Pop-Up Stage Directions

By Agusta Agustsson  
e-mail: john.calabro@verizon.net

To create the Pop-Up Stage you will need the following materials:

  1. One 28”x22” piece of black poster board
  2. One piece of colored poster board, 22”x8”, cut from a larger sheet
  3. Scissors or a utility knife
  4. Elmer’s type glue
  5. Triangle and ruler for exact measurements
  6. Pencil and a worn out ball point pen
  7. Black permanent marker for decoration
  8. Black cloth tape or clear packing tape and paper clips

Image 002:poster board layout.Step by Step

Stage Floor (Piece A)
  1. Cut the black poster board in half so you have 2 pieces, 14”x22”. Use the triangle to make sure you cut at a right angle. Put aside one piece.
  2. Lay your ruler along the 22” side of one of the pieces you just cut and measure down 11”. Do the same on the other side. Draw a line between the 2 marks. (Check it with the triangle to make sure it is square.) In order to create a neat fold at the halfway mark, score the line with a worn out ballpoint pen and a ruler.
  3. Measure 3” above and below the mid point line. Draw a line across in pencil. (Use the triangle for accuracy.)
  4. Measure 5” above and below the mid point line. Draw a line across in pencil. (Use the triangle for accuracy.) The space in between these pencil lines is where you will later glue the Stage Frame.
  5. Fold in half along the midpoint where you scored the paper in step 2. Set this aside for now.
Stage Frame (Piece B)
  1. Now take the other piece of black paper. Repeat step 2 from the previous page.
  2. Measure 3” above and below the line at midpoint. Use the ruler and the triangle to draw the lines all the way across. Then score the lines.
  3. Measure 2” down from the top of the paper and 2” up from the bottom of the paper. Use the triangle and the ruler to extend the lines all the way across. Score the lines.
  4. At the bottom of the paper measure 3” in from the lower left corner. Do the same thing on the lower right hand corner. (There should be 8” between the 2 measurements. Using the ruler and the triangle extend lines up 14” from these measurements. The lines should touch the 3rd scored line from the bottom.
  5. Using either the scissors or a utility blade and a metal ruler cut out the section that is hatched in the drawing.
  6. Set aside the big piece with the hole. You will use the cut out piece for the next step.
Masking (Pieces C and D)
  1. Using scissors or a utility knife, cut off the bottom 2” strip along the scored line.
  2. Cut off the top section at the next scored line (6” up the last cut). You now have a piece 6”x8”.
  3. Along the 8” side, measure in 4”. Use the ruler and the triangle to extend the line. Now cut the piece in half along this line. You have 2 pieces 6”x4”. Set these aside.
Proscenium (Piece E)
  1. From a larger sheet of colored poster board (not black) cut a piece 22’x 8”.
  2. On the 22” side measure in 4” from the lower left hand corner. Use the triangle and the ruler to extend a line to the top edge. Score the line.
  3. Repeat the last step in the lower right hand corner.

Assembly Drawing (not to scale)
   image004.jpg     image005.gif
Assembly
  1. Glue the long 2” wide flap from the Stage Frame to the Stage Floor. The fold should line up with the line drawn 3” from the centerfold on the Stage Floor. Use paper clips to hold it in place while it sets.
  2. Glue the two flaps of the Stage Frame to the Stage Floor. The folds will line up with the line 3” away from the centerfold. Hold in place with paper clips while the glue sets.
  3. Glue the Proscenium to the Stage Frame. The folds should line up with the outer edges of the Stage Frame. Hold in place with paper clips while it sets.
  4. Use black tape or clear packing tape to tape the Masking Pieces edge to edge to the back of the Stage Frame.
  5. To fold up the stage fold the Proscenium forward and the Masks backwards. Depress the centers of the two cross supports and gently fold up the Stage Floor.
  6. The Proscenium may be shaped along the top edge and decorated on the front.