I have been doing a great deal of research on the little theatre Marie Antoinette had built near the Trianon, and have become so enamored with it that I plan to try and see it next time I am in Paris. It is not open to the general public, but I will have to find a way to see it.
I have a rough blueprint:
So I know the relative dimensions of the structure, and they are quite unusual. For one thing, the stage area is actually larger than the audience area. The theatre was obviously designed specifically for Marie Antoinette's needs, which were to perform herself with her friends in front of a restricted group of friends(about 100 seats).
The orchestra "pit" is quite substantial, and slightly raised from the main floor. The seating was on plain benches, with a "parterre", a raised area along the curved walls separated with a balustrade , and a balcony wrapping around the oval shaped theatre:
Another very interesting and unusual thing is that unlike most theaters where the sets go up in the rafters to be stored and come down when needed, in this little jewel the sets are stored below the stage, and come up through slits in the stage flooring. This can be clearly seen in the side view, and in that wonderful picture shot from backstage that even shows how the sets are built of linen canvas on wooden frames, and canvas panels hung above:
This shows the same set from another angle, and the double rows of slots in the stage are clearly seen:
There were to sets readily available, reflecting the young queen's taste for a country life, one of a large rustic stone walled kitchen with a fireplace:
and the other of a long alley through a forest with a canopy of trees in early fall:
I also found an image of a set of a contemporary palace suite of rooms:
Having collected all the information and images I could find, I cut them up and straightening them up to build a collection of parts. I actually had to make up the main curtain and the stage floor with slots and trap doors:
Then yesterday, I actually started building a "near replica" in 3D in After Effects:
There is still an awful lot to do, but I can definitely see the possibilities, using a lot of period paper dolls both as actors and musicians on stage and as the audience: looking at the stage for the back of the audience, looking at the audience from the stage, roaming camera moving around, changing sets, etc... The possibilities are endless. In a first stage, the paper dolls would be whole, but if there is time, some could be cut in parts and animated... I am really excited about this sequence.
I have a rough blueprint:
and also colored front and side views:
So I know the relative dimensions of the structure, and they are quite unusual. For one thing, the stage area is actually larger than the audience area. The theatre was obviously designed specifically for Marie Antoinette's needs, which were to perform herself with her friends in front of a restricted group of friends(about 100 seats).
The orchestra "pit" is quite substantial, and slightly raised from the main floor. The seating was on plain benches, with a "parterre", a raised area along the curved walls separated with a balustrade , and a balcony wrapping around the oval shaped theatre:
Another very interesting and unusual thing is that unlike most theaters where the sets go up in the rafters to be stored and come down when needed, in this little jewel the sets are stored below the stage, and come up through slits in the stage flooring. This can be clearly seen in the side view, and in that wonderful picture shot from backstage that even shows how the sets are built of linen canvas on wooden frames, and canvas panels hung above:
This shows the same set from another angle, and the double rows of slots in the stage are clearly seen:
There were to sets readily available, reflecting the young queen's taste for a country life, one of a large rustic stone walled kitchen with a fireplace:
and the other of a long alley through a forest with a canopy of trees in early fall:
I also found an image of a set of a contemporary palace suite of rooms:
Having collected all the information and images I could find, I cut them up and straightening them up to build a collection of parts. I actually had to make up the main curtain and the stage floor with slots and trap doors:
Then yesterday, I actually started building a "near replica" in 3D in After Effects:
There is still an awful lot to do, but I can definitely see the possibilities, using a lot of period paper dolls both as actors and musicians on stage and as the audience: looking at the stage for the back of the audience, looking at the audience from the stage, roaming camera moving around, changing sets, etc... The possibilities are endless. In a first stage, the paper dolls would be whole, but if there is time, some could be cut in parts and animated... I am really excited about this sequence.
