Open Forum

  I have a student who is suggesting using rice paper for our set for one acts. Has anyone ever used this material for sets?

Cathy

Sounds very flammable to me!  What is the advantage?

Rice paper is apparently no more flammable that regular paper. But, both are still, by definition, flammable. 

So, the question remains: Why paper? Of any kind? And for what elements? 

Scott

I agree with the comment above: why rice paper? Rice paper (or any other material) could be a fantastic solution, but what's the problem you want to solve?

    I think you have a creative student on your team. When I hear rice paper I think of Japanese shoji screens/walls/doors. Backlit they give a beautiful light. The paper is available in many different textures. The wood grid with paper windows is lightweight, might be fragile for travel, is a good choice for an Asian look. Translucent Coroplast sheet might give a similar look and be more puncture resistant.  If you are concerned about flammability I believe a spray treatment is available for treating paper.

     That said, I agree with the question in an earlier post. We don't know the proposed use of rice paper- and so my above comment is based on a guess. 

I am curious about what your student proposed. Please let us know. Thanks. 

 He is trying to problem solve how to have a lightweight set for our one act which could potentially travel.  The play is a student written piece with multiple potential scenes- from Greek to modern day.

Cathy 

      I would recommend Muslin or another fabric possibly on PVC frames.  That is often a inexpensive travel solution. Many TYA companies do this very successfully!  I would worry if you are using the rice paper to create flats that it would tear and create more problems than it is worth... if you specially want that texture than it may be worth it.  However it its just to make a lightweight set I would go with fabric.  The rice paper would be great for props or other small pieces.  In addition it really depends of the design, application, and use of the set pieces if the materials would work or not

I agree that you have a very creative student and love that he/she is thinking outside of the box!  

Rachel Engel wrote: "I would recommend Muslin or another fabric possibly on PVC frames."

DO NOT USE PVC TUBING ONSTAGE.  It is flammable, and if it burns it creates dense black toxic smoke. When it melts it collapses (zero structural integrity when heated) and can drip molten burning plastic onto actors and stage crew if they are nearby.

For the fabric covering - Only use Fire Retardant treated Muslin cloth.  Stage Scenery, Props, Curtain, and Costumes must be constructed of non-combustible materials or treated with a approved fire retardant.  This is an NFPA 101 Life Safety Code requirement.  It is not an option.  This regulation has been on the books for over 100 years, so it is not "something new".  Do some reading about the Iroquois Theatre fire in Chicago if you want to understand more about why theatres are required to use non-combustible scenery.  Over 600 people perished in just a few minutes in this tragedy.

If the student is trying to build something lightweight, then the conventional flat assembly of 1x3 pine (fire retardant treated) covered with Muslin cloth (fire retardant treated) is about as light as it gets.  It is recyclable and easily repairable, too.

One other option is to purchase the 'flat in a box', which is two layers of cardboard that sandwich a hexcell cardboard core to create a very stiff but lightweight flat.  You can purchase this material as 'regular' or 'FR' (Fire Retardant) - be sure to order the FR version for stage use.  If the vendor does not offer the FR version, then find another vendor.  The corners and edges are very damage prone, so keeping these in good shape is almost impossible.

Another approach that you SHOULD NOT use is to purchase the Owens Corning Foamular (or any other brand) polystyrene sheets (comes in blue, silver, pink colors).  It is printed right on the face of the material that it should not be used where it is exposed.  This is combustible material and it is intended for use inside sheet-rocked walls, not as a piece of scenery.