Seeking portable booth

[subsy]

Hi folks,
Having now sold the booth that was too cumbersome to take on public transport, I'm looking for one that goes down small enough to take on the bus, train or tube.If anyone has one or knows of one for sale at a sensible price, I'd be thrilled to get one!
Thanks,
Mike

[Chris]

You are asking for something very specialised. I'm sure there are people who would make you one, but it all depends on what you consider a sensible price.

Are you planning to travel alone on bus, train or tube? If so nothing commercially available is going to suit. A standard George Blake style booth folds into a good sized golf bag. But then you've got a case of puppets and an amplifier and speaker to carry. It becomes worse if you do magic or similar along with your Punch.

Geoff Felix is the only chap I know who has really cracked the one-man public transport Punch, but his fit-up is unique, made by himself and developed with great ingenuity. Details are on this website.

[subsy]

Thanks, Chris - I'll have a root around the site.

[Chris]

If you are coming to the May Fayre then you can ask Geoff to show it to you. I'm sure he would be helpful.

[subsy]

Thanks Chris,I will be there soaking up the atmosphere. If it's not too cheeky, I'll ask Geoff Felix if I can have a look. The page and photos in Punch Papers give a good feel for it. I just saw another one on e-bay but it's huge even when packed but rather lovely.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Professional- ... 2c9a25aae6

[Richard Coombs]

Hello Mike.

Of course everything is subjective but I think that Booth is hideous.
Apologies to the person who designed and built it because it's obviously a personal labour of love.

You say you're looking for a portable booth so why even consider something as cumbersome as that ??
It actually makes my booths look small and lightweight–and I make no apologies for the fact that mine are very far from being portable on the underground.
But then mine don't have to be as I work out of a large van.

Decide what you want and then go for it.
Don't get sidetracked even if you see a genuinely pretty booth–which again I don't think this one is–

If you see another booth that IS pretty , but still not portable..... then however nice it looks it won't fulfil your needs and be practical for you.

If you truly do want portable, then Chris has already been given splendid advice, seek out Geoff Felix and if he is gracious enough to let you, have a good look at his setup.

That, or something like it, is your only chance of having a fit up that is truly carryable by one person on the underground.

But unless you are as dedicated as Geoff with the design and size of every last single part of it, You will never achieve a fit up as economic with weight / size / packing as his is.

Also that plywood monstrosity on eBay is very tall and definitely a hands above head theatre.
Do you work that way?

If you are hands in front of face then again this is not the booth for you.

Know what you want.
Stick with a plan.
Don't be sidetracked.

Best of luck

Richard

[James]

Having travelled into town with the show by public transport a couple of times I can say that a lightweight booth is a must, but isn't the end of the matter at all. Everything needs to be thought about, puppets, props, amplification etc. It also means that at the end of a busy day and performing three shows you have a tiring journey ahead of you.

It is possible, but it's not an easy task.

Here's some more info on Geoff's booth. Everything has been carefully designed, even the hollow playboard helps save space and acts as a packing area for the cross pieces.

http://punchandjudy.com/images/felixbooth/index.htm

[Chris]

Actually I rather agree with Richard about that monstrosity of a booth. In fact I started a reply to that end, but then scrapped it in deference to the fact that you thought it "rather lovely", the first time I've heard the term applied to a Punch booth.
But it really is quite unnecessarilly complicated. In many ways the essence of Punch & Judy is glove puppetry stripped to its essentials.

And James is quite right, the lightweight booth is nowhere near the end of the matter. It is possible has Geoff has shown, but not, I would suggest, without having some constructional ability. I'm pretty sure you won't find what you want advertised on Ebay.

[subsy]

Tongue in cheek really doesn't work well on-line, does it? Unsurprisingly, the odd booth failed to sell.

[lesclarke]

Tongue-in-cheek can work well online, but obviously requires a bit of thought.

Some contributors don't seem to bother overmuch with the 'thought' bit when posting, resulting in foot-in-mouth and even talking-through-their-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Back on topic, the best way to get exactly what you want is to make it yourself, or design it and use the making skills of others. Starting point is size, what is the usable minimum width, depth and height that would suit the situation and your way of working? Then, don't try and re-invent the wheel, a light timber or alloy, or mixed lazy-tong frame and fabric cover is the proven way to go.

Then very careful attention to weight-saving on every component will make it portable.
Alternately have you thought of a body-building course?

[Chris]

Well tongue in cheek only works if it really is tongue in cheek.
There's nothing in your posting to suggest that yours was:

Thanks Chris,I will be there soaking up the atmosphere. If it's not too cheeky, I'll ask Geoff Felix if I can have a look. The page and photos in Punch Papers give a good feel for it. I just saw another one on e-bay but it's huge even when packed but rather lovely.

By the way, as well as the details of Geoff Felix's superb portability solution, have you also looked at the booth on wheels designed by Chris Van Der Craat and Tom Kemp's lightweight booth.
http://www.punchandjudy.com/tips.htm