Curtain raiser

Fancy an evening at the theatre? Create your own using a cardboard box and Resene paints.

Curtain raiser - instruction sheet

Resene kids art with Mark Rayner - Project 16

Difficulty level: Challenging

You will need: Brown parcel tape, Cardboard box, Paintbrushes, Pasta shells, Piece of cloth, Pieces of wooden skewer, PVA glue, Resene Art Action Metallic Bullion, Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene All Black, Resene Quick Dry Primer Undercoat, Resene testpot of Resene Fudge, Scissors, Small length of bamboo

Top tip: Don’t be tempted to stand the theatre the right way up until the PVA has dried - otherwise the pasta shells will fall off!

Here's another idea: Create your own stage sets from cardboard and use cardboard dress up dolls as your actors.

Curtain raiser

Another idea: Stage sets

Step one
Using the scissors, remove the top flaps of the box and cut an arch in one side and two rectangles, as shown. Neaten up any cut edges and joins in the box with brown parcel tape.

Step two
Turn the box on its back and apply a generous layer of PVA around the arch. Create a raised decorative pattern by arranging the pasta shells and pieces of wooden skewer, as shown. Leave to dry overnight.

Step three
Apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry Acrylic Primer Undercoat to the inside and out of the box. Allow to dry

Step four
Paint the inside and outside walls with two coats of Resene All Black. Allow to dry

Step five
Paint the bottom of the box (the stage) with two coats of Resene Fudge and the front of the arch with two coats of Resene Art Action Bullion. Allow to dry.

Step six
Cut a piece of cloth slightly bigger than the arch and glue it to a length of bamboo, as shown. Once dry, hang the curtain behind the arch and get play acting!