RUNNING: Invisible spikes

[loebtmc]

OK - I have some ideas on this but throwing it out to the gallery in case some of the brilliant minds out there can come up with something better or more original

I am doing a show with an all-white set of steps from upstage to downstage, and I need to come up with a clever way to spike the things like the step edges (for safety) without it being visible to the entire house.

Yikes, right?

We do have some good ideas - a very tiny lip with tape on the back, a 1/4" glow outline (expensive, I know), glow dots etc - but ideas are welcome!

Edit to subject line-Rebbe

[Maggie K]

Could you use glow paint instead of glow tape?  Less expensive and you could make a fairly thin line.  Also has the advantage of not coming up as easily as tape.

[maximillionx]

The lip on the edge of the step, even though it could be a tripping hazard, seems like a good idea.

You might try an off-white color that wouldn't be visible from the distance of the house, like a light grey, or yellow, on the edge of the step.  This line could be very thin; a 1/4" like you mentioned.

Are there blackouts to consider? Glow paint might be an option if they sell it nearby at Home Depot/Lowes.  I've found it not to be nearly as effective as glow tape with just one coat, but applying multiple coats may increase that.

Let us know what you come up with!

[nick_tochelli]

Might it be possible to use white spike tape and write something on it? It wouldn't be necessarily as intrusive as glow tape, and you might be able to do something small enough that it's not visible to the audience but is visible to the cast. If blackouts are a concern obviously this won't work. If you're just trying to provide a visual reference from step to step it might work.

You might also look into grip tape (it can come in white, or basically a variety of grip tape that glows like glow tape too) or stair noses (if your staircase is built to accept them). Idea being that if you change the texture underfoot, the cast will know they are reaching the edge of the tread.

[hbelden]

The theatre I'm working at now often drills small holes in the edges of platforms/steps and insets battery-powered red LED lights in the holes.  The hole acts as a top hat hiding the light from the audience but an actor walking right over it can easily see where the edge is.

[loebtmc]

texture is not an option because of the shoes the actors will be wearing but good thought. Colored lights will be coming from under steps so may be confusing but a great idea, will think abt that. The lip is a tripping hazard of course, but it is an option. Off-white tape won't differentiate enough but we are looking at straight glow (which is a little yellow-er), glow gaff, and I wrote in silver to see what happens....when we find a solution, will report in!

[G.Miciak]

On an all white set, a blackout is never that black and the amount of ambient light in the room might be too much already. (I saw a show a few years ago with an all white floor and the actors could see everything just fine during blackouts. The problem was that the audience could also see everything against the glowing white floor. I could be way off base, but in the spaces I am familiar with, there would be a whole lot of ambient light picked up by the white and it may not be a problem at all.)

[loebtmc]

Gil - the challenges are 1) the step edges will all disappear under light and 2) we need to spike specific places on the set without breaking up the all-white aesthetic.

Yesterday was our first day on the set. So far, off-white tape is helping, along with reverse, small dance numbers (black on a white card). But spiking marks is already a problem - we labeled DC along with footmarks for two major scenes with white tape, and the actors keep floating anyway. However, we are finding some creative solves, including glow gaff, and glow tape spikes, which appear yellow-y but don't read to the house. Yay!