Our fall play this semester is Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced. This play is full of twists and turns and no matter how good of a slueth you are, you'll still be surprised at the end! The play takes place in the same room at different times of day over a three day period. The script indicates the space should have a victorian flair and appear to be two rooms that had a wall removed to create one larger space. I've had a great time researching and finding the prop pieces that will be used in the play. Many were in stock, but others have been purchased and can be seen in photos below.
I work best when I can sculpt a miniture scale model of the space. By replicating scaled down versions of wall pieces we have in stock, I was able to create a unique design for the space required by the script.
Using AutoCAD software, I was then able to translate the design based on the measurements I determined while building my physical model. The red shapes indicate furniture placement and direction of door swing. At this stage the designs are shared with the stage director and stage manager for approval.
In AutoCAD a 3D model of the space can be made through the "Extrude" command. Doors and archway were "subtracted" from the extruded walls.
Base painting of the set walls show what parts are painted and what parts are wood. The fireplace (recycled from a previous production) will remain white, but get a marble finish painted onto it.
A more complete model shows placement of furniture and light fixtures. The set design is shared with the cast and crew at this stage, so they know what they will be working with.
A photo of the final, realized set design from dress rehearsal. In the model we didnt dress the walls, but not a wall was left uncovered by the time we opened the show.
Many props were purchased or pulled from our stock to dress the scene. Every item was carefully chosen to fit the time period and tastes of the people who "live" in the house.
The antique Victorian sofa was donated to the theater company in the 1990's and had been in storage for 20 years, and it was very fragile. We fastened it to a sofa table behind it with "L" brackets to keep the back from breaking. (It was a beutiful prop and will probably sit in storage another decade until we need to use it again!)
