If you were a high school drama teacher...

[meghanpotpie]

I'm teaching a workshop on building scenery and props on a budget for a drama teacher workshop weekend. These teachers are middle school through high school and most have no background in theatre. I'm struggling to find a thread for my hour and a half lecture. The subject I've been given is pretty vast. So, putting it out to my Control Booth Community: If you were a middle school or high school teacher overseeing every aspect of your theatre program with no tech experience, what would you most be interested in learning in a quick workshop in relation to scenery or props. What would be most useful? If you've taught something like this, what did you do? Thanks in advance!

 

[Amiers]

Mini Hollywood flats is always an easy one to describe and build. It also doubles as a painted surface. Stick 2 Or 3 to a group depending on size and have them plan and paint a scape across all three for extra work if you have the time and resources.

 

[Chris Chapman]

Material sourcing. How to get cheap, off color mix paints from local stores. The importance of STOCK scenery. Basics of how you doa a tech analysis on a show. Vendor lists for online sourcing of gear.

 

[MNicolai]

Think everything through the end of the game and don't trust parents or faculty to guide set construction. Have someone competent review everything.

Had the misfortune of working a show as an LD last year where the parents wheeled this large 12' tall bed on-stage for Once Upon A Mattress, assembled by a combination of parents and a faculty member who "does this". I shut down rehearsal and walked director through my laundry list of concerns and the students expressed their concerns too. Rehearsal continued. Girl almost fell off the ladder going up. No guards on top. Caster boards were toe-nailed in from side of framing rather than supporting the load of the framing on top of the caster boards. One of the caster boards split out of the framing and the corner dropped 4" sending the whole rig cattywampus and almost bouncing the actress off the top onto the stage where she would've rolled into the orchestra pit.

Same show. They wanted to play with levels for their set. Took a bunch of 4x8 platform risers with 24" legs and stacked them on top of each other rather than getting the right legs. No cross bracing, no stops in place to prevent one of top 2 layers of stacked risers from dancing off the bottom row.

Take nothing for granted and never trust "this is how we've always done it". Consider all implications on outset of production design. Once you'r.e a week out from opening night everyone wants to push forward whatever the circumstances. Momentum gets the better of people and no one wants to be the squeaky wheel. Much easier to handle these issues before time/effort/emotions have been devoted into something.

 

[seanandkate]

Another vote for how to construct stock flats, risers, and boxes, and how to combine them safely and effectively. Plans that they can take away as reference material would be invaluable, as well as a source list for local vendors. I would also stress the concept that not only can minimalism work as a scenic choice, it's often the best choice. Too often beginning directors fall back on what the know--reality--and don't take time to explore the dramatic possibilities (both design and acting) of other design approaches.

 

[JonCarter]

I agree with Chris Chapman, " Basics of how you do a a tech analysis on a show." First the basics, then build the flats.

 

[ruinexplorer]

Emphasize that safety is always important and can take much more planning when on a budget. Just because it is built light doesn't mean that it can't hurt if it fails. I totally agree about planning on stock scenic elements which you can emphasize requires less storage and has the benefit of being used repeatedly (helps with future budgets). I agree with teaching about minimalism and using more set props than set pieces.

 

[gafftaper]

What they said Stock and uniform construction techniques. Texture painting techniques. My mentor aways said, "Anything can be a paint brush and when you are painting texture, paint with anything BUT a paint brush." For props talk about borrowing and networking. It's amazing how many teachers don't know they can often call the biggest theater in town and borrow everything they need for their set for $50.

I took a prop class once and we went to a thrift store as a class and bought random things which we then took back to the prop shop and turned into weapons. I got a yellow ducky on wheels, disassembled the wheels, ran thee inch screws out of the wheels from the inside, then reassembled creating a duck with nasty spiked wheels. It was fun and talking with everyone about how they were going to redesign and misuse their item was a great lesson.

 

[venuetech]

One of the hardest lessons to learn is what to save and what to recycle/toss
Items are often built to be saved and often built to be tossed.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0911747435/?tag=controlbooth-20

 

[JohnD]

Since many middle schools and high schools don't have fly lofts, you might mention periaktoi. Fairly budget friendly and can easily be repainted.

 

[gafftaper]

Since many middle schools and high schools don't have fly lofts, you might mention periaktoi. Fairly budget friendly and can easily be repainted.

My kids go to a K-8 and every year the middle school does a musical. We've been using the same 6 flats, four platforms and two stairs for 5 years now. Sometimes with the periaktoi and sometimes without. We've got two trucks with two sided scenery and it's a low budget set recycling heaven.

We did Peter Pan 6 months after the giant children's theater here did it. Our director called to ask what they were doing with their beautiful windows. They gave them to us rather than chopping them up... Another good lesson get season tickets, make friends with the TD and show up to strike with a big truck. We used them three years in a row. First time as is. Second time cut down to a smaller size. Third time, just one off center and cut down again.

One other thought, use fairly tales for your in class exercises. "Let's design a set for Little Red Riding Hood. It has to include every location, fit in your school's theater, and your budget is $400." Using classic fairy tales gives you a way to quickly move past the "script" and get straight into designing plus everyone in class knows the story and can participate in discussions, rather than having half the cast not know the play. For advanced work assign classic fairy tales done in various theatrical styles (post modernism, deconstructionist, surrealist, etc)