Stage trap design

[filmgavin]

Hi

 

I have been looking on line without success for a schematic drawing for a lift/drop stage trap design for my carpenters.

We built a counter-weighted trap a couple of years ago which although it worked well we know we could improve on.

Any ideas where we could get our hands on a quality design? Surprisingly, most of the usual sources of stage craft/carpentry have no designs available. There must be one somewhere!

 

Any pointers?

 

Best wishes

 

Gavin

[Jram]

I'm told the 1860 Contant and DeFilippi book "Parallele des Principaux Theatre Modernes de l'Europe et des Machines Theatrales" has good working drawings of various stage machinery, but I don't know where you'd get hold of a copy - certainly, the Mitchell Library don't hold one. I just found three copies for sale on a second-hand book site, but at £121 for the cheapest and £950 and £2500 for the others, I doubt your budget will stretch.... Mine certainly doesn't.

 

You could also try Sachs' "Modern Opera Houses and Theatres", which I think the Mitchell do have a copy of - just fished through and found the email they sent me: The Mitchell holds the 3 volume work by Sachs, Edwin O. Modern Opera Houses and Theatres (Location EF725.82SAC) These can be accessed on Level 4, Information Services Dept.

[filmgavin]

I'm told the 1860 Contant and DeFilippi book "Parallele des Principaux Theatre Modernes de l'Europe et des Machines Theatrales" has good working drawings of various stage machinery, but I don't know where you'd get hold of a copy - certainly, the Mitchell Library don't hold one. I just found three copies for sale on a second-hand book site, but at £121 for the cheapest and £950 and £2500 for the others, I doubt your budget will stretch.... Mine certainly doesn't.

 

You could also try Sachs' "Modern Opera Houses and Theatres", which I think the Mitchell do have a copy of - just fished through and found the email they sent me: The Mitchell holds the 3 volume work by Sachs, Edwin O. Modern Opera Houses and Theatres (Location EF725.82SAC) These can be accessed on Level 4, Information Services Dept.

 

A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on.

 

Thank you so much for such a quick and consice reply. I will forward this to me tech guys. I find it odd that there are not more 'current' drawings available! Hmmm. We must keep our drawings of whatever it is we do and perhaps make them available on our website.

 

Again many thanks Jram!

 

Best wishes

 

Gavin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm told the 1860 Contant and DeFilippi book "Parallele des Principaux Theatre Modernes de l'Europe et des Machines Theatrales" has good working drawings of various stage machinery, but I don't know where you'd get hold of a copy - certainly, the Mitchell Library don't hold one. I just found three copies for sale on a second-hand book site, but at £121 for the cheapest and £950 and £2500 for the others, I doubt your budget will stretch.... Mine certainly doesn't.

 

You could also try Sachs' "Modern Opera Houses and Theatres", which I think the Mitchell do have a copy of - just fished through and found the email they sent me: The Mitchell holds the 3 volume work by Sachs, Edwin O. Modern Opera Houses and Theatres (Location EF725.82SAC) These can be accessed on Level 4, Information Services Dept.

[obsoperator]

Life isn't all online-people have been doing brilliant designs of gadgets for years, and earning a tiny amount of money by publishing them in ... books. Here's a book with excellent line drawings of an elevator/appearance trap:

 

A.S. Gillette, Stage Scenery: Its Construction and Rigging This book has several editions, so an older one in a school library is likely to be just as good.

[Jram]

My copy of the Gillette book (bought on the recommendation above) arrived today. Not had a proper read of it yet, but it looks interesting. It has detailed drawings of two traps - one for a fast descent, and one for a slow/steady rise. The descent trap works rapidly - the trap sits flush with the stage, and is counterweighted to return there. Once the trigger is removed, the actor's weight allows him to drop through the stage, but the counterweight lines are rigged in such a way that as the trap descends it also slows. As soon as the actor steps off the trap onto a landing platform, the counterweight returns the trap to the stage level.

 

The elevator/appearance trap relies on a winch/ motor for it's operation, and was built for purpose. As such, there is no slider for when the trap is in the lowered position. From the drawing (excellent, as stated above), it doesn't look particularly difficult to build - it's entirely timber framed, with two steel cables rigged to facilitate the rise/descent. These steels terminate on a length of scaff, and it is this that attaches to the winch. So, though you may have to pay someone to provide/ install the winch and motor mechanism, the rest you can do yourself (in a manner of speaking - usual provisos of competency, H&S, risk assessments etc apply)

 

Be aware that this book was published in 1959 in the USA, so check the current LOLER requirements and any other relevant legislation before you start. I got my copy through the Abebooks website, very nice ex-library copy, £7.50 with postage. Definitely worth the price for the detailed drawings, and it looks like an interesting and useful reference book.

 

If you find any other sources, or build your own trap, I for one would be interested to hear.

[obsoperator]

Thanks for your useful comments. I should point out that the winchless "disappearance trap" has been around at least since the Italian Renaissance (like most of the effects in Phantom of the Opera ....) I gave my own copy of "Gillette" away when I stopped working regularly (there have been editions after 1959, but they're not substantially different or better, so stick with a used copy), so I don't remember if there was an illustration of a "star", or Renaissance "appearance" trap, where the actors' head opens 12 or more thin, wedge shaped doors by pushing up the triangle points where they meet. They then fall open and remain inconveniently on stage. It's much scarier than the "disappearance" trap.