Scaffolding for RENT
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I'll be directing Rent in Brooklyn and wanted to know how I go about renting scaffolding for sets. Does anyone have any idea about how a process like that works?
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I HAVE RENTED SCAFOLDING MANY TIMES FOR OTHER SHOWS AND ITS NOT VERY CHEAP SO, I DEVISED A GOOD WAY TO CUT CORNERS. THIS WOULD WORK ESPECIALLY WELL FOR A SHOW LIKE RENT. WHAT YOU DO IS RENT THE REGULAR SCAFOLDING BOTTOMS AND FLATS AND THEIR SUPPORTS SO THAT THEIR STABLE AND SAFE FOR STANDING OR EVEN DANCING ON OR WHATEVER THE SHOW REQUIRES AND THEN - THE CUTTING CORNERS PART IS YOU MAKE YOUR RAILS AND ADD ON PEICES THAT COME UP FROM THE BOTTOMS INSTEAD OF RENTING MORE RAILING AND COSTING MORE MONEY. YOU CAN MAKE FAKE RAILING BY BUYING CHEAP WHITE PVC PIPES AT ANY HARDWARE TYPE STORE AND SPRAYING IT SILVER AND METAL LOOKING THEN JUST PIECE IT ALL TOGETHER WITH SILVER DUCT TAPE AND SOME SMALLER WODDEN PICES FOR SUPPORTS. PVC IS VERY VERSATILE AND THE EVEN MAKE THEM IN ROUNDED AND CURVED PIECES. JUST FIGURE OUT WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOUR RAILING AND PUT IT TOGETHER LIKE LEGOS OR LICOLN LOGS THAT WE USE TO PLAY WITH AS KIDS. THEY EVEN MAKE PVC GLUE THAT BONDS IT TOGETHER REALLY SUPER STRONG. THEN SPRAY THE WHOLE RAILING AND TAPE AND WOOD AND CONNECTION PIECES ALL THE SAME COLOR SILVER TO MATCH THE AUTHENTIC AND REAL SCAFOLDING BOTTOMS AND SUPPORTS THAT YOU RENTED. THIS WOULD BE VERY EFFECTIVE WITH RENT, ESPECIALLY FOR THE JUNK CHRISTMAS TREE THAT IS STAGE RIGHT WITH ALL THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ON THE SCAFOLDING AND JUNK PILED ON IT NO ONE WOULD NOTICE THAT ITS NOT ALL REAL SCAFFOLDING. IT'S AN EASY CHEAT. I HOPE THAT HELPS AND GIVES YOU SOME IDEAS. ALSO I GOT TO GO BACKSTAGE ONCE DURING A TOURING PRODUCTION OF RENT FROM BROADWAY AND I NOTICED THE "JUNK" PILE FOR THE CHRISTMAS TREE AND SOME OF THE DETAILS ABOUT THE "JUNK"- I NOTICED THAT THEIR WERE TWO FULL BICYCLES PIECED TOGETHER IN THE CENTER AND THEY WERE TURNED OPPISITE FROM ONE ANOTHER -MEANING ONE WAS UPSIDE DOEN AND THE OTHER WAS RIGHT SIDE UP AND THEY WERE HANGING FROM CEILING TO FLOOR IN DIRECTION. WELL THE COOL THING WAS THAT EACH PIECE OF THE BICYCLE WAS PAINTED A DIFFRENT COLOR WITH SPRAY PAINT SO FROM THE AUDIENCE YOU COULD NOT EVEN TELL THEY WERE JUST SIMPLY TWO BICYCLES HANGING BESIDE ONE ANOTHER. IT LOOKED LIKE A BUNCH OF SEPERATE PIECES OF JUNK THROWN TOGETHER BUT I AM SURE THE BICYCLES MADE IT MORE STABLE AND SECURE AND ALSO THEY GAVE ALOT OF PIECES TO DRAP CHRISTMAS LIGHTS FROM. OH WELL JUST THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE I HOPE THAT HELPS YOU OUT WITH YOUR SHOW. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR PRODUCTION OF RENT. NO DAY BUT TODAY, NATHAN ROSS CLEMONS
Is your group a school? I think a good first step would be to speak with the building manager and find out whether they have worked with a scaffolding company in recent months or years. First, it is a good way to find someone that your group has a track record with -- assuming they were reliable. Second, if they were used before, then they must be an approved vendor, something that some schools are very strict about--paying outside vendors, making sure they meet the various criteria, etc. If you know what you are looking for, I would think that any scaffolding company would be able to accommodate your needs--those elements are very versatile and can be made into most configurations--like the erector sets we played with as kids. Good luck.