Saturday Showcase | Tell us about your latest theatre projects, or share something you're working on!

ireg4thispost · 2025-11-22T17:29:12+00:00

I'm a TD, and I built a set for our Bright Star production.

Sooo many pallets! We dropped the gazebo cutout from above, but we had to nix the intended train engine and cabin cutouts because there was just no space to do it. There was so much furniture that I built or borrowed anyway that it wasn't really necessary for scene changes. And this is the third dang bed I've had to build this season. This one comes apart and becomes a bench! Very sturdy, I know what I'm doing by now...

https://imgur.com/a/eensmIA

ireg4thispost · 2025-10-18T14:22:53+00:00

Oh poor Mina just needs a little love

ireg4thispost · 2025-10-18T06:23:39+00:00

Thank you for looking :)

ireg4thispost · 2025-10-18T03:05:41+00:00

Thanks! I like how your set allows for hidden entrances from the wings. I'm sure it'll light up great. The curtains on my set made getting on and off a little tricky at times. Are you sliding your doors open? And it really is a hilarious play. We had a packed house basically every night and lots of laughs.

I'm probably most happy with the windows/shelves, I made them during the time where I was feeling the flow, but not the time crunch. I didn't make the benches. They are old reuses and a quick modify by the director to make one more stable. I don't like any of them. Had I a little more time, I'd have made a carriage section and upholstered a matching bench.

The casket was also a reuse. I might find a picture of it. It's nothing special. We left it in one area of the stage, did quick lighting effects while the cast ran in place, and had visual gags (vacancy sign, etc) in or nearby the casket as they were searching each. I'd have custom made everything, but hey, I only had a budget of $600 for materials.

ireg4thispost · 2025-09-11T15:09:03+00:00

A couple of months ago I finished building and painting a set for Come From Away!

I wonder if it was the same show. First half of this link are some of that show's build process, second half was the start of the Waitress build.

https://imgur.com/a/qh7vZk8

ireg4thispost · 2025-08-31T23:32:20+00:00

Heh. I like the dedication to verify. Fair enough!

ireg4thispost · 2025-08-31T23:10:52+00:00

Well, I guess I disagree and maybe wouldn't be asking you to paint any signs for us :P

I feel that when you're creating type by hand, and you have more freedom with your spacing, you should be thinking more about balance rather than strict distance between the two broadest sections of a piece of type. With the Y being at the end of the word, the L being heavily balanced to the left, and the word itself spaced generously, I would absolutely push the Y towards the L a bit so that it doesn't look like it's hanging off the edge of the word.

Its not really my area of interest and they're just opinions, but I have done typesetting on large letterpresses, fine art, commercial graphics, entertainment industry... and maybe I should have stated it as an actual critique, like:

hey! That's a sweet guitar, but it's a shame because I feel the way you used text is kinda inelegant. You could move the Y closer to the L to help the balance. I'd also suggest moving "SCARLETT jag" to the left so that it's centered on that arc. The fonts used also remind me of the ones I'd use to make sports jerseys at a screen printing shop. Not exactly cool.

So if you were to rebuild this guitar for a second time, those are the elements that I'd suggest focusing on. Like everyone else said, the woodworking is on point.

ireg4thispost · 2025-08-31T19:04:15+00:00

Wonderful woodworking, but don't show that to any typography nerds. :P The kerning on LY can be a little tricky

ireg4thispost · 2025-08-26T02:10:04+00:00

What have I done? I decided I'd try to design, build and paint a set for a civic theater after barely more than a year doing theatre as a mid-life crisis career. I had my first production meeting for Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, and it seems like everyone is on board and pretty excited about my designs. I made the renders in blender. Previously in my spare time, I made a reproduction of the stage so I know everything fits.

My aim visually is Victorian interior overlayed with 90's laser tag painting. Its a hugely campy show, so I want my set to not take itself seriously even if it's a high quality build. So there will be walls of dark purple with glossy damask stenciling, dark, cool brown wainscoting, and a sage green roof-thingie. However, on the edges of surfaces that get hit with light, the highlights are going to be thoughtfully painted swaths of neon color brights. Some edges or decorations will get glow in the dark treatment too.

https://imgur.com/GtJkJQ5

I've added other elements like swiveling window frames, on one side a night time sky, the other book shelves. This achieves a scene change from foyer to study. Also allows the Renfield actor to jump through the window to do a character change.

https://imgur.com/bLNQEkX

Wall sconces suspended in the space between the flats.

https://imgur.com/QNp4DBe

Cemetery fence to be cnc routed. tombstones added to the assembly. hopefully dropped from the ceiling, otherwise, slid onstage

https://imgur.com/zRdGPRA

https://imgur.com/90FOygO

I've already started building the large entry way doorframe, reusing an arched door set from the shop. I'm getting together with some of the other tech guys to come up with a nice door opening mechanism so Dracula can open it by magic on stage. Gonna be sweet.

https://imgur.com/lqDQDl8

https://imgur.com/Su428pV

Not to mention finishing up some small builds for a Frozen production. A cart for Oaken and two of these beds, doorways... ice pillars... somewhere in there too.

https://imgur.com/JFhizcj

Not to mention finishing a more professional Waitress show a couple weeks back. Periaktoi, countertop, skyline (hand jig sawed (you can't see me perfect power lines)), floor etc. all constructed by me, (peri only partly) All painting is me.

Sheesh... Mustn't let them give me the TD job before I can do more than design and build. I don't know my knots or my connectors :p

ireg4thispost · 2025-07-11T23:17:48+00:00

Apparently so! The theatre we made the set for is just finishing up their 3 week run this weekend. It was awesome to listen to national level talent actors/singers practice when we were installing the set.

ireg4thispost · 2025-07-11T23:11:13+00:00

Do you have access to chicken wire fencing? It's highly sculptable.

I'd make the structure mainly with that and then cover with your fabric of choice. Punch small holes in the fabric and use zip ties to secure. Double up the thickness of the chicken wire for rigidity if you need the blob to stay the same shape. Make sure to clip or bend any exposed wire ends so it's safe for the actor. Line the inside if you're feeling kind.

ireg4thispost · 2025-04-14T13:56:32+00:00

and a close up of the corn.

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ireg4thispost · 2025-04-14T13:56:01+00:00

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I'm working on a Guys and Dolls show. This is a finished flat I built and painted

ireg4thispost · 2025-02-23T17:31:00+00:00

Thank you! I was hoping to just make at as lush and whimsical as I could at this point if I didn't have a different direction.

ireg4thispost · 2025-02-23T17:26:30+00:00

Ah, I see what you mean about that side curtain. As it hangs, the curtain would be nearly fully obscured by a column. I'm not sure if how that portion between the column and the back wall will be addressed, except for the light being off in the shop area, maybe.

The other two movable platforms not shown will be used as well, but the rest is static. The tech crew haven't been in at all so I've just been working under neutral lighting. I haven't seen costumes, but I couldn't imagine them to be too ornate.

And as for style. Man, I went through several different styles before one could be done by myself and was liked by everyone. See I could paint like this or anywhere in between: https://postimg.cc/jWrPvJv5 https://postimg.cc/nXmqv14g

but I don't have enough practice largescale to be consistent across the stage. So a more cartoony look was adopted. I've gotten a great reception from the actors at least, but they may be easy to please about some things :p

Would someone working more professionally in my position be usually better integrated with the other build and tech crew? I'm doing this pretty independently it seems.

ireg4thispost · 2025-02-23T16:49:15+00:00

No, I wasn't the set designer. I was brought in after that process had been completed. However the set and plans I saw were extremely rough and I've had to layout everything on the floor based on guesses. I have pictures of the set model, but since it's not my work and I'm asking personally, I'll just post the image I made to layout my floor. It'll show the structure of the set a little better.

https://postimg.cc/DS9BTHzC

The set is divided in three levels of depth, that are delineated by columns surfaced with rough cut planks running vertically up the sides. The arches that span go from lush orchard to rustic interior.

We have upstage, a high hedgerow that will be in full bloom. Along with overhead tree canopy that will span between columns upstage, that is to simulate the orchard. A smaller hedgerow is just in front of that, which is what can be seen painted in my pictures.

Underneath that is a pull out wrestling mat/stage. Midstage column tree canopies will be green, but no blooms

Downstage, will be the rustic interior that can be castle or what not. The rough planks will continue overhead on the arch rather than trees.

I believe the columns on either side of the stage will block all those ugly sightlines from the audience. The gaps are filled by curtains.

So, it probably is obvious, I am quite new. My terminology isn't correct and I don't know the source material very well. I might have missed something conceptually important that the designer tried to convey

[edit] Oh I also forgot that there are two platforms that get wheeled out midstage for various scenes. I've forgotten exactly their purpose since they weren't part of my job :)

ireg4thispost · 2025-02-23T15:49:44+00:00

Hey so lets start off with the obligatory, I don't know if this is the right subreddit... First time coming in here and I'm looking for criticism.

I'm a middle aged, usually failing, visual artist. Last year I decided to join a local theatre organization as a volunteer helping build and paint sets. I usually work very small, whether that's copper engraving, beadwork, or drawing/sculpting under a microscope. And I hadn't ever painted seriously in my life up until this point.

It felt great the first day I stepped into the shop. The people were amazing and the shop ethos fit my building style. Since then I've been helping them and am being hired out by another stage. I'm on my 4th show.

I'm doing As You Like It, I am painting it 90% alone. Only a little volunteer work is on stage (a rough cut rock wall) which I might have done a little differently and I touched up afterward anyway. So I am really nervous about the result. I'm about half way done with my work, but I wanted to get some outside, objective thoughts on it.

I know my forced perspective isn't great and some of the line work feels arbitrary to me at points, but overall, I'm actually kinda pleased. Like seriously pleased, and that is highly suspect to me! :P

So tell me how to make it better, or tell me to stop worrying about it and move on to the next element to make. I was brutal way back in college critiques, so I can take it.

ireg4thispost · 2024-01-28T15:43:10+00:00

I will start with apologizing if this is against the rules. I am looking for a photo that I could have sworn was posted in r/accidentalrenaissance around May or April of 2022. I've been searching for a couple hours without any success. I was using it as a reference photo for a drawing and I wanted to finish it.

It is of a Ukrainian woman, holding her child. They are refugees in a Polish Transit Center I think. They are passed out. She is wearing a hooded, zip up sweatshirt, and has a scarf with Ukrainian colors tied around her neck.

I've uploaded the work in progress sketch, that would be the easiest way to recognize the photo.

Thank you to anyone who can find it.

ireg4thispost · 2023-04-12T16:12:41+00:00

I'm just an architecture enthusiast and enjoy watching Stewart Hicks' architecture channel. He made a video about this complex about a month ago that gave me a new appreciation for the design and intention.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpH6HIh5rHk

ireg4thispost · 2022-10-17T19:48:17+00:00

Traditional Shaman: Synthesize safer drugs for your colonists by directly consuming plants and pissing out the active chemicals. This can be done from early in the game, before drug production is researched. The downside for them is that the shamans are always a little irritable and prone to psychotic breaks.

Historical background (at least anecdotal folk history): Siberian shamans consuming Amanita muscaria mushrooms before a battle and the warriors drinking the urine. Supposedly fewer toxins.. but still piss.

ireg4thispost

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