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The Importance of Being Earnest

Peninsula Players Theatre
Scenic Design by Jack Magaw
Photos feature; Erin Noel Grennen, Linda Fortunato, Sean Fortunato, Kevin McKillip, Peggy Roeder, Tim Monsion, Tom Mula,  and Joe Foust

Production Photos

photo credit; Scott M. Boyle

Technical Challange

Wilde calls for three sets in three different locations; a London flat, a Country Garden, and the drawing room in a country manor.  To save on time and budget, designer Jack Magaw wanted to use one revolvoing unit with interior and exterior facades which could serve these locations.

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For my part, I had to make a unifying base for the revolve as well as a very seamless look within the construction.  Below you can find drawings for my solution for the revolve base as well as my use of coffin locks to attach the walls together.

Designer Drawings
Designer Elevations
Section Drawings

From the Designer drawings, you can see there isn't a lot of room to hide or connect the walls with hardware.  The audience had full view of both sides.  I reasoned I could hide connection points in the coining on the outside surface, but still the hardware would have to be largely internal.  This is where I thought using coffin locks or rota-locks could be a solution.

A Coffin Lock
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This is a specialty piece of scenic hardware which comes in two halves.  The male half has a cam which can rotate and lock into the female half.  It provides a secure connection without  being noticeable.

Construction Drawings

This drawing shows how the coffin locks were to be used so the overhead arch could connect to the side walls.

Similarly, this drawing shows how the coffin clock were used to lock in the side wings into the main wall.

This drawing shows the "squashed spider" which has 16 2x6 legs attaching to a central hub where the pivot was mounted. Platforms were added to this.

Revolve in Motion
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