Stage Designs

Abraham’s Tent

Angela Yee from University Covenant Church in Davis, California brings us this scenic element for their sermon series called “The Abraham Epic”.

They decided to create a “tent” on the stage—a tent that looked like it belonged to a wealthy man.

They found some reasonable prices on fabrics and picked three different colors.

First they put supports up, using various poles and rods they found around the church in addition to pipe and drape supports. Then they tied string across the top and threw the fabric over the top. They pinned the fabric to the carpet to so the fabric would stretch out further. Then they used griff clips along the back of the fabric to raise the roof, and the ropes were tied to the booms that were fastened to the ceiling.

For the palm tree, they used cardboard. They scored it so it would become round, then crinkled up kraft paper and glued it to the trunk. They put the trunk on some supports (upside-down storage boxes with paper taped over the top) and painted in the grooves to add texture to the trunk.

They got some fake palm trees from IKEA. (In the end they used three.) Lovely, lush palm trees, soon to be dismembered. They hacked off some of the leaves. Using green floral tape, they taped some leaves together to make a long leaf. and attached that to the top of the trunk.

They dressed the set with various items to add some authenticity and make it look a bit more functional.

Finally they added some lighting—dim in areas they wanted to hide because they weren’t as happy with those bits.

Abrahams Tent Stage Design Idea 1

Abrahams Tent Stage Design Idea 2

Abrahams Tent Stage Design Idea 3

Abrahams Tent Stage Design Idea 4

Abrahams Tent Stage Design Idea 6

Colorful Christmas Light Towers Plus Lights

4 responses to “Abraham’s Tent”

  1. I like how everything was accounted for! Question: How was the actual tent constructed, it looks complicated with all the tent arches. Can people go inside the tent?

  2. Angela Yee says:

    The details for construction are on my blog: http://angelayee.com/2013/11/24/abrahams-tent.

    Nope, people can’t go inside, due to the horizontal braces that support the poles. I think the question of whether people could go inside was the most popular question we were asked! :-)

  3. Gary Smith says:

    Great job! Looks awesome, i wish you had some inside pictures of the tent to show how the bracing went.

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