Dans Papers - May 11, 2007 - Broadway...Your Way

When it's too cold or wet to play outside and school is not in session, do your children drive you up a wall, begging to give them something fun to do? Do you wish there was a way to keep them occupied long enough for you to enjoy some peace and quiet? Building a stage or a small theater in your home may be the answer to your prayers. It is easy to install, cost-effective and fun for the whole family.

A family room or spare bedroom is the perfect place to build a small stage. It does not require a lot of materials, money or time to build a small platform the width of the room, or as small as six-feet deep. It can even be removed when the children grow up or the space is needed for another use. It can be stored in a basement, garage or shed and then easily reinstalled again.

Before building this mini-theater in your home, the decision must be made as to where to assemble it. Outside would be ideal, in order to avoid saw dust and paint fumes from being trapped in the house, but make sure it will fit through the door when completed. If it has to be built inside, use a drop-cloth and keep the windows open to minimize saw dust and paint fumes from collecting inside. When the project is complete, thoroughly vacuum and dust the house and leave the windows open until all the fumes are filtered out.

The stage can be constructed using two-by-six-inch pieces of lumber nailed together to create a platform. Once the construction of the stage is complete, the wood must be sanded. Since the stage is not that big, it can be easily sanded by hand, or to facilitate the process it can be done using a powered sander. If you don't own a sander, they can be rented from home improvement warehouses such as Home Depot or Lowe's. To make the stage look authentic, it should be painted or stained a dark color. A typical stage is painted black or stained with a dark finish such as mahogany or chestnut. A gallon of flat-finish paint or stain would be more than enough to cover the entire area.

Once the stage is finished and set in place, a curtain must be hung to complete the look. Closet rods generally measure approximately 18-feet in length and can be cut to size. Attach the supports to either side of the room over the stage, and hang a dark-colored drape on the rod.

Once the stage is complete, the kids are free to escape into a world of imagination, write plays, make costumes and create backdrops for their performances. If your children enjoy participating in school plays or if they ham it up in front of company, creating a stage at home is the perfect way to give them endless possibilities. If your child belongs to the drama club, having a stage in the family room can give them the opportunity to rehearse the script at home and practice their role. Or if your child is the type who loves to act but is too shy to do it in front of an audience, this will give them a chance to come out of their shell. Your child can do what they loves without being intimidated by a large.

All in all, your kids will have something to keep them occupied on rainy days. They will be free to write plays about any subject. Once the play is written or if they decide to reenact an existing one, costumes have to be made, as well as props and backdrops for each scene. Children can easily lose themselves in a world where their imagination is allowed to run wild. You'll get the peace and quiet you deserve knowing you have given them something fun to do. And once they are ready to put on their show, it makes for a unique way to spend some quality family time.