SCENERY PAINTING FOR THE AMATEUR MUSICAL THEATRE and PANTOMIME

BRIGADOON - page seven
If you are printing this photo you might have to set the printer to 'landscape'

Designer Donald O'Brien. Scenic Artist Brian Willis. Sets built by Andy Bell, Donald Wilson and Alan Rankin
Performed by Portrush Music Society at the Riverside Theatre Coleraine (1998)
The Orchestra in their "quarry" A break during the dress rehearsal whilst the producer (white shawl on left) chats to the cast.
Although an amateur production this was in a professional theatre. The stage is a thrust stage but for this show the raked audience seats were removed from the left side and this construction put in it their place. The back wall was lined with hardboards sheets depicting a Scottish landscape. The cut profile edges of the hardboard sheets follow the line of trees and mountains to hide the joins. In front of this backing was a rostrum and bridge on which the cast are standing. Then in front of that bridge was this cut out "quarry" for the orchestra. A huge construction and painting task. To the right can be seen a part of the "ruin" and behind that the cyclorama. Just visible on the right is one of the "free range" rostra built to resemble rocks. As you see they were terraced with flat sections to enable the cast to stand on them. These rostra were repositioned for the various scenes. Note the proliferation of cut-out profile edges of trees rocks etc which give interest and depth to the scene.
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