The Crucible - Noose Kabuki Rig

carpenter

This production of the Crucible was produced in a 3/4 thrust black box theatre. The director asked for the nooses that end the play to drop out of the ceiling. In her original design document, she requested the nooses hide amongst the lighting instruments so no one in the audience would see them until the final moment.

Kabuki drop box

The box was constructed to roll and drop it's contents. Within the box, shackle plates were attached and the ropes were tied in to shackles at specified distance to match the stage picture the director wanted.

The Nooses

Each of the nooses were constructed with a quick-release inside. The loop of the noose is actually a single piece of rope, that wedges inside plastic tubing. The "wrapped" rope is a seperate piece that was glued together to simulate the knot. The simulated knot hides the quick-release within the noose itself.

nooses in motion

A rope was wrapped around the kabuki box during preshow. The rope was run off stage and at the cue of the stage manager, a stagehand pulled the rope. The rope rolled the box over. The nooses were laid in the box so they wouldn't tangle, and when the box rolled, the nooses would bounce and swing as they fell.