Module Overview: Scenic Tools and Materials
Introduction
The Scenic Designer and the Director have been hard at work. The set model, renderings, and drawings are all assembled and approved. Hopefully they look good!
Now it is up to the scene shop to take these plans and turn them into the real life, full-scale platforms, flats, wagons, etc. that make up the show's set. These scenic pieces might need to fly, roll, or hold hundred of pounds of furniture, props, and singing-dancing actors. All while visually looking like how the Scenic Designer wants to look.
The Technical Director now has some major choices to make. They need to take the plans, break them down into individual components, and figure out how to build each one. This includes deciding what materials to make them out of and knowing what tools are in their shop to manipulate those materials.
This is what we will be looking at this week: the major tools and materials that we use in scenic construction.
Purpose and Objectives
- Identify and distinguish the major hand-tools and power tools and determine their use in the construction of scenery.
- Identify the different types of materials such as lumber, fasteners, fabrics, casters, etc. and describe how they are used for scenery.
- Understand proper industry standards for shop safety.
Module Activities
Complete the following activities during this module. Click on the pages below or use the Next button at the bottom of this page to access the content.
Assessments
Complete the following assessments, which will cover material from the Stagecraft Fundamentals textbook reading (linked above) and the online module content.
