Time to Set a Stage . . .

Here it is – the first show YOU are helping to put on!  You may be a teacher, part of a troupe, or just hosting an event for the first time.  And, just as you may fret over what costume you should wear, you are probably fretting over what costume your STAGE should wear!  After all, it may not be a “stage” at all.  If it is, you are lucky, because it has lighting (of some sort) and a back drop.

If it is not, you may be staring at a cinderblock wall and a gymnasium floor.

So, how to dress it up?

Regarding the gym floor, please resist the temptation to put down rugs, veils, etc.  Your dancers WILL slip.  It is dangerous.  Draw the eye up instead with a backdrop.  We’ll talk a little more about floor options later.

So, how do I make a backdrop?

•         EASY WAY: Drape veils behind the dancers, using whatever ledge, window, or trim you can.  Use pretty, but not valuable veils.  Secure with thumbtacks.

o   Pros: Fast, simple, reusable, no storage needed

o   Cons: veil damage, wall damage (Do check with your venue to ensure thumbtacks are OK!), sudden veil failure behind someone’s otherwise perfect performance . . .

• SLIGHTLY HARDER, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE: Use a portable clothing rack and your speakers.  Place the rack in between the speakers.  Drape pretty fabric over them to cover.  Use LOTS of safety pins to secure it in place. IF your fabric is NOT flammable, drape some Christmas lights behind for sparkle. 

o   Pros: Good for venues that do not allow thumbtacks.  Good if you have vending in the day, hafla at night.  (You were using that clothes rack to vend anyway, right?!?)

o   Cons: LOTS of safety pins, like 5 per yard.  LOTS of fabric.  Some storage needed.  And, time to assemble and disassemble.

•         REQUIRES PLANNING AHEAD AND COMMITMENT TO A VENUE: Removable, reusable backdrop based on your location.  When I was in a troupe, we held several events at the church I attended, which, while it had a good space, also had windows that distracted behind the dancers.  Cars’ lights would shine in, the sun would muck with the camera’s focus, etc.  So, I measured the windows (which conveniently had a ledge over the wall between the windows) and use some skills learned by ripping apart custom window treatments to make matching skirts for me and a friend [yes, we called them the Scarlet O’Hara skirts!) to make a very simple swag and drape backdrop. The vertical panels were wrapped over boards, which lay on the ledge.  A staple gun secured the fabric to the board.  (BTW, you should be thinking, “So THAT is what I do with those ten yards of [whatever] I bought [whenever] and didn’t make a costume from it!” Use that fabric for backdrops!)  Then, I used about 1.5 the length of the verticals to drape fabric in between as a swag, again stapling the ends.

o   Pros: Planning around your venue allows you to “solve” problems with it.  But, you have to both plan well and have the skills to build what you need.

o   Cons: Storage of backdrop between shows.  And, what if you never use that venue again???

•          PIPE AND DRAPE: The classic pipe and drape (best how-to I could find is here: http://www.smittenby.net/2012/04/06/1832/) is a theatrical staple.  You can build the frame and then reuse it time and again with different backdrop fabrics.

o   Pros: looks great, converts any space.

o   Cons: Requires measuring, cutting, thinking about parts.  And storage.  For the committed event producer or the completely insane (like me).

Now that you have a backdrop (and, stick with neutral colors, as too dark or too busy will drown out the dancer), you need to light the stage.  There are how-to’s for making stage lights; but, I found using a portable work light such as http://www.lowes.com/pd_394369-40642-UT-1002_0__?productId=3699586&Ntt=work+light&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dwork%2Blight&facetInfo= worked just fine.  You can even get ones on stands, for which your videographer will thank you.

•         Pros: Inexpensive, practical, and reusable around the house.
•      Cons: Any stage light will get HOT.  Keep away from costumes, spins, and children.  Bulbs do not last more than 5-8 hours and shatter when touched.

And, as a videographer, I can say that there is no challenge greater than an undefined dance space.  Dancers will go on safari after the one smile or cute kid in the audience, leaving the video full of the backs of heads and chairs.  How can you solve this?  Define the dance space by laying out some kind of frame – but, make it dancer friendly.  After seeing a few youtube videos with Christmas lights around the stage, I tried that.  A few dancers, including myself, came dangerously close to stepping on  the bulbs.  Plan B: back to Lowes, where I found the 8 foot long clear plastic tubes used to cover florescent bulbs. I got about 4 of them and wrangled them into the cart.  (This may be a good time to go measure your car and find out if you can get them in there, too.)  Then, I went to the plumbing section and got 2 right angle connectors that fit over the tubes (I think they were 2 inch) and one straight connector, same size.  Then, I went to a store that had the white rope lights on sale (I LOVE after Christmas sales) and got enough rope lights to fill the tubes.  Some snaking and cussing later, and I had a nice “frame” for my stage that shouldn’t hurt a dancer if she stepped on it.  Some dancers complained; but, some dancers will ALWAYS complain.  Oh, and I will spare you the lecture on electrical resistance by saying that if you are framing 3 sides of a stage like I did, plan on having the cord of the stage come out both sides, so the non-corded ends meet in the middle.  (This avoids having the lights get dimmer as you look from one side of the stage to the other.

•          Pros: Relatively easy, looks cool
•       Cons: Measure your car and the storage space.  Not recommended with stick shifts. ;)

Best of luck with your own events!