Reference book or website recommendation

[Doug Lowthian]

Our community theater group has a stage with a basketball court sized backstage, a 25x50 acting area on stage, an annual budget (for everything) of around $10k. We do 1 big show and 4-5 smaller shows a year. Our stage actually is a basketball court so no drilling into the floor or leaving sets in place outside of a 2-3 week window around shows.

Our audience area seats 700 on teh floor and another 300 in the balcony but we rarely fill it. The town has shrunk since it was built as a high school in 1933. Now it is a community center.

We want to up our game beyond the standard flats and single level sets. We want to replicate teh magic of big budget productions using the low budget of a community theater.

So what books, websites or references would you reccommend to give us the biggest bang and ideas for our buck.

Thanks in advance....

 

[RickR]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0316117544/?tag=controlbooth-20
and
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0911747397/?tag=controlbooth-20

There are hundreds of good books out there but these 2 are packed. The WIKI articles here aren't too bad either, and at a better price.

You do trigger a pet peeve of mine about small theater groups. Big budget shows don't spend money just to spend it, they get good value for their cash. Trying to duplicate their work on a low budget is like flying an airplane without getting off the ground.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

I agree with Rick that I believe the production is better if you do simple well as opposed to complex and big poorly.

 

[Doug Lowthian]

I agree with Rick that I believe the production is better if you do simple well as opposed to complex and big poorly.

Don't get me wrong; I have great respect for the big professional houses and know there is no way to replicate exactly what they do. However, I have seen a lot of low ot no budget community theater that has managed to pull off some stunning scenic design and stage "magic" using simple, inexpensive materials and a lot of creativity.

I am not of the opinion that low budget theater has to be just static flats and single level sets. I was just looking for references that use off the shelf materials and clever techniques to creat high quality set and scenic imagry. I meant no disrespect to the pros....

 

[JohnD]

The magic of theatre is that it is routine to make silk purses out of sows ears.
Best website, why right here, spend lots of time browsing, there are lots of people who have the same problems you do, and find clever solutions.
Do you have a space for construction and warehousing of set elements? Having a plan to build and reuse basic elements will certainly help stretch the budget.
A couple of shows to take a look at are Les Mis and Noises Off, both popular for BIG looks.
Another good resource is youtube, look up shows you are considering to see how others are doing them.
One basic book you should have is:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0911747435/?tag=controlbooth-20
Invest in several of the college level stagecraft books, the older editions are quite economical.

 

[Doug Lowthian]

The magic of theatre is that it is routine to make silk purses out of sows ears.
Best website, why right here, spend lots of time browsing, there are lots of people who have the same problems you do, and find clever solutions.
Do you have a space for construction and warehousing of set elements? Having a plan to build and reuse basic elements will certainly help stretch the budget.
A couple of shows to take a look at are Les Mis and Noises Off, both popular for BIG looks.
Another good resource is youtube, look up shows you are considering to see how others are doing them.
One basic book you should have is:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0911747435/?tag=controlbooth-20
Invest in several of the college level stagecraft books, the older editions are quite economical.

Thank you. I have already gained a lot of ideas here and plan to giove back by posting some creative set construction for Alice in Wonderland we recently did. I appreciate the resources.

We do have room for construction and storage, with some limitations on door sizes between construction area and stage. Many of the productions in the recent past have looked very amateur and "cheap" (not inexpensive but cheap) Rather than strive for mediocrity I would like to bring our stage sets, lighting and sound to a higher level for our audiences. This site has been a great resource. Thank you....

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Don't get me wrong; I have great respect for the big professional houses and know there is no way to replicate exactly what they do. However, I have seen a lot of low ot no budget community theater that has managed to pull off some stunning scenic design and stage "magic" using simple, inexpensive materials and a lot of creativity.

I am not of the opinion that low budget theater has to be just static flats and single level sets. I was just looking for references that use off the shelf materials and clever techniques to creat high quality set and scenic imagry. I meant no disrespect to the pros....

I think you missed my point. Magic, cleverness, ingenuity, creativity - all to make really great simple ideas. Equate simple to less or fewer pieces that communicate as well as large and elaborate pieces, because large and elaborate cost a lot more than simple and elegant. So you probably have labor - which I hate to abuse but may loose that. For materials: demolition sites (doors and window among many interesting things); salvage resale stores (Marden's in Maine - bought truckloads - maybe ones that have been in a wreck - and sold for pennys on the dollar - bought whole bolts of fabric for a few bucks. Must be others.) ; dumpster diving; and of course the big box stores. Try to get the big box stores to call you if they have damaged/returned/odd lot things available, and work the not-for-profit discount angle. Mostly you need design talent - creative people with great taste. That's in shorter supply.

 

[Doug Lowthian]

Right. Materials and creative people we have. Just looking for some inspiration, how to and tips. Thanks for the response.....I'll keep up with this site for ideas...

 

[microstar]

Youtube and Google images are your friends for getting ideas and seeing how other people do shows. Put in the name of the show and see a wide variety of ideas.

 

[kicknargel]

OK, here's one idea. I find that it's a lot harder to stretch your budget if you're going for realism. You can open up a lot of possibilities to find creative and clever solutions if you come up with an abstract design concept. For example I once designed an Aida at a dinner theatre that had some platforming and white hanging fabric panels that the cast would move and drape in different configurations for the different scenes. Combined with lighting we got a lot of different looks on the stage, and the transitions were interesting to watch and became part of the show.

Just one of a million ideas, but I think some theatres paint themselves into a corner by being too literal, and thinking that if a scene takes place in a room, it needs walls, windows and doors. Maybe it just needs a window, done with artistic intent.