Holes are drilled along the top of it about ¼ inch in diameter, and red paper gummed at the back of them for the footlights. Panels or a pretty design of some kind should be painted on it, or it may have coloured paper pasted on it. This piece of wood is glued to K J E F so that its ends project equally on each side.
Fig. 548
Now cut two pieces of stripwood ½" × ¼" × 16¼" (e b and f d in Fig. 548). Bevel the top ends to hold up cardboard roof e f G H (the measurements for which can be easily found). The roof is secured by a flap glued behind A G H B, the roof is also glued to the tops of the strips eb and fd. These posts are glued to sides of abcd. Before they are glued on, however, they must have holes drilled near their upper ends for pole, N O, to pass through. The curtain must be made of fairly thin stuff glued to pole, N O. It can be pulled up and down by means of pulley wheels attached on each side. (For making pulley see Part I, Chapter XIV.) Pieces of lead can be sewn in the corners to make the curtain run down more easily.
Saw cuts are made across the strips of wood that cover the platform along lines B M and A L. Into these slits the side scenes fit. These side scenes are cut out of cardboard and have drawings and painting on them according to the story that is being acted. They must have slits cut in them (corresponding to the grooves in the platform), the number of slits depending on the number of actors. For example in Fig. 548 side scene H f B M has an open door through which Red Riding Hood can be pushed. She is cut out of either cardboard or wood, and glued to the end of a piece of stripwood, ¼ inch by ¼ inch, by means of which she is pushed from the side along the groove in the stage and so off through the corresponding slit in scene G e L A. (In Fig. 548 the Wolf is looking through this slot.) The window in scene H f B M can be made to open and show the Grandmother inside. The cardboard scene, G H A B, is kept in its place by pieces of wire (h, h, h, h) fastened at the back and bent over.
Almost any story can be acted in this theatre. All the actors are fastened to lengths of stripwood by means of which they are passed in and out. Sometimes two, three or more may be fastened to one length. The number of openings in the side scenes will, of course, depend on the story being acted.
Trees, etc., can also be cut out as described in Chapter XX (Part II), and stood about.
