Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2011 - 26

promotes efficient use of all materials. Organize a scrap rack
by classifying materials according to type and by size to reduce
the labor required to find appropriate material for a project.
One result is an increased use of smaller pieces of material
that might otherwise be discarded. By scheduling a few minutes
each week to maintain and reorganize scrap racks, the result
will be a heightened awareness of the contents and a fostering
of workplace pride in the efficiency of reusing materials.

Wood is good!

he life cycle of wood and how it relates
to scenery must be examined to understand
why wood is a truly sustainable material.
When combined with a blend of traditional and modern scenery techniques, the use of wood-based
products represents a sustainable approach to stage scenery.
Products such as oriented strand board (OSB), plywood, medium density fiberboard (MDF), and hardboard (masonite)
use upwards of 94% of an entire tree, compared with 64% or
less for sawn dressed lumber (Composite Panel 2010). This is
a model of sustainability for stage scenery that emphasizes wood
use through engineered wood products. It does not require new
tools, nor does it require reinvention of scenery construction
methods that are the fabric of the art form. Sustainable scenery
can be implemented not through new tools or materials and
not through exclusive use of steel, but by broadening the use of
wood-based panel products and continuing the reasonable and
efficient construction methods that for decades have been routine, tried, and trusted in the art form.
Indiana University built a custom stage lift for its production of Marat/Sade. Traditional wood construction methods
were sought out to expedite construction and also to increase
the reuse of materials once the show closed. Four 2x4 stud walls
were built and skinned with 7/16˝ OSB and served as the primary
structure for the stage lift.
The stud walls served many purposes. First, as an enclosure,
the walls virtually eliminated pinch points. Second, they served
the primary structural function of supporting the stage floor surrounding the lift. Third, they served an additional structural purpose as a mounting apparatus for the lift blocks and pneumatic
floor locks. Steel framing was necessary for the custom lift line
muling assembly, and the hydraulic ram was rented from Indiana
Repertory Theatre. The wood served a vital structural purpose
and was later reused. And, wood is more sustainable than steel.
Within the realm of modern scenery construction materials,
wood is about as green as it gets (Calif. Forest 2008). Persuasive
arguments suggest that it is best to cut down fewer trees, and furthermore that it is inherently bad to cut down trees., There is, however,
a solid case to be made for wood construction materials. Wood is
a versatile and sound material from an environmental standpoint.
A snapshot of global wood usage reveals that solid wood products
such as lumber, plywood, and other building materials account

for only 15% (Moore 2010, 151). Of the remaining 85%, 55%
is burned mainly for cooking and heating in tropical developing
countries, and 30% is manufactured into pulp and paper products for printing, packaging, and sanitary uses.
Theatre arts represent a small segment of that 15%, an extremely small portion of global wood use. This is not to suggest
that theatre arts is inconsequential or above suspicion within
global wood usage, but it demonstrates that the use of woodbased materials in theatre contributes to an insignificant fraction

theatre design

& technology

Trap room view of a hydraulic stage lift built primarily of stud walls skinned with 7/16˝ OSB. Built in two
days, all of the wood material was reclaimed for reuse after the production.

Indiana University's stage lift, view of the muling frame.

spring 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2011