Stage Productions

There are many stage productions that suggest the need for a chandelier to establish historical period or to heighten reality. Before designing a stage chandelier, it is important to know if the...

Incorporating a working water fountain into a stage set is not as challenging as it may sound. The project is often worth the time and modest expense because "practical" water fountains always...

Whether you are designing the lights for an off-Broadway musical, or simply creating a set of cues for your local community theater, the alteration and manipulation of stage lights is crucial for...

A great and relatively simple special effect used in theater is a scrim. A scrim is a netted curtain that when lit in different ways can appear either translucent or opaque from the vantage point...

In the 1930s, the idea of turning an old barn into a stage and putting on a show was popularized by Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney movies. In reality, however, there are a lot more issues involved...

A realistic and reusable plaster arm cast can be constructed for theatre productions from materials found around the shop and at hardware and medical supply stores. A little careful engineering is...

The world of stage lighting can be a promising and fascinating field. But you cannot walk into the door and find work right away. Employers will expect you to know what you are talking about and...

Several musicals and many children's plays call for a "Cinderella-style carriage." A carriage that can actually carry Cinderella, and convey her to and from the stage, can be constructed using...

Whether a theater is a "black box" or "found space" facility, an older auditorium about to undergo a major renovation, or a brand new professional theater in the initial design stages, few...

Lighting is one of the cardinal design elements of any theatre production. Lighting is almost more important to a stage show than a set or costumes. You can produce a stage play with virtually no...

Realistic, three-dimensional faux stones can be made out of plaster of Paris and other plaster-like products to decorate stage sets for less cost than purchasing faux stones at the local hardware...

Theatrical lighting illuminates the stage so the audience can see the performers, but it does a lot more. Lighting serves an invaluable role in accentuating the mood of the play, enhancing the...

Theater production designers have been manipulating the way lighting instruments illuminate the stage about as long as controlled lighting has been a part of theater history. What began as a...

There are a great many stage plays and musicals that call for rocky locations, from Shakespeare's classic "The Tempest" to the popular musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." ...

Props and backdrops help establish the world of the play. For larger productions there are usually two teams designated to deal with all props and all backdrops, with a prop designer or other...

Like most large props and set pieces, the best fake fireplace for a stage production is one that's lightweight yet looks real. Achieving this affect requires creating a realistic stone texture in...

Like most modern plays, Rodgers and Hammerstein's World War II era musical "South Pacific" has its own special properties needs. While most of the items needed for this play can be collected or...

Achieving rich, vibrant sound for a theater production is important, particularly in musicals. Sound quality is often overlooked in production design, but you can engineer high-quality "surround...

As far back as the Elizabethan period in theater history, production designers have been achieving special effects with the use of hidden trap doors on the stage. Trap doors can produce a...

A black light can be very effective for dramatic, mood-enhancing scenes required by some scripts. Though a generally weak source for illumination when it comes to stage lighting (the average...

Adding a lighting package to your band's show will improve your professional image and your showmanship. While professional light kits are available for less than $300 at many theatrical equipment...

Whether you're looking for a space to rehearse or plan to convert your entire basement into a performance venue, building your own stage comes with many rewards. While the obstacles can sometimes...

While a great number of texts may exist on stage lighting, from those of Stanley McCandless and Steve Shelley, to "The Stage Lighting Handbook," oftentimes experience alone remains the best...

Stage props can be classified into three basic categories: "hand" props manipulated by actors with their hands and carried about the stage; "set" props only employed to impart a heightened sense...

Using confetti can add excitement to a stage show. It's beautiful, visual and kinetic, and it comes in many varieties of colors, shapes and material. The user has options for different effects,...

There are eight basic types of lighting instruments for the stage: follow spots, "intelligent" lights, three types of "broad-brush" lights (cyc, scoop and border lights), general "wash" PAR...

While it is unclear precisely when in theater history the followspot instrument first appeared on the scene, tracking the actors or performers as they move, with light, has long been a critical...

Mexico has a long and rich history of theatre dating back to the pre-Columbian period.

Many plays and musicals call for a pioneer's cabin as a background set piece. For theatre groups on a budget there is a relatively inexpensive way to create a really good looking background...

Storage space for theatrical equipment and materials is always a challenge, especially in crowded conditions backstage or in the shop. But failing to properly store expensive stock items is a...

Always dream of dressing up like a classic Cigar, cigarette or candy girl for Halloween? well I am here to help. See my step by step instructions to be on your way to step back in time to hollar...

Stage lighting is a vital component of any performance. Music concerts, theatrical productions and presentations all rely on effective lighting to enhance the experience. Various fixtures,...

Finding auditions for your child actor or actress is not as hard as it seems. Maybe you are doing this on your own and don't know where to start, or maybe you have an agent but just aren't getting...

When it comes to building a performance space, one thing is certain: You'll need lights. Whether you are creating the light plot for a dance club, a small black-box theater or a large-scale music...

Until you are actually sitting in the theater watching a production, you can never be a hundred percent certain about how good your seats are. But do a little preliminary research and book early...

Choosing the right colors can make a tremendous impact on the mood and ambiance of a stage area. Through a proper selection of the various "warm" and "cool" gel colors, a lighting designer can...

Theatrical lighting gels are sheets of colored plastic that are placed over the front of a lighting instrument to change the color of the light being cast. Since the heat of the lights eventually...

Every stage manager needs a prompt book for the show. Here are a few basic steps in creating a successful prompt book for that show you are working on. Also making it easy for anyone else to read.

If you are an avid theatergoer, odds are you have witnessed some amazing scenes that are set with the use of different-colored light. The way that a light designer makes the light a different...

Everyone knows that clean-up is an important step in any creative project. Spend a few minutes taking care of your tools as soon as you finish using them, and you can make sure they'll still...

Theater properties, or props, date back to the Greek plays in which actors wore large exaggerated masks on their faces to represent their characters. They evolved in the Renaissance with the...

With lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and music score by Jerome Kern (and not Hammerstein's usual partner, Richard Rodgers), "Show Boat" is a much-recognized classic that is considered one of the...

One of the most popular programmable lighting effects utilized in large-scale productions is that of the 'shimmer effect'. Providing both an ambiance and aura of magic to a given scene, the effect...

The Arlington Theatre is an historic theater built in 1931. It is located at 1317 State Street in Santa Barbara, California. The theater seats 2,000.

Special effects lighting is fun and easy to do, and can be used at events large and small to give the show a little extra excitement. Special effects lights come in many shapes, sizes and special...

Though it may appear simple, stage lighting design is a complicated process that requires a crew of people to generate. From conception to the show's opening, lighting design requires a precise...

Effective theater lighting does not just involve the lighting effects, colors and shapes you may see during a stage production. Theater lighting also involves lighting the audience and making fine...

The word "upstage" can be defined in several ways, but most have to do with a physical stage in a live theater or the attitudes associated with the dramatists that populate them.

A woodgrain is an often-used treatment on theatrical scenery. These steps are for a simple paint treatment that has the warm tones and linear quality of finished wood. Useful for stage floors,...

Theater lighting is a dangerous profession. Working with suspended, heavy lights in a dark atmosphere with high-voltage electricity poses a number of hazards to your health and safety. Through the...