Theatre Tips

Sets:

 This month's subject for Theatre Tips is "Sets." Any contributions by readers are welcome (see below).

The Periaktoi

 Periaktois are wonderful! (it's pronounced perry act' toy, by the way, if you want to use it as a vocabulary word). A periaktoi is a prism-shaped piece of scenery consisting of three flats hinged together. (Even more flexibility can be gotten out of this kind of set piece if the flats are double-hinged, so the hinge swings both ways, although there are some disadvangtages to this as well.) They were used in Ancient Greek theatres and are having a real comeback now because of their versatility. Each side of the periaktoi is painted with a different scene. Four, five or six periaktois can be set in different configurations on a stage, each configuration displaying the sides which together represent the scene that is being played. Below are three examples.


Initially (top) the six periaktois are set side by side, with side A facing the audience, to create a backdrop of a mountain. Next (bottom right) the six periaktois are grouped in twos, with side B facing the audience, to create a forest. Finally, the six periaktois are separated, with side C facing the audience, to give the illusion of six individual columns of an interior space.

Changing scenes can be done in front of the audience instantaneously by simply rotating the periaktois to a different side. The flats for each side of a periaktoi may be made of muslin stretched over a traditional 1"x2" lumber frame (much like a large artist's canvas) or even sides of a large recycled cardboard box (e.g., for a mattress or refrigerator).

Information about the Periaktoi's was taken from the book "Producing the School Play." available at http://www.creativeeducationalsystems.com/web_files/Producing.html

Help us with your ideas:
To comment on this idea, or offer costume suggestions of your own for producing plays for schools, community theatres or any low budget productions, write us at comments@creativeeducationalsystems.com. Your thoughts will be posted to this site.

Note: This tip and many more ideas for productions for theatre for young people may be found in the book Producing the School Play. For more information, go to http://www.creativeeducationalsystems.com/web_files/Producing.html



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