THE NIGHT THOREAU SPENT IN JAIL - WCT - Groundcloth

As I mentioned in the previous post a full stage groundcloth was employed for the stage covering of the set for THOREAU.

I had three ways of creating the stage floor for any production in the Little Theatre at Century II ( Now the Mary Jane Teall Theatre in honor of our Director then). This large heavy canvas, which was about  20' by 35'  or so could be painted in any way needed for a "Soft" underlayment ( Grass, Dirt, etc.), and here was meticulously laid out in a spiraling pattern suggesting the famous Walden Pond where Thoreau found his identity.

I also employed at times about 30 sheets of cheap paneling. Laid together right side up and secured to the bare stage, these could replicate a reasonable facimile of a wood floor. Turned over with their bare masonite backs faced up, they could be painted to resemble a tiled floor, or any other hard surfaced underlayment.

 Since the seating pitch in the Little Theatre was so steep, the design of the stage floor always had to be considered as a part of any show's design and added a considerable amount of time to the overall work involved in creating the setting.

My work with the FORT WORTH COMMUNITY THEATRE in the 1970's, which performed in a similarly steeply raked auditorium helped me to be prepared for this eventuality.