# A Pit of Dirt



## BFPele18 (Sep 18, 2007)

I just had a meeting with a director for an upcoming show and he wants a pit of dirt on the stage. Real dirt. Then he wants it to rain. Real water plus real dirt equal Mud. I am not looking forward to that clean up. 

However my concern comes from the dirt. I want to make sure that the dirt won't make actors or audience members sick. I once worked on a show with dirt and 3 actors and a technician got respitory complications. 

Any suggestion on what kind of dirt I should look for?


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## Footer (Sep 18, 2007)

Don't use dirt, used cut up tires. Its the same stuff they make running track out of, and it looks extremly close to dirt onstage if you get a few different colors and blend it. Unless you really want the mud thing, if so... stay with the dirt... How you will revert from the mud state to the dirt state overnight I really do not want to know.


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## gafftaper (Sep 18, 2007)

Definitely like the idea of something other than real dirt. Although for the back of your mind you can get makeup grade dirt from Ben Nye (I think) which is very safe to use... it's too expensive to make a dirt pit out of but great for making sets, clothes, props, or people dirty.


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## Footer (Sep 18, 2007)

gafftaper said:


> Definitely like the idea of something other than real dirt. Although for the back of your mind you can get makeup grade dirt from Ben Nye (I think) which is very safe to use... it's too expensive to make a dirt pit out of but great for making sets, clothes, props, or people dirty.



That would be a lot of little bottles.... I think that would use all the ben nye product for the year. Would be a fun phone call to make however.


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## gafftaper (Sep 19, 2007)

Footer4321 said:


> That would be a lot of little bottles.... I think that would use all the ben nye product for the year. Would be a fun phone call to make however.



I think it comes in gallon size jugs, but they will cost you... "Sorry, I didn't have any money left for the set or royalties, but I've got a lot of *really *nice dirt!"


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## avkid (Sep 19, 2007)

Ground up Oreo cookies and chocolate pudding.


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## gafftaper (Sep 19, 2007)

avkid said:


> Ground up Oreo cookies and chocolate pudding.



Dude you'd have people lined up to try to eat the set. 


Which reminds me I did Flowers for Algernon and one of the scenes takes place in a donut shop. I had this really nice glass display case for the donuts to be in, but I didn't want to have to buy donuts over and over for the week long run. So I got four dozen donuts and a can of shellac. I gather the entire crew together and made them watch me spray two boxes. I gathered the entire cast together and made them watch me spray the other two boxes. When the show was done, there was one bite missing from one donut.


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## avkid (Sep 19, 2007)

gafftaper said:


> Dude you'd have people lined up to try to eat the set.


Not after the first day, when the pudding starts molding.


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## gafftaper (Sep 19, 2007)

avkid said:


> Not after the first day, when the pudding starts molding.



But we want brown dirt, not greenish-bluish mold colored dirt


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## avkid (Sep 19, 2007)

gafftaper said:


> But we want brown dirt, not greenish-bluish mold colored dirt


You could use that kind doesn't need to be refrigerated.


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## Van (Sep 20, 2007)

gafftaper said:


> I think it comes in gallon size jugs, but they will cost you... "Sorry, I didn't have any money left for the set or royalties, but I've got a lot of *really *nice dirt!"


 
Years ago, when doing "The Trails of Tears." We used to get Ben Nyes Texas Dirt in 55 gallon drums, as most of the cast was caucasion.


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## gafftaper (Sep 20, 2007)

Ouch I bet that was expensive Van.


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## Van (Sep 20, 2007)

gafftaper said:


> Ouch I bet that was expensive Van.


 
Not as expensive as it was gross. They had to put Lysol in it to keep it from molding in the Oklahoma summer heat and humidity.


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## punktech (Oct 22, 2007)

my two words of sympathay/empathy: The Tempest--the director for it wants us to cover (yes, COVER) the entire stage in at least 6 inches of sand...i DO NOT want to be the one to clean that up...


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## jwl868 (Oct 22, 2007)

6 inches of sand! Assuming that you have a typical stage (30 feet wide and 20 feet deep) - that's about 10 tons of sand.

Hope you can get a Bobcat onstage....


Joe


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## gafftaper (Oct 23, 2007)

I read an old article about a portable sand dune set. If I remember right they carved foam to shape the dunes and be support underneath, then covered it with fiberglass and painted the fiberglass with sand mixed in the paint. It's probably a little more expensive than the real thing but hey it's much easier to clean up. I can try to find the article if you are interested.


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## Traitor800 (Oct 23, 2007)

The theater that I worked at last summer did a show with the entire stage covered in sand 2 summers ago, what they did was build a giant sandbox and line the bottom with a sand colored carpet,and then throw a couple of inches of sand on top, ive seen seen some pictures and it worked.


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## punktech (Oct 25, 2007)

we have a big arsed stage. it's larger than average. also everyon kindly go see me rantings that i shall be posting in a few minutes, i just find my new story comical...Tempest keeps getting even more fun XD


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