Scene Shop

Adjacent to our Mainstage Theatre is a 2500 square foot fully equipped scene shop that supports the production activity of the department. The technology available to scenic production students is extensive.

The scene shop has a full compliment of wood working tools for traditional scenic construction, including a CNC router table, as well as a large metal area outfitted for the fabrication, forming and finishing of steel and aluminum. Both areas are equipped so that many people can work simultaneously.

There is plenty of storage for materials and the storage areas keep materials organized. We work on large scale and highly detailed projects, exposing students to a wide range of materials and construction techniques.

The lumber area is equipped with a standard assortment of commercial grade power tools including some specialty tools such as a panel saw, a shaper and a lathe. There are plenty of hand tools for the size of our crews, so teams can work efficiently and quickly.

The metal area is equipped for MIG & TIG welding, torch welding & cutting, forging, and finishing/coloring of metals. We are also equipped for bending steel tubing and pipe. Approximately 20% of the scenery constructed in the departments is steel framed.

Plastics capabilities include hotwire/hot knife cutting to create large sculptural elements from foam, a deep draw vacuum-forming table for up to 3' x 3' pieces, fiberglass fabrication using aqueous resins and molding/casting of urethane and silicone resins when needed.

Mechanization and automation equipment include a PLC controlled winch system, manual winches and both electrically and mechanically controlled pneumatic piston systems.

The paint area is primarily used for storage and mixing; most scenery is painted and assembled on stage. We employ many different painting techniques and keep a large inventory of scenic paints and dyes on hand, giving the students the experience of mixing colors, developing techniques and samples and organizing the realization of the scenic art for a production.