Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2011 - 29

An example of cardboard facing on the well unit for Man of La Mancha at BSU.
Cardboard also provided a clean profile on the arch units for Man of La
Mancha.

Man of La Mancha, produced at Bemidji State University. Scenic and costume designer, Ellen
E. Jones; lighting designers, undergraduate students Ben Eng and Tom Skime. The curved
steps use the flat frame carriages in figure 4. All facings except the one USC under the large
window are made form cardboard. Photo by John Swartz, BSU photographer.

the larger impact of material choices for student designers and
technicians. The design/tech students were proud of the results
of the experimentation. The publicity connected with the project also made students outside the design and technical area
more conscious of all the possibilities to make more sustainable choices in related areas like container recycling and hardcopy printing.

survived in storage. Almost twenty sheets of lauan plywood
were saved by using the cardboard.
Conversely, only the largest pieces of cardboard (almost
4´ x 8´), worked for the aesthetic goals of the scenic design.
Smaller pieces were impossible to join seamlessly on broad
expanses. If the cardboard is not readily available to recycle,
the technique probably saves few resources. A certain amount
of the cardboard could not be used on a second show, but the
same would have been true of irregularly shaped sweeps of luan
or 1/4˝ plywood. Lumber (including 3/4˝ plywood) was still a
part of the construction process where that kind of structural
integrity was needed.
The most significant result of this experiment was its
impact on the theatre students. It initiated consideration of

sustainability and industrial hygiene

erhaps one of the greatest intersections of greening the production process and safety falls in the industrial
hygiene area. Common sense dictates that any material that
exposes the people using it to a potential health hazard is also
potentially damaging to the environment. The old-school philosophy of technical production suggests that, if everyone in the
shop wears personal-protection devices and uses mechanical
guards on moving machinery, safety standards have been met.
In fact, industrial hygienists now believe that personal protection devices are the least effective method of achieving a work
environment safe from potential hazards. These devices only
protect the person wearing them, a problem with anything that
releases vapor and fumes. The human factor also plays a role
in the level of protection. If the worker does not properly don,
doff, and maintain the protective gear; it cannot provide complete protection. A better choice is to try and reengineer the
production process to eliminate the potential hazards for everyone. The term reengineering refers to replacing potentially
toxic materials as well as making changes in machinery.
Wherever possible, potentially hazardous chemicals have
been eliminated from the production process. For example,
the BSU facilities did not include any kind of spray booth or

spring 2011

theatre design

& technology

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