FIRST MONDAY IN OCTOBER - WCT - Plans

 My memory has been playing tricks on me I see. After examining these plans again after 32 years, I see that I was wrong on a couple of details in my previous post.

We did indeed "re-purpose" elements of this set, not from SLEUTH but For that play as it actually was the production that followed this one in the same season! The tall wood stained columns were built specifically to be re-used again in the next show. The average set budget for one of these Main Stage productions ( including my fee and the fee for the carpenter) was around $3400.00. This is nothing today, but was a respectable amount in 1982. Even so it was always neccesary to re-use stock elements from past productions whenever possible, as it still is today.

(The missing piece in the plan above was my to-scale pattern for the acanthus leaf motif atop the columns which STAN FOSTER cut out of the plan and used in the shop to create the patterns.

The other mistake I made in the previous post concerns the "Columns" which appeared to support the Facade of the Supreme Court building at the rear of the set. I did originally plan to have these be dimensional, as indicated on my original groundplan...budget and time constraints forced me to make the change to a pleated, but Flat arrangement as shown in my plans for the carpenter above. The effect didn't light as well and the Facade structure took on the form of a "backdrop" more so than a real structural unit, but it was still very effective and something different from other WCT productions. I'm still amazed that I managed to sketch out all the show's setting requirements on only 2 sheets!

The rolling platform unit pictured in the upper left corner here was used to delineate parts of the downstage area which were used for special scenes within the play: A projection room seating, a group photo setting and a Dias for the Congressional hearing in Act 2. This unit was simply rolled out by "Pages" and locked in place...the area specially lit to contain the action of these vignettes. Afterward the actors would just move back into the main setting and begin the next scene with a lighting shift. The pace of the play could be maintained without the audience having to wait between long scene changes.

( A Tip: The ornate "Gates" on either side of the set had to appear to be bronze. They were of course simply made of wood. When you need to show a good even gilt tone to any object, first paint it GLOSS RED. Then using spray paint of the metalic shade you wish give it a good even coating over the red. the result will look very rich and reflect the light on stage much more realistically.)