I've done 2 black and white shows... and 1 thats got a black and white set and colored costumes...
Sepia, in my opinion does not belong on
stage unless you are doing a country western or are trying to respresent something that happened before the other parts of the
play (kinda like a flashback)
For b&w... Use lots and lots of n/c straws... also, n/c blue, and maybe a little of n/c pink... You can also try just useing 'hot' lights w/o any gels... these work too if you don't have the n/c's in
stock.
You might have to go a little heavier on the makeup, but thats what you get with a b&w set...
Every time I have done basicly that and it always looks awesome. (especially if you use a lavender backlight!)