Technical Design Solutions for Theatre

A Plasticene/Styrofoam® Deck Plug

David C. Perlman

 

THE PROBLEM

The action for the Yale Repertory Theatre’s production of Edit Villarreal’s Crazy from the Heart involved plunging narrow wooden stakes into the ground during a Native American gambling game. During each performance, a total of thirty-two sticks were to be repeatedly stabbed into the deck, making a total of over 700 holes throughout rehearsals and the run. Since the Masonitea-covered stressed-skin-panel deck had to work for both this show and another with which it played in rotating repertory, the deck had to retain a uniformly smooth, planar surface. Thus, for the gambling scene, we had to devise a plug that met several criteria:

1. The surface had to resemble that of the surrounding ...