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A full look at Abby and Marilyn’s room where much of the action of RIPCORD takes place.
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Before construction begins, the paint and scenic team received designs and samples from Set Designer Tobin Ost. Lead Scenic Artist Romina Diaz-Brarda looks through the designs for the wallpaper that will be featured in Abby and Marilyn’s room.
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On stage, wallpaper is often not really wallpaper. The paints team uses a stencil to create the illusion of printed wallpaper. It’s cheaper and often more practical.
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The set is loaded onto the stage. For the RIPCORD set, this includes installing the individual floor tiles, as well as the moving walls and other pieces.
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RIPCORD includes a scene inside of an airplane. The cut away fuselage is designed to be moved in quickly. The beds from the previous scene are stripped to reveal these benches.
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The curved pieces of the fuselage sit out to dry after being treated in the paint shop. Once they are dry, the set will be installed on the stage during tech rehearsals.
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In one of RIPCORD’s most technically complex scenes, Nancy E. Carroll, Richard Prioleau, Annie Golden, and Laura Latreille’s characters skydive; photo: T. Charles Erickson.
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The parachute trick has two trebuchets balanced to give the performers the appearance of floating in midair. Carpenter Nick Hernon works on the foam seats of one trebuchet.
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This trebuchet is ready to make magic in the skydiving scene. It sits backstage ready to be set up during tech rehearsals.
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More of Abby (Nancy E. Carroll) and Marilyn’s (Annie Golden) visit to the haunted house in RIPCORD.
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Properties Artisan Ian Thorsell molds the headstones for the graveyard scenes from foam.
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He uses a sketch of the prop as a guide.
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Properties Artisan Ian Thorsell and Lead Scenic Artist Romina Diaz-Brarda have a little fun after a prop skeleton arrived in the mail. This skeleton will be painted to fit the gloomy scene.
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The completed graveyard props wait in the wings during tech rehearsals.
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Carpenter Christian Lambrecht works on installing a large set piece for the haunted house scene during tech rehearsals.
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The haunted house includes a fun gag with a fake electric chair. This piece of the set is located on the rear of a rotating wall. It comes into view for this scene.
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Before the scene shop can start building the electric chair, the designers make use of small scale models, reference images, and other scenic elements. Can you spy the tiny chair?
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The electric chair is nearly ready for the stage. The rest of the scene and the lighting will do much of the work of making it extra creepy.
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A view of the electric chair from upstage as the crew puts it together on stage during tech rehearsals.
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Abby (Nancy E. Carroll) and Marilyn (Annie Golden) visit a haunted house in RIPCORD.
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Making the props for the haunted house included modifying purchased decorations. Printed scrims, lights, and spooky fabric helped get these plastic frames ready for the stage (and a very satisfying jump scare).