Can A Rotating Stage Benefit Your Community Theater?
What can you do if the only space available for your community theater doesn't have a large stage that allows for lots of scenery changes and hidden assistance by the stage crew? Consider adding a rotating platform to the stage that allows for low-budget adaptations of your favorite theater shows and more. This is what you should know.
Revolving platforms have a time-honored history.
Early revolving platforms were used back in the 1700s in Japanese Kabuki performances. The rotating platforms were simple wheeled platforms that were moved manually. European theater adopted the style in the late 1800s, where it became known as the "Shakespeare" stage.
Probably one of the most famous theatrical uses of the rotating stage is the long-running Les Miserables production. The revolving stage used for the original production made for dramatic shifts of scenery and a quick-moving performance that awed fans as it transformed the stage from one character's point of view to another's.
The rotating stage can be used to lessen complications for the audience and cast.
One of the problems with a lot of theater productions is that the long gaps between scenes that are required to change the background and props can interrupt the audience's willing suspension of disbelief. The ability to shift a scene flawlessly, to even create multiple scenes using dividers and lifts, can help alleviate the sense of interruption and disjointed effect caused by ordinary scene changes accomplished by stagehands behind a curtain or in the shadows.
Rotating platforms can also be used to accomplish a sense of shifting time or physical movement. The motion of the platform and lighting changes can metaphorically recreate the passing of days or years. It can also be used to allow the players to take the audience with them as they move from setting to setting, without having to exit the stage.
There are a variety of options that can accommodate your space.
Rotating stages can be designed large or small, with a static surround stage and steps that are level, eliminating the need to step up onto the platform. That allows you to square off the area and makes it easy to move scenery and props onto the stage.
It can also allow you to center the stage in the middle of the audience, arena style. When space is at a premium, this can allow you to maximize seating ability. Since the stage rotates, there's no worry that any part of the audience will be cut off from the action on stage. This can be particularly useful for one-person monologs and shows that involve improvisation.
For more information on rotating stage platforms, talk to a construction company in your area.
For a rotating stage platform, contact a company such as Smart Stage.