Basic Production Elements

Today I started to deal with the limitations I have to work with. When I was going over the contract, I had promised the management of the theater that I would bring no more than one average-sized trunk worth of production and props.

Rolling Trunk from the Container Store $39.99

There's not a lot going on in the world of rolling trunks these days. I even went as far as calling a local Army Navy store but they didn't bother to answer the phone. The outer dimensions are 32" x 17" x 13". There's notation of the internal dimensions, and the reviews state that the hinges are going to fall apart quickly and will require duct tape. Perfect for our purposes.

The biggest pieces we need to fit in here are:

• 3 Microphone Stands
• Backdrop Stand
• Lighting Pole
• Music Stand

Now I already have a collapsable music stand, I haven't measured the lighting pole, and I have one boom mic stand that probably won't fit in here.

I was able to find this generic mic stand setup

I'm presuming it's garbage because it's $12 shipped on eBay. So I will wait until after the holidays and go to the big Sam Ash or Guitar Center in West Hollywood and see what I can find. There's a better option but it's $50 per stand. 

I'm going to use the same DIY PVC backdrop stand that I used in Florida, but I'm going to attempt to cut it into smaller pieces with more connectors so that it fits in the box. 

There's a prefabricated backdrop kit on Wish for $19 which I may have to use as a backup plan, but the connections on it are concerning as I only have 10 mins to turn over the show. At this stage I'm planning on having an audience member do exposition while I assemble the stand on stage, which I'm stealing from an old Penn and Teller bit I grew up infatuated with called "Casey At The Bat"

Penn's monologue is considerably more brilliant than the poem he ends up reading. The exposition is so perfect that I have no choice but to butcher it and bring it down to the simplest elements. It will still work just fine. I've never tried it but I have to assume its relatively easy to get out of a straight jacket when you're hung upside down like that, nobody notices or cares. It's an experience most people have never had and have no idea but it seems impressive especially paired with Penn's performance. I'm going to make it look like two people with exceptionally low SAT scores decided to knock it off. 

Then I'm going to place it all back in the $39.99 box from the Container Store.