SLEUTH - Working Drawings Final

The upper drawing shows the position and construction of the entry arch from the front foyer of Wyke's home that leads into the set and is seen in the photo below. The 6th page of working drawings is the Carpenters master Groundplan with exact measurements from the front edge of the stage to every wall and angle of the set. This is used to correctly position the flats, platforms and set pieces when the completed set is assembled on the stage. If I've made a mistake anywhere along the line during this whole process, this is were it will rear it's ugly head! Again, with STAN FOSTER doing the carpentry and installation I never really had to worry.

My chief job after the design was finished, approved and handed over to the shop was as Head Scenic Artist. I usually had very capable volunteer help for the actual painting duties. To save time and money I made use of two devices for covering the actual stage floor. Since this auditorium used arena seating the majority of the audience could see the floor and so it too had to be rendered in some way to appear a part of the set as a whole and not just "the stage". I had my choice of a canvas groundcloth which could be painted ( used in MY THREE ANGELS for example as a woven mat floor) or a series of 4'x8' pieces of ordinary woodgrained wall paneling which could be used finished side up as plank flooring, or back side up for a tile painted effect. My original groundplan for SLEUTH  shows the layout of the panels used to represent hardwood flooring in this production.

After the physical set is up and ready the next step is the set decoration. Chairs, desks, lamps and other props must be found and assembled for use on the stage. For SLEUTH this took a small army of volunteers and some begging and borrowing. Many of the furnishings, such as the impressive Grandfather's Clock at the head of the stairs were actual antiques which the Theatre had to insure for the run of the play. The mechanical "Laughing Sailor" figure seen in the background above was built specially for this production by my friend and colleage  BETTY LEHNUS and she even opersted it during the show to great and eerie effect, especially during the shattering climax.