Building the Chicken Ranch
Four weeks to go and, as rehearsals for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas shift up a gear, there is frantic activity behind the scenes as well. Alf Buchan and his team are hard at work on the scenery for the show.
![[wooden skeleton of Whorehouse set, mid-construction]](/2001/whorehouse/011007-008.jpg)
The picture shows the framework of the set nearing completion and gives you an idea of the sheer scale of the construction. It's like building a house... indoors! Two stories high, and over 30 feet (9m) long, it incorporates two huge sections on wheels—the upper floor of one of these can be seen towards the top right hand corner of the picture. These sections will revolve in view of the audience to provide the settings for the Sheriff's office and the Café.
After the frame is complete, it will be covered with plywood, then painted. Finishing touches like wall lights, wiring and fans will be added, then the whole set has to be dismantled for transport to the King's Theatre and re-assembly on the stage—in under four hours!
Alf tells us that installing hot and cold running water wouldn't be a problem....!