Sets for any
in-house productions are designed and built in the scene shop. This shop is
run by professionals as well as staffed by graduate and undergraduate students
working for monthly stipends or credit in theater classes. This shop has the
means to design and build almost any sets imaginable. There is wood storage
and saws for cutting the wood near the north end of the shop, tables for layout
work just inside the main door, areas for larger layout work and painting
near the center of the shop, and an area for welding and metalworking at the
south end of the shop. To go along with the painting area, there is a large
grid hanging vertically on the east wall just south of the main door. This
grid is known as the paint frame. If someone has large pieces that need to
be painted, instead of hanging the pieces up and climbing up and down a ladder
carrying a bucket and brush, the piece can be hung on the paint frame and
this frame can lower up to 26' into the ground.
When a show comes
up, the director first receives and approves the script. The script then goes
to the set designer. The designer will look through the script and get some
general ideas and make sketches of what they think the set pieces need to
look like. They will then meet with the director. If the director approves
of the ideas, the designer will then make blueprints. After the blueprints
are approved, the designer has to make a three-dimensional scale model of
the set. Once this is done, the actual set pieces can be built.
Because there are so many shows put on at Krannert, sets for some of the shows
may need to be built long before that show even has the stage. The pieces
will therefore be built and then stored either in the Scene Shop or in the
hallways on the production level.
Once the particular show does have the rights to the stage, the set pieces
will be moved to the stage and assembled. The Scene Shop is on the production
level which is also the same level as the stages with the exception of the
Studio Theater. To get sets to the Studio, they have to be taken up the north
lift. There is a set of two large double doors at the north end of the Scene
Shop and these are the doors that are used to take the set pieces out of the
shop. There is a large yellow poster board on the back of one of the doors
that contains the dimensions of all doors and doorways from the shop to each
one of the stages. If the designers and set builders follow this chart, then
they will not have any trouble getting sets where they need them but if they
ignore it, they will be looking for a way to fit a set or set piece through
a space that it just will not fit through.
The show is then
run. Once the show is over, the strike is held in which all of the set pieces,
props, lights, and anything else are removed. When the set is struck, main
platforming that the set is built on top of will be saved and stored and other
small things such as bolts, hardware, and doorknobs will be saved and put
in cubby holes on the west wall in the shop. Some other larger pieces may
be kept but for the most part, these large pieces are simply thrown in a dumpster
on the loading dock. The University comes and takes what they can use out
of these pieces and then pass the rest along. Even though it can be more costly
to throw the pieces out rather than store them, there are a few reasons why
this is done. First of all, the students who are working in the shop need
to learn how to design and build the sets and set pieces from scratch. When
these students graduate and go out into the real world, they will not have
half-finished sets that they can simply complete. One of the other main reasons
for not keeping all of these materials is space. There is simply just not
enough space to store everything. This shop produces 9-12 sets each year and
the Center has been open for about 30 years so that would be a lot of sets
to try and store. There are a few things around the shop that have remained
from old performances. There is a piece of artwork hanging on the south wall-
"Lady in Swing". This piece can from the Mozart opera L'Oca de Cairo
which was previously put on at Krannert. The staircase that you see leading
up to the upper work area was also first used in a show. Another thing that
you may find of interest in this shop is the Golden Dolly hanging on the wall.
This was an award granted to the shop at the American College Theater Festival
for producing the Best Touring Set.
There is also a
special unit affiliated with the shop known as the Krannert Store. The Krannert
Store in many cases is just like a regular hardware store but there are some
major differences. The show schedule for any given year is known at least
one year in advance if not more. The productions will put together a list
of all the materials that they need to build all of their sets and give this
to the Krannert Store. The store will then buy all of these materials at one
time. By doing this they get a discount because they are buying in bulk and
they also get a discount because they are affiliated with a public institution
of the state of Illinois, the University of Illinois. When the productions
come up and they start building their sets, they buy their materials from
the Krannert Store and they can therefore get them at lower costs. This is
also advantageous to the set builders because if they are approaching a deadline
and need to get some sets done and do not have all of the pieces, rather than
trying to go out and find a hardware store that carries what they need, they
can simply go to the Krannert Store and pick up those parts.
The Scene Shop
has some unique features in itself. This room is surrounded by a layer of
rubber and cork. This along with the cinderblock walls and the wood floors
helps to keep any noise inside of the shop. People can then work in this shop
at any time, even if there are multiple performances going on, and no one
will ever hear them. The floor in the shop is made of Oak wood even though
it does look like brick. This both helps contain the sound and it is also
more comfortable for people who have to stand and work in there all day. The
shop is also kept at a lower pressure than the rest of the building. This
is done so that when the doors are open sawdust and other particles will stay
in the shop rather than blowing out into the halls. Finally, the air in the
shop is circulated seven times per hour so that people working in there will
not be breathing harmful dust particles.
Each of the theaters along with the scene shop and the rehearsal rooms are
actually designed to contain sound. This is done so that multiple performances
can be going on while at the same time people can be working in the shop and
multiple rehearsals can be going on and none of these events will be disturbing
any of the others. Any systems that can transmit sound such as ventilation,
lighting, plumbing, etc. are separate for each theater and the scene shop.
The scene shop and rehearsal rooms are also surrounded with a layer of rubber
and cork to help contain the sound.
Because of the solid structural design, each of the theaters with the exception of the Studio and each of the rehearsal rooms is certified as a tornado safe area.
Scene Shop as seen facing parts storage cubbies
Scene Shop as seen facing North doors