As we build our scenery for this season’s performances of Sweeney Todd, special accommodations must be made for the amount of prop blood being used during the show. For easy cleanup, the set designer Andrew Holland has decided that laminate be applied to the walls of the set. This demanding process ensures that the set remains clean in between shows.
Laying the laminate is a delicate process. First, contact adhesive is applied to the laminate to secure it to the set. As it is applied, the laminate must be laid flat to ensure there are no bubbles or bumps in the surface, and the seams must match. This process is time consuming and difficult, but using laminate for the walls makes it fast and simple to clean after each performance. When the fake blood splatters, it will run down the water-resistant laminate wall into a trough, making the walls appear brand new between shows.
See photos by Karli Cadel of the construction below:
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The best production of Sweeney Todd that I ever saw was the one in NYC that didn’t use blood at all, just white coats with red markings for the victims.
Sometimes imagination is more effective than simulated reality.