Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1981 - 31

-Techn ical Reports

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Building An Oval Wooden Tub
by Elbin L. Cleveland
La Farce du Cuvier which was performed at the 1980 Spoleto-USA
festival in Charleston, S.C. required an oversized laundry tub and
washboard as major prop/set pieces. Both items had to be especially
sturdy to withstand the rigors of touring and the strain of the vigorous
stage business to which they were subjected. The close proximity of
the audience also necessitated a greater degree of realism than might
have been required of a simple proscenium production. In short, cardboard cutouts were not sufficient.
The washboard, though anachronistic, played a valuable role. Its
exaggerated size contributed to the sense of farce and also suggested the magnitude of the labors discussed in the play. On the practical side, it functioned as a ladder to facilitate escape from the oversized tub.
The washboard was simply constructed from stock 2 x 4's and ';'''
plywood. All joints were rabbeted or dadoed and then glued and
nailed for strength. Corrugated galvanized roofing was used for the
scrubbing surface and was held in place by retainer strips cut to

match the corrugations of the metal. Though the finished board was
heavy, it was very solid and served its purpose well.
The tub was another matter. The production did not require that the
tub hold water, but there were other problems. It had to be clearly
oversized and visually imposing; strong enough to withstand the constant battering from performers who were required to fall into and
climb all over it; and still be manageable for four people on tour.
The result was a design for an oval wooden tub, 2' 10" wide x 6' long
x 4' high, with sides sloping outward at 10° and bound together with
bands of steel. The oval shape allowed the tub to be narrow enough to
pass through standard doors and still be visually large enough to
··hold the stage" when viewed from the front. The sloping sides and
up-swept ends contributed to the sense of scale and added character.
A big tub is not a novel idea, as any Californian can demonstrate by
merely pointing to one of the round redwood tubs so prevalent there.
This tub, however, posed two problems which made its construction
distinctly different from a hot tub.

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