Building a 5’3” Whiteclaw and Truly Tower
A behind-the-scenes look into my process as the props designer for The Amethyst and The Peridot, where I built a Whiteclaw and Truly tower that was as tall as me!
My Amethyst process began in late August 2024 when a friend of mine (who was also one of the scenic designers), encouraged me to reach out to the production stage manager and inquire about props. One thing led to another, and I was officially confirmed to be making my lead and props design debut with the show. Rehearsals didn’t begin until late October so until then, I was splitting my time into two: working on another show as a production assistant, while simultaneously preparing for Amethyst where I created and updated the props list, reread the script numerous times, conferred with the scenic team on their design, and actively was developing a strategy on how this tower will be built. Admittedly, the tower design was occupying my every waking thought. How was I to obtain the cans? Will I have enough? How many cans would I even need? How should it be structured? Will it be tall enough? With the courtesy of Halloween parties and donations from friends, I finally had my cans in possession. In total, I had around seventy cans to work with, and this was my main task to focus on once we entered load-in. I was the only props person so I created a day-by-day schedule for me to follow, and I gave myself more time than needed to construct this tower.
Day One of Load-In
Our first day of load-in saw a buzz of energy as everyone was eager to get to work. My objective for day one was to build the bottom section. The tower was to be in three, stackable sections: a bottom, a middle, and a few cans that would sit on top to then be knocked down. I spent the first hour or so figuring out how many cans should be on the bottom, and then measuring the cardboard to later cut.
Here’s what I needed to ensure this tower had:
A triangle-like formation
The cans hot-glued to the cardboard (and if needed, to each other for extra security)
Cardboard layers in between
Black tape lining the edges of the cardboard
Cardboard pieces to gradually be cut smaller than each other
Had to be 5’3” tall*
*noted in the script that the tower is taller than Peridot, played by Amanda Sofia Rodriguez who is the same height as me, 5’3”!*
all cans were also first cleaned and then counted!
The Bottom layer
My first order of business. Here, I was playing around with how many cans I should have on each side. Once I figured that out, I then measured my cardboard and cut it accordingly.
The tower is being brought to life! Notice the black tape and why it was necessary: if I didn’t tape the edges of the cardboard, the brown would have protruded, would have been noticeable, and would have taken away from the tower altogether. The black tape allowed for a more seamless look, and helped with the illusion that there are more cans than you may think there are!
Because I had a limited number of cans, this tower was not going to be built in the traditional way of simply stacking them on top of each other. The difference? The core of the tower was empty. It followed a triangular structure but emphasized a V-like formation on two sides of the section. For each layer I hot-glued a few cans in the center for stability, and the back of the tower (that the audience would not see) also had a reduced number of cans. However, as the tower grew and my can count was diminishing, I cut small cardboard pieces that would serve as replacement cans for stability. At the end of day one, my bottom section was complete. And I was ahead of schedule.
DAY TWO OF LOAD-IN
My objective for our second day was to finish the middle section. I knew what to do and my approach was working, and above all else, the cans were secured to the cardboard. The middle section would be stacked on top of the bottom, and so as I continued gluing the cans to the cardboard, I also had to start reducing how many cans there were in the layers so the tower could start gaining height.
Can Count!
bottom → top
Bottom: seven, six, five
Middle: four, four, three, three
Top (to be stacked): two, one, one
*the number of cans on one side*
cans galore
I ended up finishing the tower. I had one can to spare. And the tower was, indeed, 5’3” tall. Once performances were underway, my main job was to ensure that none of the cans were loose and to resecure them with hot glue, if necessary. The tower did go through a few alterations over the coming weeks, the top section ended up being changed so that only two cans were stacked instead of five, so the top and middle sections ended up joining together. The bottom section was also secured to a small circular table where the remaining section would then be stacked on top of it. The change made it easier for Peridot to build the tower during a scene, and given that one of the set pieces (Peridot’s bed) moved positions, the table helped to ensure the tower was not obstructed so it could be seen in all its glory.
FINAL FORM
Updated Can Count!
Bottom: seven, six, five
Middle: four, four, three, three, three
To be stacked: two
The Amethyst and The Peridot played performances from December 4th to December 6th in the Kehoe Theatre at Fordham University.