Arts >> Theater >> Stage Productions

How to Make a Prop Wall That You Can Smash Through

When you build a set, you have to expect there will be wear and tear through the course of the play. Sometimes this is exactly the idea you have in mind when starting construction. For example, when you build a breakaway wall, your main concern should be building a wall that falls apart when it’s supposed to. Build the wall in a way that will fall apart easily for the safety of your actor but you can rebuild for the next performance.

Things You'll Need

  • Foam
  • Carving Tool
  • Spray paint
  • Lumber
  • Screws
  • L brackets
  • Knife
  • Baby powder
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Lay a 1-foot thick piece of firm foam on its side. Sketch a brick design across the entire front of the foam (rectangles in rows across the front of the foam). Crave out the lines with a “V” shaped carving tool to create distinguished lines between each brick.

    • 2

      Spray paint the entire face of the wall with brick red paint. Allow the first layer of paint to dry and apply another to give it a firmly colored coat.

    • 3

      Spray the carved line between each brick with a light gray color. This represents to mortar in the wall. Allow the mortar to dry and reapply it to create a strong, consistent coat.

    • 4

      Build a square frame the size of the wall from two-by-fours. Flip the brick wall over and place the wooden frame on the back. Line the ends of the frame with the edges of the brick wall.

    • 5

      Place tape around the wall where you want it to break. Place the fault lines for the breaks along the mortar of the bricks instead of through the bricks.

    • 6

      Cut along the mortar between each line inside the tape outline. Use a sharp knife that slices through the foam in a clean line.

    • 7

      Pull the foam bricks out one by one. Write a number on the cut side of the bricks. It should look discrete, but use these numbers to refer to the brick’s proper placement in the wall so you can reconstruct it when the time comes.

    • 8

      Lift the hollowed-out wall on its side. Drill through the wood at the bottom of the frame and into the foam. Install L brackets on the bottom of the frame so the wall leans back on them.

    • 9

      Coat the cut ends of the bricks with while baby powder and put them back into place. Dust the wall after you reconstruct it to remove the signs of baby powder. The baby powder looks like dust when you burst through the wall.

    • 10

      Anchor the L brackets to the floor to keep the wall standing erect.

Stage Productions

Related Categories