The Sound of Music

Music by Richard Rogers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse

Arch Sliders

Music Theatre Wichita

Directed by Wayne Bryan

Scenic Design by Adam Koch

May 2019

The archways you see here in Music Theatre Wichita’s production of The Sound of Music were actually repurposed from another set. Instead of building new arches, wooden panels were built for each arch that would fit into the existing shape and allow for easy repurposing of the old scenery.

The panels were my personal project. I developed the colors and process first, and made a couple of samples until the scenic charge and I were satisfied with the results. From there, I laid the panels out, following the rendering to figure out where the lines in the wood should be. Next i based and grained each piece, and gave them a wash of red and brown scumbled together. Finally, I added highlight and shadow where appropriate. Once the wood was done, I added the stone around the open window holes using a marble process we had developed for other units in the show.

Once the sliders were installed in the arches, I got up in a lift and completed the stone background around the round window, as we didn’t have an accurate way to measure the curve of the existing arch. Specially printed fabric was then stretched across the windows to make the stained glass, and lightboxes were installed on the back to give the idea of sunlight streaming through the windows.