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How to Install My Own Outdoor Mini-Theater

Installing your own outdoor mini-theater is a creative way to express your love for the stage. Building a stage makes hosting a theater camp easy. Additionally, outdoor stages are nice to have if you're putting on plays during warm summer months. The trick to installing a successful outdoor mini-theater is to use a helper to assist you and to keep the stage concentrated in a single area so that the sound of the actors projects back into the audience well.

Things You'll Need

  • Glove
  • Dust mask
  • One 15-by-36-foot flat piece of land
  • Measuring tape
  • Pencil
  • Rotary saw
  • Four 4-inch-by-4-inch-by-8-foot wood posts
  • Sander
  • 80- to 120-grit sandpaper
  • Paint
  • Brushes
  • Stain
  • Wheel barrel
  • Shovel
  • Six spades gravel
  • Four spades sand
  • Two spades cement
  • Water
  • Bucket
  • Three 4-by-10-foot plywood panels
  • Laundry Bleach
  • One 12-by-12-foot plywood platform
  • Drill
  • 1/2-inch wood screws
  • Two 12-foot-by-2-inch-by-4-inch wood frames
  • One 11-foot-by-8-inch wood frame
  • Comfort step padded floor fatigue mats
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find a 15-by-36-foot piece of land. Select the flattest part of the land to make the building process as easy as possible. A plot of land this size is large enough to incorporate a 12-by-12-foot stage and leave room for an audience.

    • 2

      Measure and cut four 4-inch-by-4-inch-by-8-foot posts. Sand each post using 80- to 120-grit sandpaper. Stain or paint each post after sanding. Allow 24 hours for the posts to dry. Lay the posts aside until Step 4.

    • 3

      Dig four post holes. Dig the first of four 8-inch-wide-by-18-inch-deep holes at the back left corner of the 12-by-12-foot stage area.

    • 4

      Measure, from this point, 3 feet in to the right, towards the center. Measure 2 feet back and mark that spot. Dig the second hole at that spot.

    • 5

      Measure out 3 feet to the right of this spot. Dig the third hole at this spot. Dig the final hole at the back right corner of the stage. You now have two holes at each back corner and two holes 3 feet in and 2 feet back behind the stage. Place the posts into the holes.

    • 6

      Mix concrete in a wheel barrel. Combine six spades gravel, four spades sand and two spades full of cement. Add 2 1/2 gallons of water gradually and stir until it is thoroughly mixed. Pour wet concrete into each hole to secure the posts. Allow 24 hours for the concrete to fully dry.

    • 7

      Measure and cut three 4-by-10-foot plywood panels with a rotary saw.

    • 8

      Bleach, sand and stain the panels. Brush laundry bleach onto the surface of each panel to remove wood stains. Allow two hours for the panels to dry.

    • 9

      Sand each panel with 80- to 120-grit sandpaper.

    • 10

      Brush wood stain onto the panels and allow 24 hours for them to dry.

    • 11

      Position the first panel between the first and second post. Install 1/2-inch screws into the panel every 6 inches down the body of the post. Continue the installation process in this manner until all panels are in place. You have now created an amphitheater wall that will project the sound of the actors back onto the audience.

    • 12

      Place the 12-by-12-foot plywood panel down as the stage floor. It can sit directly on top of the ground.

    • 13

      Construct a 2-by-4-inch wood frame to encase the stage. Cut two 2-by-4-inch-by-12-foot pieces of framing material and one 11-foot-by-8-inch piece of framing material.

    • 14

      Position the two 12-foot pieces on the outside of the plywood floor panel.

    • 15

      Place the 11-foot-by-8-inch piece at the front of the stage and secure the frame using 1/2-inch wood screws.

    • 16

      Layer the stage with comfort step padded floor fatigue mats (the kind that fit together like puzzle pieces) every time you perform to add cushion to your step and muffle the sound of thudding footsteps that might interfere with the production.

Stage Acting

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