La Cage Aux Folles
Written by: Harvey Fierstein
Music & Lyrics by: Jerry Herman
Photo by Daniel Rader
A Largely Undocumented Upper Level.
La Cage was a major project for the shop to tackle with lots of steel coming my way. One of my favorites was all the railings I was able to do, welding Sched 40 pipe is very different from normal box tube and it wasn’t all the same type of railing. You can see the silhouette of them in the top half of the photo.
Method: 1.5” Sched 40 Pipe given 1/8” plate steel flanges on pipe ends for attaching to plywood deck and pillars. All 90 degree cuts except a few 45 degree corners.
(Photos of process and complete pieces below.)
Photo by Daniel Rader
The first railing and test of my jig.
View from the other side.
First finished railing stood in front of my pipe supply.
Railing with two 90 corners, photo of it pre-loadin.
Single 90 corner railing, waiting to be transferred to theatre.
Set of 6 identical railings waiting for install.
Steel Frames for Flashy Signage
Made out of mostly 3/4” box tube, this and the Chez Jacqueline Signs were a breath of fresh air from the difficult of the birdcage project detailed below. Here are some photos of the signs, wiring by the electrics team.
Photo by Daniel Rader
Chez Jacqueline Sign Frame
La Cage Sign upside down.
Photo to assist with letter attachment and spacing.
The sign upon carpentry's completion.
Sign in the air.
Section of Chez sign because I'm a SanCHEZ.
The Cage of La Cage!
This was my biggest welding project to date and I was so proud of what I had delivered upon my completion. It was a grueling project that certainly included its fair share of burns and flashes. Despite all of this I’m thankful this was my first big project as Lead Welder because it gave me the confidence to handle every other steel project for the remainder of my time there.
The drafting I initially received for the project, the front view is missing a few parts.
We couldn't bend 1x2 box tube so I started with welding two bent sticks of 1x1 together.
Alternate view of the process.
The second step in the welding process was beginning the build from the bottom.
Finishing the first band on each half.
An end of day process shot.
This was the most difficult step, the curved uprights were very difficult to clamp in place.
Another angle of my next to final step.
The TD then took over to bend into place and tack weld the upper ring and I would finish out all the welds.
The cage traveled in half to the rehearsal room and eventually the stage, receiving various finishing touches along the way.
Directed by Mike Donahue
Choreographer Paul McGill; Musical Director Angela Steiner
Technical Directors Chris Konstantinitis & Vega Hernandez; Scenic Charge Kelly Sherlock; Lead Carpenter Alec Westmoreland; Lead Welder Hailey Sanchez; Carpenters Kayla Meins, Ryan Buckley, and Tyler Hughes