Tulsa Ballet’s Cinderella: Custom Theatrical Scenery Fabrication

August 20, 2026 ACADEMIC SITES

CLIENT: Tulsa Ballet
ARTISTIC DIREDTOR: Marcello Angelini
SCENIC AND COSTUME DESIGNER: Jérôme Kaplan
CHOREOGRAOHER: Andrew McNicol
VENUE: Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Tulsa, OK
YEAR: 2023, 2027

Custom Scenic Fabrication for Tulsa Ballet’s Cinderella

World Premiere: February 9, 2023
2023 Performances: February 9–12, 2023
2027 Performances: February 18–21, 2027

From the Tulsa Ballet website:

After years of hardship under her cruel stepmother’s rule, Cinderella’s world transforms when a chance meeting in the forest sparks an unshakable connection with a young man who is more than he seems.

With the help of her Fairy Godmother and the enchantment of the seasons, she is whisked from the ashes of servitude to the splendor of the royal ball, where destiny awaits. Filled with humor, elegance, and wonder, Tulsa Ballet’s Cinderella celebrates love’s power to transcend circumstance and make dreams come true.

The Ballet Herald celebrated the production, noting that the stage becomes a life-sized storybook, bringing familiar childhood moments to life in new and exciting ways.

Sturdy scenery built to last. Will be used again in 2027.

Custom Palace Scenery and Architectural Set Fabrication

CNC Fabrication of a 64-Foot Palace Balustrade

Palace Balustrade

An elegant terrace wall located upstage and accessed through doors in the center of the Palace Windows. 64′ wide, painted to look like marble.

The dimensional sections were carved by our KUKA milling robot, sliced in half with a hot wire using a template created by our technicians to ensure each piece was accurately cut in half, and positioned on the frame with the dimensional side facing the audience.

Fabricating Flyable Palace Windows

Palace Windows:

5-palace windows, 20′-3″ tall, 6′-4″ wide framed in aluminum, rigged to fly. The center window included doors. Hardware and door handles designed and fabricated by Scenic Solutions. Shipped to the client with detailed install instructions using photos and diagrams for future use.

Custom Flyable Palace Chandeliers

Palace Chandeliers

To save on space, weight, and to fit in the fly space, the frames for the chandeliers were oval-shaped, giving the illusion of a full, circular chandelier facing the audience, and a flat surface in back to accommodate flying them in and out.

Decorated using strings of painted Styrofoam balls. Total number of Styrofoam balls used, 5,653 of various sizes. Shipped to the client with detailed install instructions using photos and diagrams for future use.

Assembled theatrical balustrade railing laid out in a scenic fabrication workshop for Tulsa Ballet.

Scenic artist hand-painting decorative balustrade columns for a custom Tulsa Ballet theatrical set.

Custom white balustrade columns and decorative railing components being fabricated for a Tulsa Ballet stage production.

Scenic fabrication team assembling and painting decorative bead strands for Tulsa Ballet's custom stage chandeliers.

Close-up of foam bead strands and suspension cables used to construct a custom theatrical chandelier for Tulsa Ballet.

Custom chandelier frames and hanging bead strands being assembled for a Tulsa Ballet stage production.

Large custom chandelier made from cream and yellow decorative beads, suspended in a theatrical scenery workshop.

Large arched window and door panels suspended in a scenic fabrication workshop for a Tulsa Ballet stage production.

Two tall yellow arched window wall set pieces with glass-paneled double doors suspended from overhead rigging inside a theatrical fabrication workshop for Tulsa Ballet.

Scenic fabrication team painting and finishing custom picture frames for a theatrical gallery wall set.

Large collection of classical portrait and landscape artwork panels being assembled for a Tulsa Ballet stage backdrop.

Completed theatrical gallery wall featuring an arrangement of classical paintings and portraits in a scenic workshop.

Scenic workers positioning large classical artwork panels for a custom theatrical portrait gallery wall.

Close-up of a theatrical stove prop featuring simulated glowing flames and decorative logs inside the firebox.

Custom black wood-burning stove prop with a cylindrical chimney, constructed for a Tulsa Ballet theatrical production.

Full view of tall custom theatrical double doors with decorative wood paneling and a distressed painted finish.

Close-up of custom double doors featuring distressed wood finishes and decorative molding for a theatrical stage set.

Custom yellow double-door window panels with glass panes and decorative trim laid out during scenic construction.

Close-up of decorative metal door handles on distressed yellow double doors with glass panels, created for a Tulsa Ballet theatrical stage set.

Close-up of vertical metal locking hardware on yellow glass-paneled double doors for a Tulsa Ballet theatrical window wall set.

Custom Scenic Painting Wall and Interior Set Pieces

Fabricating the Home Paintings Wall

Home Paintings Wall

The designer provided concept guidelines for paintings, frames, and placement, a Scenic Solutions technician chose which paintings and frames to use and their arrangement on the “wall.” The paintings are printed on wallpaper canvas then glued on wood.

The frames are designed to make every frame different by using built-up, intricate molding from layered “basic” moldings. The 1”x1” steel square tube framing that supports the pictures is welded and bolted together in 7 sections for ease of installation and storage. Each section holds 1 to 5 pictures and weighs from 70 to 200 pounds. When assembled it’s 7′ tall, 8′-10″ wide. Shipped to the client with detailed install instructions using photos and diagrams for future use.

Movable Scenic Door Construction

Home Door

The Home Door is mounted on a castered platform to make set changes easier. The door is in 2 horizontal pieces, each piece 10′-5″ tall, 2′-7″ wide and sits in a door frame that’s 7′ wide by 11′-4″ tall.

Theatrical Prop Refurbishment

Wood Stove

The client had an existing wood stove that was sent to us for refurbishment and interior “fire” creation.

Custom Ballet Scenery Built for Future Performances

Sturdy scenery built to last. Will be used again in 2027.

The palace windows, chandeliers, and home paintings wall were shipped to the client with detailed installation instructions using photos and diagrams for future use.

Tulsa Ballet dancers performing beneath decorative chandeliers in front of a grand arched window wall stage set.

Ballet performers onstage surrounded by a scenic gallery wall featuring framed classical paintings and theatrical scenery.

Custom Theatrical Scenery and Ballet Set Fabrication by Scenic Solutions

From large-scale architectural scenery and CNC-fabricated details to flyable set pieces and custom theatrical props, Scenic Solutions builds scenery that brings creative visions to life while meeting the practical demands of live performance.

Contact Scenic Solutions to discuss custom scenery fabrication for your next ballet, theatrical production, or performing arts project.

Tulsa Ballet's Cinderella: Custom Theatrical Scenery Fabrication