A creepy tomb to house the corpse of ghoulish stage characters will give any audience the chills. Above-0ground crypts are fertile ground for the active imagination with their doors that never open, gargoyles standing guard and a foreboding darkness. You can re-create a light-weight version of an eerie crypt for the stage using polystyrene plastic, a few 2 by 4s and glue.
Instructions
1. Determine the height of your tomb. The height of the tomb is dependent upon the size of the stage, the needs of the play and the actors. A properly sized tomb will allow an actor to slip easily through the doorway without damaging the delicate plastic walls. The height of a stage tomb may be distorted compared to the stunted height of a real tomb that stands at 7 or 8 feet; a stage tomb that an actor needs to enter and exit may stand at 10 or 12 feet.
2. Construct the frame. Lay your wall two by fours on the ground in the shape you will construct them. Use the 6-foot 2 by 4s as the wall bases and roof. The 12-foot 2 by 4s are used for the side boards of the walls. Set aside two 3-foot boards at each corner; these will be added to the base frame for stability. Begin building by attaching the a wall boards to each end of the base board using your hammer and nails. The base board will face the inside of the structure, so the polystyrene walls will lie flat against the boards. Do this for each wall frame.
3. Add the supports. Use the two support boards on each corner to stabilize the walls. Nail one board at a 45-degree angle to the outermost side of the upright 12-foot wall board, the support board will be perpendicular to the wall. Attach the other support board to the base of the wall frame at a perpendicular, 90-degree angle. Lay the base of the support board flat on the ground and attach to the free end of the 45-degree angled board. The support boards will create a triangular shape at each corner. The base of the support triangles can be ballasted with sandbags during the performances.
4. Glue the polystyrene board to the wall frame. Glue a second layer of polystyrene board to the outside of the first. Glue the roof on top of the tomb. You can arrange the polystyrene plastic roof as an A-frame or flat. Use roughly cut polystyrene plastic pieces to cover the support corners.
5. Carve the polystyrene plastic into rock shape. Use your palette knife and saw to carve out the polystyrene plastic to resemble aged rock. Using a picture of an actual tomb to model the polystyrene plastic walls is helpful.
6. Paint the polystyrene plastic. Gray, black and white paint are blended together to create a granite look. Adding accents of brown to act as dirt will amplify the aged affect.
