Set for a Midsummer Night's Dream

April 18, 2005

With nothing to share from April 18, 2005 I'll direct your attention to some stills of the stage set I designed this year for my class production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. While I've written a bit about this production before I thought it would be easier to discuss some specifics of the design if there were some pictures to reference.

The tree trunks are cardboard stapled to tall stands constructed from a single 2x4 and assorted bits of scrap lumber. The cardboard is then wrapped in burlap pieces and, in some cases, adorned with cheap floral ivy from the Dollar Tree.

The tree tops are created by shaping green plastic garden fencing with twist ties and then stapling this topological form to a few scrap lumber limbs that jut out from the top of the 2x4 that served as a trunk. Every other row within the garden fencing was woven with long strips of dyed muslin and the leaves were simply 5" strips of the same dyed muslin placed in the remaining rows. No glue or sewing was required to create this canopy.

The starry night was large sheets of painted cardboard with white holiday lights poked through from the back. The stars were then swaddled in a soft blue tulle. The tulle softened the light and created an attractive halo effect for each star.

Bushes were formed through a combination of straw bales, green plastic garden fencing, dyed muslin, old sheets, cheap fake plants/ivy, and an assortment of crepe paper flowers created by the students. While not pictured here, on the night of the performance, we also had about a hundred flickering electronic tea lights hidden among the flowers and foliage to create a glittering effect on the greenery to rival the stars in the background.

Students created the rocks from cardboard, tape, toilet paper, white glue, and paint. The moon was also illustrated by a student using india ink on foam core and glitter paint.

When the summer grants me a bit more time I'll turn my attention to creating some actual tutorials about the assorted processes you can use to create similar stage effects.