LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR

TECH NOTE: How We Did The "Wall Of Terror" by Bonnie Riddell, Stage Manager

The wall was a challenge. This is the solution we finally decided on. It worked well, gave a realistic sound, and was relatively easy to do once we got the hang of it.

We used a roofing insulation foam product called polyiso. (We got ours from a roofing distributor. A 4'x8' sheet cost about $10. We cut four 2'x3' pieces from each board.) The opening in the flat was approximately 3' high x 4' wide and framed for rigidity. An upright support was placed in the center of the opening. A cross way support was placed just above center on the portion of the wall that Max hits. A piece of foam was cut to fit the Rosenberg side of the wall and holes cut out. This was screwed into the frame with dry wall screws and never changed. The Max side was changed after each performance, again using dry wall screws along the periphery as well as into the cross bar. Holes were scored to fit the picture frames and also scored pie-shaped from the front. A pencil was pushed through the center of the hole to the back so the foam could be pie-shaped scored on the backside. The entire flat was wider than the frame for the four holes so it could also be used for Ira to write on.

To cover the open holes and the scored holes, we used a seamless background paper by Savage from a photography supply store. It came on a 12yd x 53" roll. We color matched the paint on the set above the chair rail to the color of the paper. After cutting the appropriate length to cover the holes and the writing area, it was attached to the wall by a spray adhesive from Home Depot (found in the paint department). A wallpaper bush was used on the surface of the paper to insure it layed smoothly. The foam used for the Rosenberg holes was not sprayed for easier removal. Using a stretched-out safety pin, the center of all four holes was marked from behind. On the front side, a circle was lightly drawn in pencil around the pinpoint so that Max could see where to punch (and the SM during intermission). Be sure that Max goes on stage to locate the position of the holes prior to each performance. The paper pulled off the wall easily after each show. It did take two people to apply the paper--one to hold and unroll the paper; one to align, spray and smooth.

The frames were backed on all four sides with self-adhesive velcro. The portion of the velcro that attached to the wall was replaced each performance. Double sided tape was used for the plaques.

Break-a-leg with your production!

- Bonnie
briddell@centerplayers.org