A contact in early 2023 raised my interest levels a lot!
'Can we discuss building a real dry stone wall on a stage set.?!'
Err, yes please. I said 'tell me more' - and we made plans to meet and discuss.
I live in Kingston upon Thames, so not far to travel; and being the only DSWA member in Surrey I get a few calls - but this one was unusual. They showed me the stage set design model complete with some tumbled down wall. It looked like about 4-5 meters long and no more than half a meter high, most not even that. Then they showed me the stage. It was the Olivier stage (their largest) and it was set on a 20-30 degree slope for this production with the wall going across the middle of it (left to right). I explained making it stable was going to be a challenge; they said 'No problem' we will build you a level wooden platform to put it on. They said that they would normally have created a fake wall from something like polystyrene, but they are trying to be more environmentally sustainable – hence doing it for real! I sourced some reclaimed stone and they ordered it.
I had one day assigned to do the wall a few weeks later as they were building the rest of the set around me. I did it in about 5 hours, with a lunch break – the hardest part was making it look fallen down while keeping the structure sound as they said the cast might make use of it!
basic build to design.
A week or two later I was sent free tickets to see the show ('Dancing at Lughnasa') - and there it was in the middle of the set – all dressed up with 'fake' mosses.
live set 1
At one point a cast member did go over to the wall and sit on it for a few minutes. My heat skipped a beat but it stayed solid.
live stage #2
I think this is a first for a stage set in London, or maybe the UK? If you know better, please let me know!