The director of a production of Schoolhouse Rock Live! wanted a magical entrance for the main players at the top of the show. Since the theme is the classic series of "Schoolhouse Rock" TV shorts that were popular in the 1970s and early 1980s, we designed a giant TV screen through which the characters could emerge while a TV program is playing.
Design
Our design is for a large frame contained in a 4x10 back wall, covered by a split fabric curtain, through which actors can emerge. During performance, the Magic TV Set will have video projected from the front and actors will emerge while the video is playing.
Construction
To minimize cost, we reused an existing 4x10 back wall panel from a previous production, used 1x4 pine to create a frame around an opening that is large enough for young actors to step through.
The curtain is a used, beige, queen-size sheet that was cut in half and hung with the head end of the sheet facing down and the original seams overlapping by a couple inches in the center. We hung these by wrapping the top end around a length of 2x4 until the desired hanging length was left, and then screwing the 2x4 at the top of the back side of the frame.
To weigh down the curtains, we inserted some leftover 2 inch PVC pipe into the wide seam in the head end of each half of the sheet (the part that is now at the bottom). The PVC served the additional purpose of keeping the sheet spread flat so each section works similar to a door, with the weight pulling the opening closed after each actor goes through the screen.
The curtain is a used, beige, queen-size sheet that was cut in half and hung with the head end of the sheet facing down and the original seams overlapping by a couple inches in the center. We hung these by wrapping the top end around a length of 2x4 until the desired hanging length was left, and then screwing the 2x4 at the top of the back side of the frame.
To weigh down the curtains, we inserted some leftover 2 inch PVC pipe into the wide seam in the head end of each half of the sheet (the part that is now at the bottom). The PVC served the additional purpose of keeping the sheet spread flat so each section works similar to a door, with the weight pulling the opening closed after each actor goes through the screen.
Finished Design
Once the Magic TV Set was framed, artistic director Kris Conner painted a 1970s looking TV set on the wall around the screen opening. Next, the screen fabric was mounted, weighted and steamed with a hand-held steamer. If we did this again, we could iron the sheet fabric before mounting as steaming removed most but not all wrinkles. We saved cost by using a surplus beige sheet but think that projection quality would be better using a light gray or white sheet.
Projection
The construction of this illusion was the easy part, quite honestly. Finding and editing suitable video, then getting it to project in the right place, was a real challenge. In our case, we used a pre-mounted projector already in the theater, which has a really wide throw. We edited our video so it was positioned near the top and off-center to the left of a mostly black screen. It took a few attempts to get the video sized and positioned just right. With a properly positioned and dedicated project, getting video project to work should be much easier. We toyed with the idea of rear-projection but we had limited space behind the Magic TV Set screen so we stuck with a front projection approach.
Video Walk-Thru and Performance Footage
In this video, we describe the design and show footage from the Magic TV Set used in an October, 2016 performance of Schoolhouse Rock Live! at Newark Charter School in Newark, Delaware.
More Information
If you would like more information or have questions about how we designed and constructed this effect, feel free to contact us! We'll be happy to tell you what we learned!
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