Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David McCall on October 12, 2010 at 6:50am

Lighting the rain is key. Side and/or back-lighting is best. It is better if the stage is a little dim.

The most important thing is capturing the water before it gets to the stage. If your stage is wood, it will most likely warp if you don't manage to seal it against the water getting to it. A lot of people think that putting plastic down will protect the stage, but somehow the water still manages to get under the plastic.

Have you considered video projection?

Permalink Reply by Tim on October 12, 2010 at 3:54pm

David,
You might try looking at overhead sprinkler systems. As well as working in theatre I also have a lot of experience working in greenhouses. They have a lot of systems with adjustable rates of flow. There are also heads that range from 360 degree to 45 degree spreads. This can allow you to change the flow and have some control over where the ran is or is not falling. These supplies can be found online at most greenhouse supply sites.

Permalink Reply by David R. Whitney on October 12, 2010 at 4:21pm

I wrote an article on rain curtains. I know it's not what you're looking for, but you could use my PVC leveling method to create an array or grid of PVC above the stage.

http://davidrwhitney.com/rain-curtain

David McCall has a good point about water control, but I have used plastic in the past with no problems. The key is getting really thick pool or pond liner, something around 20 mil. Normal plastic sheeting from the hardware store is only up to 3 mil.

Also, in my experience, direct backlighting is the best way to light rain. It is the most visible when the rain is directly between the light source and the audience, so the closer you can make this angle, the better.

Permalink Reply by David Phillips on October 12, 2010 at 10:14pm

Thanks guys, for the insight. I've also started to look into the front projections of rain... I haven't gotten too far, but if anyone has a great recommendation of said animal, let me know what you've found that has really worked well...

Permalink Reply by Miriam Morgan on October 13, 2010 at 7:09am

look up Blue Pony - they're associated with Apollo Design... :)

Permalink Reply by Jeff Chase on October 13, 2010 at 5:51pm

Here are some more thoughts:

-a raked stage - even just very slightly - is always going to be your friend when dealing with rain COLLECTION, with a trough at the bottom. Additionally - the thick plastic as previously suggested is definitely going to be a worthwhile investment.

- side lighting is also - as previously stated - essential to rain looking good onstage.

Permalink Reply by David R. Whitney on October 13, 2010 at 8:54pm

Good idea with the raked deck.

Permalink Reply by Rich Dionne on October 17, 2010 at 4:19pm

I know I'm going to sound like one of those annoying Big Box Lumber Yard guys, but why do you need to cover a large area of the stage? is this because you need to physically see rain hitting lots of places? And how large an area are you talking about?

David McCall is spot on re: lighting--side or back light is going to be your friend.

Rich

Permalink Reply by David Phillips on October 18, 2010 at 9:44pm

Thanks for all of the advice.

To answer some questions: The concept is for 'Streetcar Named Desire". There is a scene where she gets into an argument with the man she loves, but he speaks truth to her that she doesn't like to accept. Throughout the play, she has been creating lies/fairy tales but at this point, her world crumbles. The storm is more metephorical, but the rain was going to happen inside the apartment, covering the room they were in (12' x 16') The actors would get wet along with everything else in the room. If it was raining outside, it would create the 'safe' place of protection which is counter to what we were going for... Hence the large amount of rain that isn't just in a line... I think I'm good now, but if people have other comments, feel free to leave it for future readers.

Thanks for the advice. About 3 weeks from now, I'll let you know it all turned out.