As we head into fall we wanted to make a shift in our set change. However, everyone was still a fan of the LED tape look we were using to great effect in our present set. So we set out to find a way to still incorporate while shifting our look. After some “napkin sketches” and hallway conversations, we came up with a concept. At that point we handed it off to a key volunteer who is a stage carpenter by trade. He is a great help in taking our ideas, tweaking them to actually work, adding details, and designing how the install will happen.

This is our original concept

Here are the “Built to” drawings that he sent.

(Note that the rear projection panels are now lifted off the ground. Originally we had wanted them to sit on the stage. However, he convinced us to raise them 3 feet which would allow for less shadows and added the horizontal led bars across the bottom)

From these drawings we gathered material and started the prework.  The week prior some of our volunteer crew spent three days building the panels. They were constructed out of 2×4, wrapped in black plastic and then tightly wrapped with white, reflective muslin. Prepping these prior made the week of install MUCH easier. That’s a learning for us – as much pre work as can happen on stage installs…do it.

Key Concept: One of the ways to make your budget work and still have a compelling environment is to retask and reallocate. So we took the LED bars from our previous set (rebar and LED tape) and deconstructed them from the arrays. They were then rehung in a different configuration. New look. Old LED’s.

The entire install took three days. We tweaked as we went along and added the horizontal LED bars on the front of our keys and drum risers. We are happy with the look and it give us some flexibility with the screens. We actually are going to leave this for Christmas and just add back in some string Christmas trees we used a few years ago that will compliment it well. No need for a new set !

Here’s some pics of the final product: