Cue3Go!

Issue 48

Techie Tip of the Week

BUILD SPACE

Part 1 of a 3-part series on SPACE IN THE THEATRE which will be posted every other week.​

One common complication that educational theatre people (teachers, theatre staff volunteers and students) have is that there is not enough storage space, build space and people space built into their multi-million-dollar high school theatre facilities. Understandably space is expensive to provide and maintain, and the theatre is not the only part of a high school, however if it is your plan to create a theatre program ample space must be provided in order to do so. 

High school theatre can’t happen without sets, props and costumes (not to mention lights and sound).  If you have a 20’ x 40’ proscenium opening, that stage space needs to be filled with something.  Whether you have a vocational tech theatre class, professional theatre staff, and/or volunteer parents, high school theatre sets and costumes must be quite elaborate to fill up the playing space and to do justice to the level of today’s productions.  Also, a ‘professional’ production projects a favorable impression of your high school.  If you have any doubt about the professional level of high school theatre today, check out Seattle’s 5^th Avenue Theatre’s annual High School Musical Theatre Awards  (https://www.5thavenue.org/education/student-programs#5th-avenue-awards), where over 120 high school theatre productions in the state of Washington contend for nominations and awards announced in a Academy Awards-like ceremony each year.

Sets, props and costumes all need sufficient space to be built. If you are in the process of designing a build space, or planning on advocating for more space, consider the equipment and activities that need to go in there, including the sheer size and complication of what’s being built these days.

A scene shop can have a lot of power tools and will need a lot of floor space and bench space.  In addition, also consider the number of people who may be working in there at one time, building sets and props. This can be five to ten people – or more if you have a vocational class.  Some of the power tools needing space in a scene shop include:

Band Saw

Belt Finishing Sander

Portable Circular Saw

Disc Sander

Jig/Bayonet Saw

Jointer

Motorized Miter Box

Planer/Surfacer

Portable Belt Sander

Portable Drill

Portable Finishing Sander

Portable Router

Mitre/Radial Arm Saw

Scroll Saw Notes

Table Saw

Wood Lathe

Uniplane

Portable Electric Plane

Wood Shaper

Consider also how much space it takes to sew a costume.  Some costumes – think: Cinderella’s ball gown – can be quite elaborate and take up yards of material.  Most of the high school’s I’ve worked in have teeny costume shops and the costumers usually end up having to set up tables in a backstage hallway or in a classroom.  Not only do the costumes themselves take up a lot of space when being constructed, but there can be several sewing machines going at once and several people, each working on a different costume.  A costume room should be as big as a classroom, not a closet.

Also take into account how much these spaces will be in use throughout the school year.  Even if your high school “only” puts on two major productions a year, it actually takes most of each semester to build the sets and construct the costumes.  There can be several set changes in a play or musical and there can be dozens and dozens of costumes to make.  One high school play I worked on had 300 costume pieces. These will not be wasted spaces that are empty most of the year, these spaces are beehives of activity throughout most of the year, and should be planned for, or advocated for.

This editorial is the express opinion of Beth Rand, and is not intended for substitution for professional advice regarding your specific situation or circumstances.

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Dear Techie,

I have some seniors who didn’t get cast in our play.  They want to be involved, but I also have a few sophomores who have worked backstage before, who I think are pretty good.  I only need so many techs backstage.  Who should I give priority to?  It’s a bit of a tricky situation.

Tricky in CO

Dear Tricky,

A tricky situation indeed. While I agree that all actors should have some experience in tech, I would encourage you to consider which of your students are vocational techies.  Tech Theatre is a STEM and CTE subject.  Tech Theatre is not a ‘performing art’.  Most tech theatre students who are vocationally inclined that I’ve worked with over the decades have no desire to perform (and probably shouldn’t be forced to).  

However, a lot of acting students who don’t get cast want to do tech for a show just so they can still be involved in some way.  That said, it’s sometimes because of that (not getting cast and doing tech) that a student discovers they are actually a techie after all – that’s how I myself moved to the dark side.  

But, I would encourage you to give your vocational techies first priority to crew your show, because to replace them with “an actor who just wants to be involved” could squelch your techies’ ambitions (and it could be that they’re excelling in tech, but may not be doing so well with the rest of school, and tech may be one of the reasons they’re staying in school). Also, your vocational tech students can act as great mentors for the up and coming tech students and the actors doing tech.  So, know your students - it’s been my experience that students who aren’t suited to tech know it and don’t stay in tech long, and that “seniority” most likely equates to a vocational interest.  

I guess, bottom line – which of your students would benefit the most from working backstage on this play, once they get out into the real world?

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It is PRESETT's mission to provide information to assist in endeavors for safe and functional operations of school theatres. However, PRESETT is not a safety consultant or professional, and any information provided or advocated is not intended to supplement, not supersede, industry safety training. Always consult a theatre safety specialist about your specific situation or circumstances.