The Addams Family: A Guide To Creating A Delightfully Macabre Manor On Stage

They're creepy, they're kooky, mysterious, and spooky... step into the darkly whimsical world of The Addams Family. Bring their eccentric gothic manor to life with ornate wallpaper, haunted portraits, quirky sculptures, and eerie moonlit effects. Below, scenic artist Bridgette Dennett shares tips and ideas to help you recreate the Addams Family home on stage using Rosco Scenic Paints and Coatings.

Click the image to explore The Addams Family Design Palettes.

Painting luxurious faux wallpaper

To create The Addams Family, you’re likely going to start in the reds and then add a lot of fun touches. Begin with Rosco’s Off Broadway Deep Red, then play around with adding Off Broadway Purple or Supersaturated Velour Black to create a wide range of shadows.

This may be a great chance for you to explore using a stencil to create a gothic wallpaper. To do this, find a damask pattern that you like, then sponge a darker red on top of your dry base coat.

The amount of contrast matters here - the darker your stencil color is, the more dramatic it will look. You can even play around with an uneven layer of sponging to make the wallpaper look aged and eroded. A little bit of decay will go a long way on this show!

Crafting eerie sculptures

Should you want to explore creating quirky statuary for your manor, the following Rosco Specturm blogs can offer some great techniques to try:

• How I Painted A 3D-Printed Statue With Rosco Scenic Paints & Coatings

• Any Way You Slice It – FoamCoat Is The Best Choice For Coating A Foam Sculpture

Work in progress on The Liberty of Poetry statue, created by scenic designer Tammy Honesty for the Sisters in Liberty exhibit.

Adding a stained glass window

Additionally, this may be a fun time to add a dramatic stained window. If you love a good stained glass window and want to use one in your gothic manor, check out this quick guide to using Rosco Crystal Gel to create faux stained glass: How To Paint Stunning, Realistic Stained Glass.

 Stained glass created by scenic artist Rachel Reynolds for Long Wharf
Theatre's production of Napoli, Brooklyn. 

Creating haunted portrait effects

To create a creepy, haunted picture, check out this article on how to use Crystal Gel and an extra monitor to create pictures that can shift and change: A Modern Haunted Effect With A Vintage Touch.

Haunted portraits created by Mark Hersey, director of technical services at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, for the Fright Walk attraction.

Introducing aged metal accents

To break up all that wallpaper and red, try adding some metallic to your world. The following articles offer advice on how to create different types of aged metal. This can be carried over through armor, picture frames, and ornamental mouldings in your home:

• How To Paint A Faux Steel Effect

• Pro-Tips For Painting Pretty Patinas

A patinated copper window set for Theatre Latte Da’s Oliver! – Set Design: Rick Poleneck.

Adding realistic faux dirt

And the entire world will benefit from looking just a little grungy. Check out this article to help you Create Realistic Faux Dirt That Travels Well & Installs Easily.

Dirt sample close-up created by scenic artist Brigitte Bechtel for Native Gardens at
Arizona Theatre Company.

Creating a spooky moon

Finally, we know you’re looking for a strange and deranged moon to set your stage during "One Normal Night" and "The Moon and Me"! Follow this link to see how scenic artist Tim Parati created an invisible blue moon using Rosco’s Fluorescent Paints!

Scenic Designer Tim Parati used Rosco Invisible Blue Fluorescent Paint to create a glowing moon for a production of Pete The Cat at Children's Theatre of Charlotte.