TheatreFace
Putting a Face on Theatre
Hello Theatre-Verse,
I'm designing costumes for a production "Lord of the Flies" in which almost all of our actors will be barefoot and running across a very uneven set that could potentially have splinters and/or sharp edges. I've been looking at lyrical shoes to have the 'barefoot' look while protecting their feet, but I'm worried that they won't be enough. Thoughts?
Much obliged,
Sara :)
Tags: barefoot, costumes, rough, set, shoes
Views: 88
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sara Elizabeth Gable on -
Oh, this is also in a black box with thrust seating. Thanks!
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My suggestion would be to have your actors wear nude/fleshtone canvas ballet slippers. The full bottom and sides of the feet would be protected. My favorite form-fitting brand is BodyWrappers stretch canvas. If worn during the rehearsal period, they would be conformed to the foot for a close to barefoot look by performance time.
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Permalink Reply by Corinne on -
How about moccasins for the actors. We used those in HAiR and they worked well and appear natural.
Another is to cover the surface with marly and use gaffers tape for the edges.
How about smoothing the edges with a sander?
Corinne
Venue Theatre
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Lyrical "shoes" won't be enough. They are only meant to protect the ball of the foot. There are some that do have a heel, but then you might as well just have the performers wear shoes.
The solution here is to insure that the set "Barefoot Safe". It will take some extra time and money, but it should be done. There is no reason to have a set with rough edges and splinters that actors might step on. Not only that, if the set is not safe for bare feet, it is also not safe for any possible "ground work" that might be required of the actors (e.g. crawling around on all fours, kneeling, climbing structures, stage combat, etc.)
A rough-looking set is a design choice. An actual rough set with splinters and sharp edges is carelessness on the part of the people who built it.
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Permalink Reply by Erich Friend on -
Faux paint the splinters and sharp things - Not real, just looks real.
For potential bits of 'junk' on the ground (nuts, rocks, sticks) - use painted foam bits, not real objects.
For foot protection consider Vibram moc shoes painted to look like feet, or just have them wear natural fiber sandals that look like they fabricated them themselves. Off stage have everyone wear shoes! No exceptions. You never know what someone may have left on the floor . . .
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Hi Sara
We did WHAT USE ARE FLOWERS in a similar fashion, all outdoorsy and at least to the eye, rough, in a very intimate black box setting. Knowing that we wanted actors to be barefoot - first we sanded all the platforms and scenery until smooth and then, once painted, gave it a couple of coats of white glue to form a protective barrier. Then we layered the floor with leaves (this was in the fall and fallen leaves were plentiful).
The actors never wore shoes - We never got a splinter in a foot though one actor did get a rather large one in his knee from sliding across a board against the grain. If I were to do it again, I would cover the areas likely to meet the feet or knees with muslin and glue.
I have watched modern dancers dance barefoot so often that to me the answer is to prepare the stage more than dress the feet.
All the best
Thomas Cavano
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Here are two options. I have never tried them so I don't know if they really work as well as they claim. but could be worth a try.
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Permalink Reply by Sara Elizabeth Gable on
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Thank you all for the advice! I'm going to talk to our scenic designer to see what we can do about the set.
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