SLEUTH _- Elevation and Groundplans

 The single set required for SLEUTH was the single most complicated construction I've ever attempted. The demands of the script required that practically every surface had to be specially made and supported to handle the actions required, from gunshots and explosions to windows breaking and the lead actors on stage tumble down the staircase at the end of Act 1

 My original groundplan above allowed for a more expansive set and furnishings but has a fatal flaw.
The sightlines in the Little Theatre were somewhat restrictive. Although the stadium style seating meant that every seat in the house was a good one, the extreme angles at the right and left sides of the auditorium meant that each set had to de designed with those lines in  mind. In this case the area to the left and beside the central staircase would not have been visable to the right side of the house, while the angle of the massive fireplace down right would have been all but invisible to the left side of the house.

The problem was resolved by extending the upstage wall down along the right side of the stairs and shortening the row of bookcases which allowed the fireplace angle to be moved downstage for better sightlines and no unusable stage area. So the basic design wasn't altered all that much.

Although SLEUTH is only a 2 character play, so much action takes place that every spot on the stage is occupied at one point or the other. This included a full second story hallway with entrances required through both doors and a window ( which had to "break") as well as the under alcove area.

I spent as much time engineering all of this as I might have on a small house, but the results were more than worth the effort.