Our theater isn't your storage!

[brownnathanial]

This seems to be a reoccurring problem. Our high school auditorium is used for multiple things other that theater which is normal. The problem is that everybody seems to think that it is a free-for-all storage area.
Our sound booth is on the ground level and is often cluttered with stuff that doesn't belong there: a cart from forensics class, projectors, old electronic equipment, projector screens, just stuff like that.
In the back of our audience the school stores their racks of folding chairs, we have gotten used to this and use them as a barrier on show nights but this year a bunch of folding risers got put along the back wall along with some speakers that just appeared.

We have started to just move stuff out of our way and put them other places but it is getting annoying. What can we do to keep people from taking advantage of our large space?

 

[len]

Push it all in front of the principal's office so that he/she can't get in.

 

[zmb]

Label everything as the theater's and find a better place for it.

 

[venuetech]

things that just appear in my place may just disappear.(Usually after a few years of gathering dust) if i know where it came from i return it. the band director had a habit of just moving old broken or unused instruments into the trap room that is adjacent to the band room. at some point i decided enuf was enuf and i packed the stuff into his office, truck pack style. at least now he will ask if he can store something in the taproom.
our district will collect unused equipment at the end of the school year from there it will ether go into a central storage, be transferred, surplussed or trashed, however they decide those things.
I would let your school dayman and administrators know about the problem, if the stuff interferes with safe operations in any manner, ring that bell.

 

[marmer]

If your exits are at the back that stuff against the back wall may be against code. You may have to have a certain amount of clear square footage back there depending on the hall's capacity.

 

[AudJ]

Fire code has always helped me in that regard. Hasn't happened a lot lately, but when it does, I put a work order to have the custodians remove said items by a certain date for performance/practice. I specify how it blocks egress and/or creates a hazard in any way.

If they don't, leave it there and point it out to administration during the event and note how embarrassing it is to invite public into the premier space for formal gatherings, and have a bunch of junk strewn about, part of which is likely taking up space where a parent might like to be if it is tight. Also question what would happen in an emergency.

If that doesn't work, start storing your timpani in the gymnasium, where there is always lots of room.

 

[MNicolai]

Seeing as you're a student, your sway over this matter is likely to be minimal. You can try finding the right maintenance or buildings and grounds person to make your case to, but by and large, if they had a better place for those things, they'd probably already be there.

The key is finding the right person to make your case to, so they can then find the right person they can make their case to. If you have a theater manager, this is easier. If you just have a bunch of different groups that share the room without some amount of faculty oversight, then it's really just a free for all.

 

[marmer]

Mike is absolutely right. Heavy stuff is often best stored close to where it will be used, which may be why the seats and risers are there (although what I said about code still applies.) The electrical stuff may be in the booth because it needs to be secured out of classrooms pending disposal. If there is a person responsible for the venue, they probably already know the situation very well.

 

[TheaterEd]

Another option, when something is in your way, move it to the hallway, and then 'forget' to move it back. A lot of times, things will get stored in places and then be completely forgotten about. Just make them more visible and they may find themselves a new home. Alternatively, claim it as yours. It was left in the auditorium, so that must mean it belongs to the auditorium.

 

[sdauditorium]

As you acknowledged at the onset, it is part of what comes with the territory any time a performing arts facility (or any large space for that matter) is attached to a school; Eventually, like insects, people will discover space is available and soon a nice collection of "stuff" appears. The biggest issue, especially if this has been going on for a while, is that staff becomes accustomed to it, it's just part of standard operating procedure on their part.

Being a self-described neat freak, this is an affliction that I had to deal with when I assumed my TD role years ago. The most important and effective tool is communication. Largely, you will need to educate people on why this storage-mode mentality cannot continue. Safety and emergency egresses, crossover spaces, the need for clearance and quick access to electrical closets/panels, etc., should all be thoroughly explained via an all-school email or something similar. I've gotten in the habit of every year before school starts shooting off an email to staff letting them know about proper usage procedures and our online reservation form to secure the space, storage limits, etc.

Also, you need to make sure staff buys into it; it's in everyone's best interest to take ownership of proper storage so that all can continue using the space without facing issues due to stuff "everywhere." Persistence, understanding and communication is what will turn the tide. Eventually, new storage "best practices" can develop, but it does take time.

In our scene shop which was traditionally the biggest accumulation hot spot, I eventually drew a line in stone - literally. There is now a four-inch wide flourescent stripe that flats and other set pieces can be behind. Staff understands that after musicals especially, appropriately (organized and safely) store whatever you want to that has a high likelihood of being reused in future productions. There are also separate storage buildings not attached to the auditorium but on district grounds that holds large set pieces that they want to keep. Past that line in the shop, it is understood that I hold ultimate discretion to dumpster anything else. This allows us plenty of operating space and access to the stage as needed.