The Heist was a theatrical escape room originating from students in the theatre program. This escape room involved multiple areas with actors, puzzles, and effects. I was a carpenter for this production which involved both working in the shop fabricating scenery but also loading this experience in as well. The event was hosted in our studio black box, and all scenery had fit through our elevator during transportation to it from three floors below.
The ribs of the door were made from foam pool noodles and a challenge with this door was the shear size and shape. Making sure that the wall upon which the door was hung was square, and that the door would close properly was a significant focus of the load-in process.
Installing this production during covid was difficult because of the close proximity we all were to each other and the physical aspects of the job. Through close monitoring and cleaning, we were able to create a safe interactive experience during a time where we had very little.
A majority of the scenery consisted of Hollywood flats and steel jacks. The left side features a few soft covered flats where lighting effects were used this empty area proved useful for placing automation equipment and operators.
The large swinging vault door had magnets and puzzles integrated into it to create the most challenging and complex puzzle we could. Managing data, pneumatics, and electricity through these walls and into the door was carefully completed to ensure consistency in the puzzle each night.