Technical design solutions for theatre : the technical brief collection / [editors] Bronislaw J. Sammler, Don Harvey.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Sammler, Bronislaw J. (Bronislaw Joseph), 1945-

Harvey, Don.

Yale School of Drama. Department of Technical Design and Production.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Stage machinery.

Theaters--Stage-setting and scenery.

Theaters.

Theaters--Lighting.

Theaters--Sound effects.

Physical Description:

volumes : illustrations ; 28 cm

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam; New York : Focal Press, An imprint of Elsevier Science, 2002-

Summary:

Tips and solutions provided by contributors from over twenty different drama programs

-- Ten years of The Technical Brief articles bound in one complete volume

The Technical Brief is a collection of single-focus articles on technical production solutions, published three times a year by the prestigious Yale School of Drama. The primary objective of the publication is to share creative solutions to technical problems so that fellow theatre technicians can avoid having to reinvent the wheel with each new challenge. The range of topics includes scenery, props, painting, electrics, sound, and costumes. The articles each describe an approach, device, or technique that has been tested on stage or in a shop by students and professionals.

Contents:

Costumes

Collaborating in Metal Costume Construction / Deanna Jane Stuart 2

Building Authentic Elizabethan Ruffs / Robin Hirsch 5

A Milliner's Approach to Maskmaking: Part I / Jon Cardone 8

A Milliner's Approach to Maskmaking: Part II / Laura G. Brown 10

Collapsible Change Booths / Cheng Heng Lee 13

Lighting

Labeling and Storing Electrical Cable / Jonet Buchanan 16

Extending the Life of Strip-Light Color Media / Barbara Mangrum 18

Inexpensive MR16 Lamp Holders / William C. Harrison, Jr. 19

Lighting Effects

A Schmitt-Trigger Practical Switch / Alan Hendrickson, Patrick Seeley 22

Moving Leaves by the Power of Spring / Mark R. Weaver 23

A Ground-Fog Generating System / Erik Walstad 24

A Phase-Changing Moon Box / Christopher Jensen 26

The World's Brightest Glowing Thing / Stuart Wheaton 29

Disappearing Footlights / Scott L. Silver 31

Modifying Kodak's Fun-Flash for Theatrical Effects / James S. Hill 33

Simultaneous Realtime Control of Sound and Light with MIDI / Lee Faulkner 34

A Sure-Shot Fireball Effect / Dave King 36

A Motorized, Mirrored Rain Effect / Adriane M. Levy 39

Theatrically Safe Outdoor Bonfires / Ashley Elder 42

A Free-Falling Ball of Light / Donald W. Titus 44

Painting

Using Embossed Wallpaper for Low Relief / Kelly Dean Allison 48

Dyeing Marble Patterns into Fabric / Priscilla Putnam 49

A Durable, Rough Texture Coating for Scenery and Props / Pater Liao 51

Shop-Made Naugahyde / April Busch 53

Simple and Inexpensive Stained Glass / Michael Broh 55

Creating an Antique Mirror Effect / Michael Broh 57

Props

More Stage Blood / Ben Thoron 60

Low-Tech Ghost Effects: Moving Furniture / Scott Werbin 61

Latchless Rotating Shelving / Kevin Hines 63

Rat Trap Stage Trick / Robert C. Cotnoir 64

A Flashing Cane for Casting Spells / Rich Desilets 65

Building Distorting Mirrors / Colin Young 66

Pneumatic Debris Cannons / Robin M. MacDuffie 67

A Recycled-Bike Rig for a "Zinging" Puppet / Chris Knasiak 69

A Simple Approach to Complicated Theatrical Sculpture / Chris Van Alstyne 70

Ornate Chandeliers Made Simple / Neil Mulligan 72

Maskmaking 101 / Kathryn Goodman & Ray Kent 75

Creating a Glass-Block Effect / Jim Bazewicz 78

The Cheap, Easy, and Effective Snow Machine / Parris Bradley 79

Rigging Hardware

A Mini-Pinrail for Counterweight Rails / Steve Nelson 82

Shop-Built Scenery Bumpers & Rollers / Tracy K. Lewis 83

A Quick Release for Drops / Shuen-Cheng Shih 85

A Pneumatically Tripped Circular Curtain / Kraig Blythe 87

A Modular Aluminum Drop Rig / Mario Tooch 89

A Quiet Glide and Unistrut Traveler System / Chuck Adomanis 92

Pneumatic Drop Boxes / Andrew Plumer 94

A Quick-Load Floor Pulley Design / Joanne Chang 97

Rigging Techniques

A Simple Approach to Stretching Drops / Ray Inkel 100

Panel-Tipping Rig / Eric Weston 103

Quiet Heavy-Duty Traveler Track / Richard Gold 105

Self-Trimming Flown Units / Michael Patterson 108

A Flying Rig for Low-Ceiling Theaters / Jim Lile 111

Adjustable Scenery Picks of Unistrut / Christopher L. Morris 113

An Irising Portal / Chuck Adomanis 115

Safety

A Stock Safety Rail System / Mark Stevens 118

CO[subscript 2] Fire Suppression System for Theatrical Fire Effects / Jens McVoy 120

Scenery

Lightweight Acting Cubes / Fritz Schwentker 124

Step Modules for Stock 6:12 or 8:10 Stairs / John D. Ervin 127

Flexi-Pitch Escape Stairs / Kevin Hines 129

A No-Weld Spiral Staircase / David A. Griffith 132

Pinless (and Painless) Pipe Pockets / Elisa R. Griego 134

Spot-Welding Scrim with Sobo / Robert Coleman 137

Handrail Armatures for a Grand Staircase / Stephen Lars Klein 140

Tube Steel Perimeter Framing for Flats / Robert Duggan 143

Triscuit Cart / Scott Braudt 145

A Pre-Cambered Overhanging Ceiling / Jason Davis 147

Whalers

Low-Profile Stiffeners for Steel-Framed Flats / Rob Kovarik 149

A Space-Saving Rain Wall / Eugene Yang 151

Fabric Hinges for Space Frame Flats / Richard Gold 154

PVC Framing for Non-Weight-Bearing Scenery / Owen M. Collins 156

A Modified Parallel Platform Unit for Audience Risers / Owen M. Collins 158

Scenery Decks

Bondo Floor Repairs / John E. Wainwright 160

The Triscuit-Studwall Deck System / Don Harvey 161

Using Medium-Density Fiberboard as a Deck Lid / Eric Weston 164

The Steel-Framed Texas Triscuit / Tim Francis 166

A Frameless Turntable / Alys Holden 168

Sand on Stage: Minimum Weight, Maximum Effect / Jody Kovalick 171

Scenery Electronics

A Miniature Chase Controller / Chih-Lung Liu 174

A Low-Voltage Cue-Light System / Geoff Zink 176

Focusable Cue Lights / O-Jin Kwon 179

Scenery Hardware

A Second Drive for Elevator Door Movement / Don Harvey 182

A Telescoping Fire Pole / Chris Weida 184

A Self-Paging Cable Tray / Loren Schreiber 186

Nylon Rollers Revisited / Jim Ryan 188

A Pipe and Ball-Bearing Pivot / Vicky Peterson 190

Weld-on Holes / Randy Steffen 193

A Wheel-less Revolve / Jim Ryan 194

A Tensioning Sheave for a Deck Winch System / Andrew Lanzarotta 197

A Spectacular Electrified Fence / Ben Sumner 199

Scenery Mechanics

A Pneumatic Floor Lock System / Delbert L. Hall, Ph.D. 202

Tap-Water Hydraulic Power / Gregory Bell 204

A System for Rotating Linked Periaktoi / F. Leonard Darby 207

A Telescope-Stabilized Lift Rig / Corin Gutteridge 210

A Spring-Driven Revolve / Daniel J. Culhane 213

Single-Orientation Curved Tracking / A.D. Carson 216

Rotating Doors / Jim Kempf 218

A Pneumatic Tab Turner / Michael Patterson 221

Roller Chain Turntable Drives / Alan Hendrickson 224

A Hand-Driven Endless-Loop Turntable Drive / Alan Hendrickson 227

A Plausible, Practical Raft / Fred Ramage 230

Flipping Trap Unit / Robert Duggan 233

A Control Rig for a Down-Opening Trapdoor / Randy Steffen 236

Mini Paint Roller Piston / Loren Schreiber 238

Scenery Tools

A Swivel Caster Bolt-Hole Jig / Bonnie McDonald 240

A Shop-Built Adjustable Router Fence / David Boevers 241

A Tool for Mass-Producing Homasote Brickface / Kevin Hines 243

A Hot-Wire Bow for Cutting Blue Foam / Doug Harvey 245

A Shop-Built Circle Guide for Torch-Cutting / Jim Larkin 247

Scene Shop Tuffets / Stephen Lars Klein 249

Improved Scene Shop Tuffets / Michael Immerwahr 250

A 4-Sided Steel-Marking Gauge / Barbara J. Wohlsen 251

A Jig for Cutting Ellipses / Michael Parrella 252

Sound

How to Use Your Headset as a Page Mic / Darren Clark 256

Amplified-to-Line Signal Converter / Mark D. Dingley 257

Two Head Attachment Methods for Wireless Microphones / Rob Zoland 258

A Device to Determine Sound System Polarity / Chris Cronin 259

Making a Prop Tape Player Cueable / Jon Cardone 262

A Bench-Built XLR Cable Tester / Patrick Barrett 265

Inexpensive Digital Noise Reduction / Shane Rettig 268

Two-Scene Sound Control / Brian MacQueen 270

Recreating an Acoustic Space with Discrete-6 Recording / Brian MacQueen 272.

Notes:

Reprint of articles from Technical brief.

Vol. 2 : "Focal Press is an imprint of Butterworth-Heinemann"--t.p. verso

Vol.2 published : Boston, Oxford, Auckland, etc.

Vol.3 published : Burlington, MA and Abingdon, UK.

Includes index.

ISBN:

0240804902

0240804929

OCLC:

187542515