BS: Stage treatments/decoration

Subject: Stage treatments/decoration
From: Mooh
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 10:01 AM

Hi again and thanks to all who follow this thread.

What small venue stage treatments, decorations, set up, do people enjoy?

Years ago I helped set up for a David Bradstreet concert where there were quilts hung behind him and a Persian carpet beneath him. It was quite effective. Just last year I saw Garnet Rogers (I think) with quilts hung about and it was equally good. I've seen Don Ross on a recently used Shakespearean set, and huge projected images for led Zep and Pink Floyd. Black curtains, concrete block wall, murals?

Aside from the huge presentations, what small venue stage backdrops and so on do you all like?

Peace, and thanks, Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: Stage treatments/decoration
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 10:21 AM

The band we hired for our silver wedding dance (god, nearly 5 years ago!) to do 50's (for me) and '60s (for the wife!) music brought a black parachute which they hung on the plain wall behind them: very effective.
I once saw George Melly in a Sunday concert in a theatre that had not yet been converted from presenting strip shows. As the Feetwarmers played his intro music "Good Time George" ,he descended in the cage the strippers had used (a tight fit!), claiming it was still warm! Suited his camp persona. Nowadays he always has an armchair to sit in while the band play between verses.
As an "audience" I'd say, keep it simple, don't distract from the music. It always amuses me that reviews of pop shows go on about the lights and special effects and the number of 40' trailers the rig needs, rather than the "music".
RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Stage treatments/decoration
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 11:15 AM

Nice thread Mooh. Sorry you felt the need to use the silly "BS", designation.(first suggested by Sandy Paton, who was JOKING)

I saw Leon Redbone use some simple period furniture (rocking chair, small round table with doilies and Victorian lamp) to help the atmosphere. Worked great. Pete Seeger often brings a 5 by 7 Persian carpet on stage when working with Arlo. When not singing...he reclines! Love it!

Rick

Subject: RE: BS: Stage treatments/decoration
From: Mbo
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 11:17 AM

When Classical guitarist Elliot Frank (Guitar Department head at ECU) came to perform at my old community college, he performed on the set of the Theatre department's production of "Wait Until Dark"!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: Stage treatments/decoration
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 11:36 AM

Mbo, I'd have loved to see Audrey Hepburn hurl herself at him from the darkness during a dramatic passage!

Rick

Subject: RE: BS: Stage treatments/decoration
From: Mbo
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 11:43 AM

That would have been cool! Villa-Lobos' Etude No.14 tearing along at breakneck speed as the bodies fall...

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: Stage treatments/decoration
From: Mooh
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 01:03 PM

Banners and the like anyone? (And suggestions for such...)

Again, Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: Stage treatments/decoration
From: Kelida
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 01:21 PM

At the Ohio Renaissance Festival, the best music is at the Aleing Knight Pub, where the stage is maybe 25 square feet, wooden, and I think it has a fireplace (fake?) in the back. There are always instruments from several different groups that give a homey, cluttered feel to it without detracting from any of the shows. I think the most appealing thing about it is that it's a very natural environment.

Peace--Keli

Subject: RE: BS: Stage treatments/decoration
From: Wesley S
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 01:37 PM

I went to a coffee house in a meeting room at a local church. It looked like they had taken some window frames { no glass } that had a churchy look to it { rectangular but pointed at the top } and had hung them from the ceiling. Very effective. They also hung a few instruments on the back wall. It helped that the concert promoter owned a guitar store.

Subject: RE: BS: Stage treatments/decoration
From: Alice
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 03:02 PM

Mooh, one of the important things to think about in setting up the "stage" for your performance is acoustics! My coach encouraged me to plan for creating a set such as the one she and the other singers in a quartet of classical singers used. They had a portable screen of wooden panels on hinges that they were able to take to different venues where they performed and set up to bounce the sound back to the audience (no microphones). They used a couple of large artificial plants in urns that looked real at a distance. They fit the classical music mood. As an artist, I have considered what I would paint on the screen, probably leave one side plain if I don't want to always have the graphic show, or apply a drape of cloth over it if I need to absorb more sound. If you are performing in a space that is visually really distracting or ugly, consider creating a screen that would at least define the space that you are performing in so listeners can focus on you. The carpet idea is a good one. My coach also described a performance where the singer used a very large piece of fabric (dyed silk?) that was sewn to a foam backing. It was more lightweight and less expensive than a carpet, and easy to roll up and store in a tube. You could also do a painted floor cloth on canvas that would fit your performance.

So, the two main things I think you need to think about are creating some effect on the acoustics, as when you need a harder surface to bounce the sound or a softer surface to absorb. And secondly, create a visual effect that connects the audience to you and the music you are playing, diminishing any ugliness or distractions that may be existing in the spot where you are to perform.

If you are lucky enough to have a great space, you don't have to worry about this. If you are moving around from place to place, be prepared to have something of your own to set up.

alice flynn

Subject: RE: BS: Stage treatments/decoration
From: Mooh
Date: 18 Apr 00 - 10:17 AM

Alice, good advice! Thanks. Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: Stage treatments/decoration
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Apr 00 - 12:39 PM

Excellent question! I'm glad someone is paying some attention to this problem. Too many venues don't.

The WORST visual backdrop I've seen was a huge plain black velvet curtain. One venue in my neighborhood, a converted movie theater, used that for a long time. Bright spotlights in an otherwise dark theater created such a sharp contrast that it actually became painful to look at after a while. The audience would have the silhouette of the performer burned into their retinas. When you blinked, you could still see him while you drove home. (Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a tad.)

An OK idea: the old Coffeehouse Extempore in Minneapolis had a plain brick wall behind the stage. It was the actual wall of the building, cleaned up. The brick was a warm yellow color, somewhat varied in texture and shade, and genuinely old. Not very fancy, but it worked.

GOOD idea: When Adam Granger and Pop Wagner were hosting the Cedar Social at the Minnesota History Center, they had a large stage, one side of which one side of which looked like the front porch of an old house, and the other side had fake pine trees. I especially liked the front porch; it would work as the only set piece on a smaller stage. You could add more details as space permits: a porch swing, a screen door, a window frame, turned wooden pillars, etc.

Other ideas I have had: A wall consisting of old doors - a whole row of them, varied in shape and color. A wall of cedar shakes (shingles). A wall of recycled wood: crates, pallets, construction timber - whatever you can get. A Minnesota artist, George Morrison, who died recently, was adept at making beautiful abstract collages out of pieces of driftwood and other "found" pieces of wood. Anything imitating his style might be a worthwhile effort.

Subject: RE: BS: Stage treatments/decoration
From: Jim Krause
Date: 18 Apr 00 - 01:04 PM

The simpler, the better. Lighting should be simple, too. I have performed on gazebo stages, flatbed trailers, and indoor stages backed by a simple brick wall, as well as school auditorium stages with only the curtain for a backdrop. Makes no difference to me.

Subject: RE: BS: Stage treatments/decoration
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 18 Apr 00 - 04:51 PM

You could create an interesting shape from those poles you get in some lightweight tents, fixing several together and looping them over to make arches, or a plain runner with maybe a slight curve. Lightweight fabric - silk or muslin that looks good smooth or creased can be draped over it, or with a wide hem, threaded through the poles. This creates a bit of visual interest without being too heavy or overpowering. Use a plain, light coloured fabric in cream, ivory or white, and have a selection of light gels with you. You can make your setting any colour you like then, to suit the mood of the song or venue.

LTS