Jasper County Community Theater presents: Once Upon a Porch

Coming in just under the wire is my entry into the 2022 Creatin’ Contest by miniatures.com. It’s named Jasper County Community Theater presents: Once Upon a Porch.
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Prologue (Narrator)

My grandma loved animals. She would donate to animal charities and volunteer at shelters. My grandpa, however, could not abide an animal in the house. Shortly after he passed, my grandma took in a stray dog she named Erasmus. He was a scruffy border terrier in desperate need of a bath. She believed that grandpa had sent her the dog he would never allow in the house while he was living. And, it really did seem that way in how Erasmus eased her grief.

One day, Erasmus ran away. I asked my grandma if she wanted me to help her look for him, put up flyers around town, see where he might’ve gone. She said he wasn’t her dog, that he belonged to the light and went where he was needed the most. I asked her, “But aren’t you sad, Grandma?”

She smiled softly, looked off into the distance and said, “Not as sad as the next person he’s gone to help.”
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It’s opening night!

I love the dramatic lighting. It actually turned out so much better than I thought it would.

Gus is ready for his closeup!

When I first saw the Welcome All Porch, I always intended to just build it as a porch. Of all the houses I’ve built, none has a good porch for photographing my mini outdoor furniture for sale, so this would end up being a business prop. I figured I would just take some pretty pictures to turn in for the contest and not think much about it.

Then I began mulling over how I could set it up for photos, and it hit me: theater set design. Thus, the idea was born.

The main thing I would need? Stage lights! Luckily, there are creative people out there turning real life items into 3D printed miniatures. In my build, I used a stage truss by airbusa380 to hold the stage lights by Depronized and additions by caprinus. A huge thank you to my dear friend Debora and her husband for all the efforts in making these 3D parts a reality for my build.

In the end, I had to rig the lights up however it would work because I ran short on time. Luckily, it’s dark in the theater so no one can see the code violations. haaaaaa!

I found a Kikkerland light box keychain online. Though it does light up, the on/off switch doesn’t work, so I just keep the battery out and use it as a prop.

The porch footprint was larger than I expected, but it gave me more space to play and ended up working well for my idea. I cut down the pitch of the roof board, removed about an inch or so from the height and added a ceiling. I also flipped the back wall to have the windows closer to the door.

I used 3/8″ clapboard siding and egg carton brick for the foundation. The lattice was cut from a 24″ laser cut strip by Alessio Miniatures. I added two small side walls to give the illusion of a full structure. The roof is covered with vintage What’s Next asphalt shingles, and the porch post is vintage Miniature House.

The landscaping around the porch is Woodland Scenics fine ballast in brown topped with mulch from A Little More in Miniatures, Squeeze-me shrubbery from Model Builders Supply, brick edging by Andi Mini Brick & Stone, and Wild Grass in Dark Green by Heki from Scenic Express (they call it Summer Green TurfGrass on their website). The brick walkway is egg carton.

The privacy fence was made using the leftover bit of lattice, scrap wood and craft sticks. The squirrel hopping along the top was made by JMDS.

I’ve detailed the doghouse build in previous posts (one and two); it was made using a Robin Betterley kit: Miss Lydia Pickett and her dog house. I ended up making a brown paw print pillow for the interior and added a Frisbee and dog bone.

I used bamboo sticks to finish the ceiling and floor, omitting any boards where the bamboo nodes (knots) would be visible. This material is less expensive than strip wood and creates a lovely finish once stained and sealed. After some trial and error, and paint washes, I ended up with a whitewash natural ceiling and a grey wash natural floor.

I made a screen door similar to the one from Ivy Hollow, but this one is all glued shut. You can still see the spring chain hanging on the inside, though. :]

The windows are enhanced with laser cut inserts from Laser Creations as well as screens made to fit the lower portion. Striped white fabric panels serve as shades to give the illusion of an interior room.

In reality, backstage is pretty basic. :D  All the lighting was done using LEDs from Evan Designs. The porch light housings are vintage Hobby Craft. I later added a shallow box behind the windows to keep the light from creeping up behind the set.

On stage is a vintage swing, J Curdie braided rug, roses by Art of Mini, broom by Wright Guide, lion planter by Dollhouse Smithery, and a wipe your paws doormat from miniatures.com. I can’t recall where the dog bowl with kibble came from. The frog is by Spencer’s Nook, and the vintage birdhouse from Lolly’s Dollhouses is planted in a rustic wash pot.

The beautiful mini Pride and Prejudice book was a gift from The Half of It.

The seating and concessions table were made from Hasegawa meeting room kits. They come molded in color and have quick snap together assembly, but I chose to paint mine.

The frames are bronze metallic, and the seat parts are multiple layers of primer and paint buffed to a vinyl finish.

Our community theater is on a tight budget. Perhaps these were donated by a local business. Either way, a seat is waiting for you.

The concessions table had always been planned, but it was the last thing completed due to limited time.

The cotton candy is from miniatures.com (I added the plastic wrap), the bottled water is by Alma, the baskets are from M for Miniatures, the soda cans are basic miniatures, and the napkin holder is by Wright Guide. I made the candy using wrappers from Genies Mini House Shop. I can’t recall where the juice came from.

The popcorn containers are made from a laser cut print by Laser Creations, with popcorn made from beads, styrofoam and chalk pastels.

The water cooler and trash can are vintage miniatures found on eBay. I made the stool from a pattern in the book Finishing Touches by Jane Harrop.

The playbills were designed using part of a template in Word. There’s nothing on the inside, but the prologue is printed on the back.

The part of Erasmus is played by darling Gus, who was made by Michal Gvir. I wanted a border terrier that was a little rough around the edges, an independent soul who searched for a home and found one. He just hasn’t been to the barber yet. Oh, the stories he could tell!

And, the community theater is named after my own rascal, Jasper. :D Yes, the theater is a shipping box painted black, then lined with poster board and pleated velvet curtains. All smoke and mirrors…like any great stage play.

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Thank you to the folks at miniatures.com for hosting this annual contest. It’s always so much fun to see what ideas are brought to life. Thank you to my friends and family for the encouragement and support. I’m looking forward to the next big (mini) thing! :D