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Special Section: Community Theatre
Courtesy of Jillian Stones
Design on a Dime
How three top-notch community theatres produce spectacular-looking shows
By Lisa Mulcahy
A moment from the Temecula Valley Players’
production of Little Shop of Horrors
Today's tough economy is presenting financial challenges
for theatre companies everywhere—especially
community theatre groups. When money's tight,
lighting, sets and SFX are often the first production elements
community organizations scrimp on. Sure, it seems
logical to cut corners, but a cheaply executed look can
drag down your entire show—and your reputation—in a
flash. Here are three highly respected community theatres
who use imagination and ingenuity when it comes to inexpensive
design. Their end result: striking, critically praised
productions that draw big audiences over and over again.
Low-Cost Lighting
When it comes to stretching any show's design dollars,
a smart lighting design can be invaluable. The
proper preparation is crucial, however. At the Old
Temecula Community Theatre in Temecula, Calif., lighting
designer/technical director Bill Strawn uses a combination
of strong experience and sound planning, saving
his company critical capital. Old Temecula Community
Theatre itself is a joint effort between the city and its
local theatre foundation; three local playmaking groups
rotate productions within the venue. Strawn supervises
an economical in-house crew of a master electrician, a
tech assistant and six stagehands.
“I encourage cross-training,” Strawn says. “We're a
non-union house with no department heads, if I need
people to move to specific and diverse positions on a
production, they should be able to do it.”
Strawn says building a highly versatile equipment
set-up saves money in the long run as well. “My primary
lighting system is ETC; front of house control, an
Expression 2 with Emphasis,” he details. “I have a pretty
decent inventory of Source Fours as well, and about
30 Strand 1k Fresnels. As far as FX goes, I've got about
26 color changers, and about a dozen Rosco I-Cues for
moving lights. Pretty much anything everybody would
need is there.”
Building these components into your facility, one by
one, will save money; each time you purchase a new
piece, take the time to experiment and integrate it with
what you’ve already got. Strawn also believes that the
best and cheapest lighting end results are directly due
to good, detailed planning.
“I've encouraged as much as our local company personnel
to have as much as their paperwork done, as
much as their design on paper as possible, before we get
to the process of working on a show,” he stresses. “That
way, from the beginning we can minimize labor. Having
been on the road for close to 20 years previous to this
job, I'm very well-versed in the concept of ‘get it in, get
it up, and get it going.’ Typically in community theatre,
people don't really think in terms of economy—a lot of
people are volunteers, and they take their time doing
things—they're less concerned with really banging it
in. When you actually have a labor bill at the end of the
run, though, the cost can be very substantial. I encourage
people to be as prepared as possible—hand me a
real lighting plot! When I open the dock door, we should
know how we're going to attack each load in.”
Strawn is pleased to report that the local companies
he works with have learned this lesson well. “It's been a
very positive evolution—over the past three years, these
companies have become very organized and look at the
productions they do in terms of show business,” he says.
“In today's economy, everyone is pinching pennies. The
right approach gives you extra bang for your buck, and
a much better end-product onstage.”
16 April 2009 • www.stage-directions.com