I AM SELLING A FULLY EQUIPPED TENT THEATRE, READY TO GO OUT ON THE ROAD.

PRICE: $22,000.00

You'll never find a cheaper theatre than this one. If you were to try and put this touring package together yourself it would cost a lot more.


It includes a colorful big top circus tent, portable stage, and touring truck.

(Plus I'll throw in a basic sound system and a few simple lights.)

If I wasn't dealing with health issues I wouldn't be selling this wonderful tent theatre. It's an amazing experience for today's audiences. There is nothing quite like the magic ambiance created by a tent theatre production.

I formed a non-profit tent theatre company in May of 2006 and we toured our first production last summer. It was a huge success with towns in Iowa. The big top tent is very colorful and festive and draws a lot of attention. Audiences loved it! I've used the tent for one summer season. We only set it up about 15 times last year so it’s just like new. There are no rips or punctures anywhere and the colors are still bright and beautiful.

The big top tent measures 52' wide by 76' long with 10' tall walls and two 24' masts (center poles) and can seat about 350 people in addition to the portable wooden stage. We had town sponsors provide the folding chairs. Everything you need to set up the tent is included: 3 top sections, 4 wall panels, 36 sidewall poles, 2- 24’ center masts with wenches, 36-48" stakes for tie points, 10-40” stakes for double staking on wet ground, 36 ratchets & straps to tie tent poles to stakes, 2 stake pullers, 4-20 lb. sledge hammers, measuring tapes, instructional DVD, and fireproof certificate. The big top tent is made from 18 oz. heavy duty long lived vinyl, the best and strongest in the industry. I bought it new from Miami Missionary Tents in Oklahoma. Check out their website for more info about tent materials and construction.

The wenches on the center poles are incredibly helpful; once the top is set you crank up the telescope style center poles and the top goes right up. And the trucker ratchets are great, too. They attach straps from the top of the wall poles to the stake heads and you crank them tight; anybody can do it; no need to tie complicated knots.

We had a machinist repair one of the ring & hooks that connect the top section to one end section and now it's a little harder to connect. That's the only thing that I'd consider slightly bothersome with the tent. Otherwise it's in perfect condition.

The touring truck is a 1999 International diesel 4700 series with dual gas tanks, hydraulic brakes, and a 14' box. It has plenty of hauling power and enough room to store everything, yet, a short enough wheel base to maneuver in tight spaces. Iowa didn't require a special drivers license for this size truck which was great. There is a pull down ramp in the rear which comes in really handy. The body is straight and looks good. The tires still have some good tread left. I’ve put a new starter on it and replaced an electronic unit on the accelerator pedal. For some reason the gauges and speedometer freeze up sometimes. I've never figured out what's up with that. But when we went out on the road last year the truck gave us no trouble at all. The engine doesn't burn any oil and has only 114,700 miles on it. That’s nothing for a tough diesel truck. It's a great work horse with plenty of miles left to go.

The wooden stage is well designed for an outdoor performance. I built it new for the tour last summer. Its 40" high with a roomy center section that is bridged to two side pods that ramp to the ground, plus two trap doors. The platform sections are designed to be clamped together on setup and the whole stage breaks down completely. The leg units fold and the top platforms and ramps store easily. Clamps are included. Your actors or presenters will really like working on it. Lots of fun to play on!

The sound system includes a Gemsound XP550 amplifier (300W per channel @ 8 ohms stereo), Numark 2-deck CDN 25 pro CD player, Furman power conditioner, Behringer Xenyx 802 mixer, two Squier SQ15 300W loudspeakers (15” woofer), cables, and a hard plastic touring case. There is plenty of sound power to fill the tent – and more.

The lighting equipment was very, very basic. We wanted to keep electrical demands to a minimum so we simply hung high-wattage halogen lights on the center poles. The lighting plot was easy: no blackouts or light changes, we left them lit the whole time. I’ll include the simple system we used, plus some extension cords.

The deal includes an eight foot step ladder to help hang the side walls, plus three step units that give actors a way to enter onto the stage from the rear. There is a long wooden box I built that fits into the back of the truck which protects the side poles and the center masts. Two other wooden boxes store the stakes and are used as step units at the bottom of the ramps. Also included is a special made light blue ceiling drop that ties onto the tent roof just above the stage area so that the red & yellow colors don't wash out the actors' faces. There are also a few large plastic containers with lids for storing misc. stuff: cords, lights, props, etc.

I’d love to find my tent theatre a wonderful home. It would be an amazing experience for the right group: performers, missionaries, presenters, or special events organizers – lots of uses for this fine tent theatre setup. Don’t miss this once in a lifetime chance, and believe me, this will probably be the only “tent theatre” being sold in a very, very long time. I’ll be sad to let it go.

You'll need to come and drive it back yourself or send a driver. But, hey, everything fits in the truck. You just drive it away and you have an instant traveling theatre.

If you have questions please don't hesitate to contact me.

Ralph

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