TECHNOTE - Will Stackman
"That's the way to do it!"
This TechNote was originally published in The Control Stick, the newsletter of the Boston Area Guild of Puppetry, Chapter #9 of the Puppeteers of America.
Ultralite- the Booth that Flies
This stage, presented at a workshop during the National Festival in Tampa, July 2001, is the result of experimentation over the past several years. The goal was a usable ultra-lightweight hand-puppet booth packable in a case acceptable as carry-on luggage. The design shown - see Plate #1 - still a prototype, fits in a 24" x 16" x 10" inch O.D. suitcasewith wheels. This rig was inspired both by Jay Marshall's small Punch and Judy fit-up, based on an old folding movie screen and Caleb Fullam's Other Glove cabaret stage based on a microphone stand.
This contraption begins with a small folding steel tripod, originally the bottom of an acoustic guitar stand. Other bases, such as small artificial Xmas tree holders, cymbal stand bases, might also be used. In this case, the short back leg of the guitar stand is raised to make the center perpendicular by a block of wood hotglued on and taped securely. Two legs point toward the audience, the back leg is between the puppeteer's feet. To prevent the booth from tipping forward, the tripod is tied down to a floor, 23" x 15", made from plywood wall paneling. Blocks glued to the floor on either side of the short back leg position it; ties around these passing under the floor go through a hole in the legblock to secure the tripod. Additional blocks under the two front legs position them with their ties. The performer's weight holds the stage down. Actually, the floor should be made wider, 23" x 45", by tape hinging flaps to either side of the main floorplate, to provide a way to tie down the scrim rack described below. In either case, tape the floorplate itself down if possible when performing.
My personal playboard height is 54". Two salvaged aluminum tentpole sections were cut down into equal lengths of less than 24". Socketed together, this pair of tubes reach my height when fitted into the stand, which came with an adjusting clamp at the top. Other stands and other heights will work just so long as the lengths used fit across the diagonal of the case chosen. The join between the two aluminum tubes is secured using a stainless steel hose clamp. Using a nibbler, the outer tube was slit twice the width of the clamp so it could be compressed.
The playboard, and a puppet hanging rack below are fastened to the upper aluminum tube. The playboard sockets over the top using a small closet pole fitting. The board itself is made from vertical 1x2 with a piece of plywood wall paneling glued on at right angles, all covered with muslin, also glued. The board is braced and securely fastened by a tee strap hinge permanently bolted to the 1x2. A long bolt through the top tube and a wing nut make the unit removable. A loosepin for the hinge might also work. The ends of this approximately 3" unit fold forward 11" from the center to fit in the case. A stout bungee cord across its back in front of the post keeps the unit open during performance. The 23" hanging rack of 1/2 square stock is mounted against the upright using a simple waterpipe U-strap. A screw-eye through this board presses against the tube to secure it. See Plate #2 for details
Once assembled, the whole playboard support is stabilzed by tensioned lines from either end of the playboard running down to a short bungee cord at the top of the tripod. Lines from the ends of the hanging rack run up to a bungee which runs between the long strap of the hinge and the post. Short miniature bungees (found on the Coleman camping supplies rack) run straight up from the rack to the board. Optional ties where these lines cross each other add further stability. There's no prop shelf; a miniature toy storage hammock hangs under the playboard. If stabilizing weight is necessary, 2 liter soda bottles obtained onsite full of water, sand, or kitty litter can be set on either side of the front legs behind the front curtain. Large rubber bands cut from bicycle inner tubes can be used instead of bungee cords. See Plate #1
Swing arms about half the length of the playboard pivot out from each end. These extensions widen the front of the booth to about 42" and create enough depth for one puppet to pass behind another in front of the scrim. The arms are notched to fit around the scrim support rack. The scrim is suspended from a rack 42" wide and 6" feet high. This frame is assembled from the steel bottom units of a light garment rack, four more cut-down aluminum tent pole sections, and two curves cut from the foot support of a discarded beach chair. The top bar is a larger diameter tent pole section, cut into two 23" pieces and socketed into itself, making it about 39" overall. This tube then slips over top ends of the curved units. Two broom holding clips are screwed into these curves at the right distance to maintain the 42" width of the scrim rack. A long thin bungee cord between the clips keeps the bar together and serves to hang the scrim on. All ten pieces of the rack were cut to fit in the case. To further stablize the scrim rack, first tie its feet to the side flaps on the floor, then tie a plywood triangle notched to fit over each foot bar.See Plate #2
To help hide the puppeteer, two swinging PVC side arms for side curtains are mounted just below the curves. These arms socket into rotating PVC Tee joints slid over the tubing. The joints were filed out to fit over the aluminum tubing. The swivels rest on a wrapping of cloth tape over several turns of wire to keep them from sliding down and can be swung in or out to suit the venue. Short lines from the outer ends of the arms to the screws holding the broom clips on the curves prevent sagging. Incidently, two tent pole sections for the sides of the rack fit inside the halves of the top tube for packing while the PVC side arms fit inside them. Except for the rack bottoms and the curved pieces, everything packs diagonally across the case, leaving triangular areas into which two bags of puppets may be packed. The floor serves as a lid for it all.
To set up quickly, unfold the floor and place it in position. Remove and set aside both bags of puppets . The tripod and its two extensions should be on top of the stack. Tie the base to the floor, install the center tubes, remembering to mount the hook bar which should be bundled with them - another use for the small bungees. Next take out the playboard, unfold and install. The wing nuts which allow the side arms to fold travel loose and will need to be tightened. Next assemble the two rack bases. Sort out the eight pieces of tubing, put the sides together leaning up against the playboard, then install the top bar and tie the rack to the playboard's side arms. Tie the rack feet to the side flaps on the floor and add the ply side triangles if desired. Hang the scrim from the top of the rack, insert the side curtain rods into their tee sockets and connect their brace lines. Close the gaps in the curtains and shake out the wrinkles. Then hang your puppets!
For speed in assembly and take-down, the front curtain travels fastened to the play board. The side curtains are rolled around the top tubes. Finding the right wrinkle resistant fabric remains a challenge. The current fabric is light cotton remnant sprayed with relaxant. The front curtain is lined with non-woven black furniture dust shield (that fire-resistant black stuff on the underside of your new couch) for opacity. Gaps between curtains are closed by velcro "dots". The current scrim is blue crinkled Indian cotton. Black chiffon on the back helps when the overhead light is too bright. Small changeable side curtains , overlapping the scrim, mark the proscenium, and serve as entrances. Some sort of table borrowed on site behind the rig is useful for props, etc.
The whole assembly, scrim rack and all, is light enough to spin around for backstage demonstrations. Practice moving the stage by grasping the playboard side arms. Don't tape the floor down if you plan to do this. Extra puppet hangers or small prop holders can easily be fastened to the side posts of the scrim rack. To use the playboard section alone as a sit-behind stage, omit the scrim frame. If possible, tie the front legs of a borrowed folding chair down to the wider version of the floorplate . The travel case and onsite furniture placed to either side of the chair are useful to hold props. Omit the scrim rack and extend the playboard side arms to create a 4' front.
This TechNote was originally published in The Controlstick, the newsletter of the Boston Area Guild of Puppetry, Chapter #9 of the Puppeteers of America. A revised version was used for a workshop at the 2001 PofA National Festival in Tampa. Copyright April 2001. These plans and other innovative puppet stage designs will be published as "New Stages for Puppetry" in Spring 2002.
About BAGOP Directory of Puppeteers Calendar of Events Links Home