Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2024 - 11

venerable technical theatre publications,
and YouTube, which is a tremendous resource
for shop tours and instructional
videos. Engage in an online community
to find what solutions others have found
for their storage needs. Facebook groups
can be a great resource and can improve
your timeline contents; a suggested list is
in the resource bibliography.
The next step is to start implementing
the 5 Ss of lean manufacturing.
Step One: Sort
Sorting is the first of the 5 Ss. Sort
means that you are de-cluttering your
workspace. When we begin sorting, we
want to start asking questions about every
item in the shop:
* What is this item?
* Do I need this item?
* When was the last time I used this
item?
Theatres
are
notorious
for
being
stuffed to the gills with old scenery, props,
and costumes. When we are sorting our
space, we are working to cull some of
the clutter. Be honest with yourself and
ask, " How often do I use this item? " In
scenery shops, when sorting through the
work area, you'll need to go through everything
from stock scenery to the scrap
bin. This is a challenge when you have a
theatre with little money. When I finished
my first major purge, I had filled two 40yard
dumpsters with old flats, platforms,
and old stock scenery items, but that
meant more room to work and more
room to safely store what had been kept.
Sorting Checklist:
1. How much room does it take up?
2. When was it used last?
3. Will I ever use it again?
4. Is it damaged?
5. Can I repair it?
6. How can I dispose/store it properly?
Start by throwing away scrap lumber.
The best advice when sorting is to set
strict guidelines for yourself and stick to
them. Try " we are not keeping any scrap
smaller than three feet tall. "
Consider old instruments or speakers:
If your organization hasn't used scoops
in the last 5 years, then it's time to throw
them away, recycle them, or donate them.
The same can be said for any other old
fixtures.
Also assess stock scenery: Although
stock scenery enables theatres with
small budgets to make big scenery happen
on stage, it still needs assessment.
Create guiding principles or rules for
your sorting. These rules can be specific
to your circumstances, but because many
theatres have little storage space for
scenery, be strict about what you keep.
For example, consider getting rid of stock
pieces that have not been used in the last
five years. There are exceptions for some
pieces of stock scenery, but those exceptions
should be limited. Organizing and
managing stock scenery is an art form all
on its own.
Stock scenery is incredibly important
to creating a sustainable and budget
friendly set. If you had a scenery budget
of $1,400 that needed to be stretched
out for a four-show season, then having
enough stock scenery can make each set
look like it had its own $1,400 budget.
It is a challenge to make sure that
stock is well-maintained. Only keep what
can be reused without major repairs.
Should repairs need to be made to a
piece of scenery following a run, ensure
they're made as quickly as possible. As
time passes, the piece is less likely to
be repaired. This will inevitably result in
pulling the broken piece later and having
to delegate time to the repair when you
don't have time to spare.
Make sure the scenery is inspected
for wear and tear. If a piece of stock
scenery must be modified, try to do it in
a way that allows you to keep it in stock
after the show closes. There are limits to
how many times a piece of wood can be
screwed together. If holes keep being cut
or aggressive paint techniques are ruining
the finish of the stock scenery, eventually
the stock is going to run out and
the overall production value will suffer.
When sorting through stock, it is important
to remove damaged or odd pieces.
Sometimes saved flats and platforms do
not fit a standard conventional size; this
is another way that your scenery storage
can grow beyond capacity. There is no
reason to keep an odd-shaped flat just
because " you might need it later. " That
mentality has infected theatres across
the country; throw it out or break it down
to recycle the lumber into stock. Every
piece has a life cycle and that 20-year-old
platform in the back might have reached
its expiration date.
There is a logic to sorting stock that
can be applied across disciplines. If
someone is asked to go through a lighting
shop, the basic tenets of sorting as
defined by the 5 Ss could help start the
cleanup of the area and free it from clutter.
When working in a different type of
shop or a different discipline, find the
qualifiers and exceptions that work for
that area. Every lighting area has a tub or
box full of bad cables, empty lamp boxes,
Stock scenery storage, North Port High School, June 8, 2016. | Photo by John J. Rawlings.
ISSUE 1, 2024 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | 11
Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2024

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