In a way it is unfair to show this construction
in this sanitised way. But this is a website for amateur (Community) scenic
artists, not producers or lighting designers etc so bear with me whilst
I explain that this photo was taken with all the main stage lights on
to give me as much illumination for the photo as possible. But the audience
never ever saw this set as you see it here. During the show there was
a huge and very effective lighting plot, sections were used for little
vignettes surrounded by fog. At other times a haze covered the whole acting
area or smoke billowed up as a background to the Three Cripples (Yes there
are different machines for smoke, haze, and fog!) Gobo, pattern lights,
cast deep shadows of windows, lightning rented the sky.
The extent of the revolve can be picked out by the circular cobbles.
The 'get in' took a week and at one time I counted twenty people all
slaving away slotting the various elements of this set together. And all
volunteers who took days off to indulge in their hobby of amateur musical
theatre. The revolve is about a foot off the main stage floor so a false
floor also had to be built and laid to surround it and bring the whole
to the same level.
This photo shows 'The Bridge' in its down position. This Bridge was especially
constructed for the show (By Bob Forster of Stage Services North) together
with the electric hoists and rigging needed to move it up and down. It
spent the bulk of the show in the grid (The theatre does not have a fly
tower but there was enough room above the stage to hide it) and only came
down to this position for the denouement at the end when Nancy is murdered
and Bill Sikes chased and shot. An epiode complete with lots of swirling
fog and blue light and eirie follow spots. But then if you've a good graphics
program you can put all that texture in yourself on the above photo!!.
The hired-in backcloth had not been stretched yet, those wrinkles were
banished by the first performance. And the silver pipes (bottom left)
had been disguised too. They were part of the fog/haze/smoke machines.
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