"Out Of Order" Set

[Malcolm Gordon]

In November my drama group will be staging Ray Cooney’s farce “Out Of Orderâ€, which includes, amongst other things, a sash window that drops on cue 15 times, sometimes on top of hapless cast, and a cupboard door on which a “body†hangs (like Lee Evans in “The Producersâ€) and opens on cue.

 

Can anyone involved with last year’s national professional tour, or at any of the receiving houses it visited, offer any hints for operation of these devices?

 

We are well aware that safety is paramount, but are hoping to benefit from the experience gained by others over the 15 years that the play has been produced.

 

Thank you.

[ChrisD]

Just some thoughts, having never seen the play I wouldn't know if they'll work but...

 

Could u fly the slidey bit of the sash window so that it can be raised or lowered on cue.

 

As for the opening door, would an electromagnet work? Keeping the door closed up until it's turned on/off?

 

Just some thoughts as I have had no experience with the production at all.

[Brixton]

a sash window that drops on cue 15 times

Electromagnets from RS components.

Like we used to make electro kabukis

Need an electric charge to release as opposed to needing a charge to hold.

Use a normal sash window without the string

Fix magnet in window frame.

Fix lump of metal to window

[Peter Tovey]

Well not the national tour, but I did design and build a set for Out of Order just over a year ago. Very fun show to work on btw.

 

Went for a standard 12' box set, shape of which is pretty much dictated by the script. Then just manufactured flats containing the cupboard door and sash window to match the rest of the stock flats. Hang a few doors, router up some coving, door surrounds and dado rail and splash on some paint. Easy. Hard bits:

 

Closet door - has to have someone supported on it, looking as if hanging from their collar from a coat hook. 1st - don't hang them from a coat hook! I put a length of chamfered 2" x 2" along the bottom of the door for the actor's heels to rest on (couldn't be seen from the audience at all), and a tie rail at about 3'6" up, which the actor could hold behind his back. Built the door from a section of 18mm AB ply, with 3 no 30" hinges to hang it (disguised with skin of 3mm ply over, before sanding, painting etc. Huge moments involved to get the door to swing freely supporting actor - I built the door frame from 3" x 3", and anchored the top of the frame back to the rear wall of the theatre to prevent the flat trying to tip as the door opened. Swung well enough that the actor on the door could just reach out and push off the coat rail in the closet when the door had to open on cue - door swung all the way open and actor had plenty of time to reach his hand back before the audience could see.

 

Sash window - fun! I built a proper sash with pulleys and weights - thing was heavy. Tip - lubricate the slides with a bar of soap. Stops it squeaking and it moves much easier. I simply extended the bottom strut of the lower sash (which is the one which falls) off backstage on one side to an 18" handle, which was operated manually during the show. Window was weighted so it stayed where it was put of its own accord, and made a very satisfying slam when you pulled it down. I drilled a couple of 20mm holes in the slides at either side, and had a couple of short lengths of 19mm dowel which slid into these. One pair was at a height which prevented the window from coming down at all, and these were in place any time anyone climbed through the window. The other pair were further down the slide, and stopped the window about an inch above neck height (measure up all the cast first!) These stopped the window from actually breaking any necks when it 'falls' onto the actors' necks (rather like a guillotine!). With a bit of rehearsal, the effect is very good - we could bring the window down very very fast and could never see from the audience that the window did actually stop above the necks.

 

There were several safety features involved. First lots of testing before any necks were risked (literally). Lots and lots of rehearsal - starting first by having the window demonstrated on me in front of the cast, to reassure them it was safe. And also a system of IR break-beam detectors, which were connected via a rather complex array of relays so as to light a big green lamp next to the operator when it was safe to bring down the window - one beam along the bottom of the sill to check the neck was right down (beam must be broken); another half an inch below where the window stopped (beam must not be broken); and 2 to check that the stops were in place and fully engaged in the slides. I operated the window every night (about 30 cues iirc), and only brought it down to nut someone when the lamp was on - I delayed it one night by about 2 seconds while hissing to the actor to pull his collar back, which was breaking the top IR beam.

 

Hope that's of some help - ask if you've any questions and I've got drawings and photos which explain a lot of it probably better than I've just done.

 

For my next trick, I'll explain how to build a revolving Noises Off set on a stage you can't fix into for a central pivot, because of the lino surface, and describe how not to score an amusingly large diameter circle into said lino with the revolve, to be found when the false stage floor is lifted at 3am in the get-out.

 

Pete

[LeeStoddart]

Well not the national tour, but I did design and build a set for Out of Order just over a year ago. Very fun show to work on btw.

 

<snip snip snip>

 

Hope that's of some help - ask if you've any questions and I've got drawings and photos which explain a lot of it probably better than I've just done.

 

For my next trick, I'll explain how to build a revolving Noises Off set on a stage you can't fix into for a central pivot, because of the lino surface, and describe how not to score an amusingly large diameter circle into said lino with the revolve, to be found when the false stage floor is lifted at 3am in the get-out.

 

Pete

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Wow Peter - hats off to you! Excellent explanation - I feel like I could go and build that now!

 

And yes I'd like to know how you did Noises Off. It's a show I'd love to do but the thought of having to revolve such a large set is very daunting.

 

I will tell you that one friend has done this show where they didn't revolve the set - they moved the audience. The venue was a large gymnasium type of place - they built the set in the middle of the hall and put in two sets of seating - one either side of the set. Many punters did not realise that when they came back from the bar they sat in different seats :huh:

[peternewman]

:huh:

 

Still on the Noises Off front, my school did it, before I got involved, but from what I've gathered, they didn't spin the set. Instead they rehung the doors, so they would open the other way, moved the staircase, took the front panels off the flats (to expose panels and frames on the other side, and removed or changed the banisters.

 

On which note we still have the 9 doors or whatever it was if someone wants to put it on.

 

PN

[Malcolm Gordon]

Peter,

 

Thank you very much for an excellent post. We, too, work with 12’ flats and knew that we would have to do something special with the window, but thought we might use a stock door frame for the closet, possibly reinforced with scaffolding. However…

 

Closet door – we had assumed a foot support (“The Producers†has a fold-down one), which I imagine only needs to be about 12†long, but had otherwise only got as far as considering a harness stitched within a trench coat, the sort with rings on the cape part. As you say, it has to “look†as if he is hung there. “Moments†I can imagine, bending, turning and exciting as well! Anchoring into the stage or back wall is not permissible for us (cyc’s in the way too) so we may have to use a scaf French brace with an outrigger giving sufficient mechanical advantage and a stack of stage weights. Loading the actor: Richard (or George) can have a foot behind the door to stop it moving when “hanging†him up; did you have a latch to secure it closed so that he can get off to rest during 6 pages offstage?

 

Sash window – I was imagining a sash balanced with pulleys and weights and a rope and pulley arrangement (like a counterweight control) to pull the window down. I must admit to difficulty in visualising your handle. The lower sash is usually the inside (onstage) sash, so that extending the bottom rail sideways would pass through the sash box (I assume that the pegs pass fore and aft through the parting bead). Incidentally, I presume you had an assistant to operate the pegs the other side of the window. Cooney describes the window as falling variously on people’s necks, heads and shoulders, usually when they are peering back in having climbed out. I was wondering what was the height of your cill above the stage, so that actors are not too obviously bending down to “lay their heads on the blockâ€.

 

Your safety precautions were very thorough and I see the need for rehearsal. I think this will have to be a special separate part of the tech, as there is little prospect of carting the full window setup to and from our rehearsal venue twice a week (a school 3 miles from our workshop) and, after the get-in, we only have the theatre in the evenings. We might use a quarter-size mock-up to practice timings in the early stages.

 

If it’s not too much trouble, a sight of your drawings and photos would be very useful.

 

The group did “Noises Off†before I got involved, thankfully!

 

Malcolm

[SceneMaster]

Well I did rig one of the national tour shows when it came to my local venue (well I was a assistant lighting rigger actually) and I can't remember how they did it!!! Probably flown knowing the venue and I can’t remember the cupboard, I’m not much use sorry. :P