[what_the_heck013]

Does anyone have ideas for something to hang Jesus on instead of a chain-link fence? We are performing in a meeting room in my church (not a traditional theatre). The wall of the stage is brick. The rest of the set will be made of a bunch of crates, boxes, and trunks that will hold costumes and props.

Any ideas?

Also, does anyone have insight on possible symbolism for the chainlink fence? Although we want to stray from typical/the original productions, we decided to keep the superman shirt because of its meaning, but we don't see a deeper meaning in the fence.

[Robinflamingo]

The fence was originally just part of the park, I believe. The "fence" is actually a baseball backstop, which, being three sided, works well. When I did Godspell in the round, Jesus was crucified standing on the box in the middle, with red rags tied round his wrists. The biggest problem for this is how long your actor has to stand with his arms extended and noplace to put them.

Additional ideas might be a laundry line pole, pegs in the brick wall, or a piece of scenery that opens up, like the lid of a box, or the top of a playground structure.

We actually used chicken wire in a wooden frame, and it worked pretty well.

Rehearsal photo (pre-drop and painting)


Runthrough with lights (still no fabric on the stage tables, and the "brick wall" flats painted to complement the drop weren't done)

[SuperKabob]

I think the fence just comes from the original set, where it was set in a junkyard. Not sure what you could use instead, though.

[Celeste_SM]

I've seen productions use a big rope net, like the kind kids used to have in playgrounds before that was deemed unsafe. But that probably doesn't help because you need something freestanding, right?

[Monsieur D'Arque]

The two productions I have been in use a makeshift cross- either a plank of wood thrown over his shoulders with his wrists tied to it, so that his body forms the beam and the plank forms the other beam, or two of the ensemble members stand together in a cross formation and tie him to that.

Once I saw a production where they used a method like the plank, only using the cane from All For The Best.

Go with what you've got.

[OnceUponATime]

I think the symbolism is supposed to be that something supposedly innocuous and innocent like a fence can be used for nefarious purposes.

[drakesmainer]

the major benefit to the fence is the sound it makes when the cast can throw themselves on it in the finale. That goregous rattling sound is just the frosting on that scene as far as I'm concerned. But I do understand how hard it is to find a fence. But think about the noise when you're thinking of subsitutes. I've seen an interesting production that just attached a curtain of make shift chain mail to their back wall and this made a beautiful sound...just something to consider...

[what_the_heck013]

So... we open tonight! YEAH! Anyways, we are using the gate from a picket... but it's not one of the little gates. It's like a big one. The church had one in storage and so we repainted it. As well as the cross, it will act as the table for the last supper, among many things.