Enchanted Laboratory of Nostramos the Magnificent

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One question though I've always wondered about - were you actually stuck in that thing?  Like, could you pull your hands out?
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Yes and no.  I was one of the larger assistants I've seen in the stocks, and Northrup seemed particularly worried about me getting pinched as the stocks were secured.  So I'm confident that my wrists and neck filled the holes pretty well, and I couldn't have taken my head or hands out even if I wanted to.

But I'm sure there must have been plenty of assistants over the years who were just "playing along," keeping their hands in place because that was the thing to do.  It's amazing what stage fright + staring at the floor will do to a volunteer :D
 
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Greetings all!

Just received a pair of great photos of the Laboratory concept model, courtesy of one of its sculptors, Terri Cardinali.  Enjoy!

enchanted-lab-model.jpeg


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I've also had the pleasure of interviewing writer/director Rich Hoag, and well as associate producer Ted King.  Lots of great anecdotes and quotes that I'm still working on adding to the site, but the History page is really coming together nicely thanks to their efforts: http://enchantedlaboratory.com/history

Thanks to all of you for your cheerleading and support!  Happy weekend :)
 
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That's amazing! You can really see how much of the stage was reused for Secrets of Castle O'Sullivan. Almost the entire downstage left and downstage right sides remain almost the same with a few minor changes. For example, on the stage left side they replaced the demon head over the arch with a Celtic cross. I believe they even kept the original chandelier for a while. At least it was in the concept art. The only major change is the upstage area which became the hearth and the portal.

I wonder if anyone ever took photos of construction for either of the shows. It was interesting to read about how they had to dig out a basement, and I would love to know the scope of that. You can already see that there is a huge elevation change from the back of the theater to the front by looking at the height of the staircase which leads to the back of the theater.
 
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Do you know, or have a guess about the scale of that mockup? I have been trying to find the approximate stage dimensions. In most places that sculpture is close enough to the real thing that you might think they just used a reverse shrink ray for the final product.
 
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CastleOSullivan said:
Do you know, or have a guess about the scale of that mockup? I have been trying to find the approximate stage dimensions.
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Afraid not, and since my source only has the photos and not the model, I know she doesn't have specific figures.

My guess, based on the detail and ability to hand sculpt, is that the model is approximately 3-4 feet wide.

In Photoshop, it looks like the stage apron (i.e., not including side alcoves) is about 6 Northrups wide.  So if we assume Northrup was supposed to be about 6 feet tall, that'd put the stage at around 36 feet.

Since my last graphical posts in June, I've added a bunch of great interviews to my site, including project manager George Wade, special effects designer Robert DeLapp, art director Joe DeMeis, and even the big cheese himself, Gary Goddard.

Does anyone know any former Northrups?  I've tracked down a few, but would love to speak with some more and get their perspective.  Thanks!
 
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I believe the theater itself is 80 feet long, and 30 feet wide. Since Northrup was usually on the shorter side (required max of 140 lbs.), I think 5 feet tall is more likely. 30 feet sounds about right for the width of the stage. Now I just wonder about upstage/downstage length. I think the height from the deck to the proscenium is 15, but no more than 18 feet above/behind the proscenium.

That length is the standard in most theaters, although no iteration of this stage was meant to accommodate more than 6 people at once. It could fit about 8 people if it was empty, and possibly more without the hearth.

Edit: Looking back at the model of Northrup on the stage, I suppose 6 feet is possible, but maybe that was an oversight?

Altogether, what I have learned from this is that COS would have a hard time being the new AST, especially depending on the space above and below the stage. I know that the underside is spacious enough to handle AST's shows, but I don't know about the loft above. It seems rather small to me.
 
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Did a bit more sleuthing, and found this tool that allows you to look up areas/distances on GoogleMaps.

Based on that, the exterior of the building is about 85 feet long and 67 feet wide (not including the covered preshow area). Would still love to see a plan view on the interior, though :)
 
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Working on a few leads, Taibak. I maintain a fan website dedicated to it, which includes interviews and such, but I also share on here whenever I can.
 
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