I made a folding stage during the Spring 2024 semester as a component of my final project for a props-making class. It served as a compilation of many of the skills I learned through the semester, including woodworking, metalworking, and welding.
This project was based on Dog Act by Liz Duffy Adams, in which the main characters work as a traveling entertainment group, complete with their own stage. Thus, I created a 6’x12′ stage that folds up to 3’x6′.
Aside from refining my practical skills, the main lesson I learned from this project was the importance of tolerance. The underside of the stage has legs welded to the inside face of the structural beams, which originally prevented the stage from fully folding. To remedy this, I cut a bit off from the outwards-facing section of the legs, which allowed the stage to fold as was intended
Sydney L. Merrill 