint colours on before applying to the mask.



 

(Pictures show the Plaster cast covered in Paper Mache and the tester strips)

 

Once the Paper Mache had dried we had to remove the Mask covering from the Plaster cast. This proved quite difficult even though it had been covered in Vaseline. I did use a pair of scissors to work away around the edge of the Paper Mache Mask from the Plaster cast. Once I had released the edge significantly the mask did come away quite easily.

(Picture shows on left the Paper Mache Mask and on the right the Plaster cast)

 

Now I had the Paper Mache Mask I started to draw my design, which I had previously drawn, onto the Mask and cut away the pieces I didn't need using scissors and a stanley knife.

(Pictures above and below show the different stages of cutting out the design)

 

I cut away a fair amount from the bottom of the nose to allow the wearer to be able to breathe and made sure the eyes were big enough to be able to see and wear comfortably. Once I had drawn and cut away what was needed from the actual mask I then needed to add extra bits of card to the mask to continue to bring about my design onto the mask. I initially used for this the pieces of Paper Mache that I had cut away from the Mask. 

(Pictures show the Mask taking the design shape I had planned and how it worked and looked on my face)

 

I started to add contours to the mask before I had actually finished the whole completed design to see how it would look. I used pieces of rolled up paper and masking tape to hold these in place. I lengthened the nose and made it more bulbous.

(Above and below pictures show the building up of the contours to the Mask)

 

I have based my design and have been influenced by the film Labyrinth with David Bowie in. I love the grotesque Masks at the Masked Ball Scene and feel these have been influenced by original Venetian Carnival Masks. I still have a long way to go to finish my Mask.

Props. Large Poppy Flower. Slice of Saturday Night. 2014

I was asked to  make a large poppy for a prop required. At first I was thinking quite large and thought I would make it out of stiffened fabric but after I made enquiries found it was to be about 4-5 inches in diameter. This made me think to make it it tissue paper instead.

(Picture shows the finished Poppy)

 

I used red tissue paper for the petals and decided to use brown paper for the centre as we did not have any black paper and felt that brown would still look acceptable. I chose two different shades of green, one for the stem and another for the leaves.

 

 

(Picture shows the shades of tissue paper I chose and the shapes I cut to make the Poppy Flower)

 

I cut several circles in the brown tissue paper and cut with scissors all around the edge, cutting towards the middle, so to make a fringe effect. I cut several elongated shapes out of the green to make the bud leaves at the back of the Poppy and I cut 7 red Poppy petals. I cut a line up from the base of the middle of the Poppy petal so it could easily wrap around the stem. I used wire for the stem and through the centre of the leaves. The stem I needed to join 2 pieces of the wire together.

(Above picture shows the flower head, front, side and back and also the shapes cut for the leaves)

 

I assembled the flower head together by inserting the wire through the brown centre part and wrapping the Poppy petals around the centre. Gluing it in place as I went. I then attached the bud leaves to the back of the flower head, again wrapping them around the stem and gluing in place as I went.

The leaves I cut 2 identical shapes for each leaf and glued the wire through the centre of a leaf and then stuck the identical leaf on top. At this stage the leaf felt quite flimsy and I did think that it would not survive being used as a prop during several shows. I decided to cover the leaves back and front with PVA glue, with the theory that once dried it would stiffen the leaves and make them more durable. Whilst still wet I shaped the wire to the shape I required them to be and to speed the process up I dried the glue with a hairdryer making sure that the leaf stayed into the shape I wished it to be. Although using a hairdryer dried the leaves reasonably and did give the desired effect that I required, it wasn't until the next day when I went back to the workshop that it was more evident that my idea had worked quite well, as the leaves along with the bud leaves at the back of the Poppy flower head, that I also had applied the same technique to, were fully try, hard and a lot more durable.

(Pictures show the final Poppy, complete with stem and leaves)

 

I tightly wrapped strips of green tissue paper around the wire stem after attaching the leaves to the stem. I covered the leaf stems as well as the flower stem. I also decided to cover the whole stem paper with PVA glue as well to make the whole thing more durable and hopefully to last the whole durations of the shows. I left the Poppy petals and centre free of glue. I finished the leaves off by drawing vein lines on them with a permenant marker.

I am pleased with my final flower and feel sure that it will survive the shows.