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  • 1.  Black Box Wish List

    Posted 06-20-2019 14:30
    We are renovating our 70-seat black box from the walls in and it's a bit overwhelming.  We are getting new lighting, sound, curtains, seats, raising the stage.  Even moving a wall.

    What are some things you wish your black box had?


    Thanks,

    Scott

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    Scott Bier
    Whittier, CA

    "Your fear of looking stupid is holding you back."
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  • 2.  RE: Black Box Wish List

    Posted 06-21-2019 12:53
    Staff.

    It's terrific that you have been provided with capital to renovate your black box(!).  But if you have been a one-person-show before(?), has your district thought about what staffing (think technical "coaches" for your students) might be needed after all of the state-of-the-art equipment, which is going to require more supervision and time to re-configure for each event/show, is installed?

    For anyone who already has a black box, or is considering a black box vs a proscenium theatre, here's an excerpt from my book (link below in my signature line) with some pros and cons, and why the need for staffing:


    BLACK BOX VS. SMALL PROSCENIUM

    There are also some general pros and cons to consider for the long term when considering investing in a black box theatre as opposed to a small fixed proscenium theatre.  A black box theatre has a high versatility factor; it can be re-configured to a proscenium stage, a thrust stage or theatre-in-the-round.  But, with versatility comes expenses.

    To begin with, masking flats (walls) or drapes would have to be purchased or constructed to create a "backstage" space.  Each time the acting space is reconfigured the lighting instruments and drapes would have to be moved to new positions.  This would be on top of the usual set construction that is needed for a performance. Every school district should look at their theatre operations plans and look at the costs, time constraints and safety factors, and assess some questions, such as: Who would be doing this, a class of students lead by a CTE teacher and/or professional technicians hired by the district?  Are students allowed to go up on a genie or ladder, or onto the grid/catwalks, to rehang and refocus the lights?  Are the students trained in how to safely rig flats and/or drapes from the grid? 

    One school I worked at had a black box theatre and they hired me to create a lighting rep plot for them.  Theatre-in-the-round and thrust stages require about twice the number of lighting instruments than a proscenium stage does because the actors and the sets must be lit from several sides.  This theatre had been given a lighting package, but it was insufficient for the space potential, so the Drama teacher decided to create a fixed proscenium stage within the black box space with flats as the proscenium walls.  In another black box school theatre I worked in there were an ample amount of instruments but there were no lighting positions to allow for lighting the sides of the stage, so we had no choice but to structure the theatre into a permanent proscenium configuration.  In these circumstances it would perhaps have been better to provide that school with a small 100-seat theatre, had the administration assessed future operations, budget and time requirements that a black box demands ahead of time.

    On the other hand, there are some plusses to a black box theatre.  For instance, a black box theatre's floor space can be cleared for classes and rehearsals to be held in there.  Plus a black box theatre is great for learning environments where tech theatre skills are a part of the curriculum.  For instance, set design and construction techniques have more liberty, and lighting techniques can be created for class exercises.  It all depends on the administration's vision for their theatre operations and the educational opportunities they want provided for the students after the space has been built, and whether they provide the staff needed to support the extra versatility that a black box theatre allows and demands.

    ------------------------------
    Beth Rand, EBMS
    Educational Lighting Designer
    School Theatre Operations Coach
    www.PRESETT.org

    - HIGH SCHOOL THEATRE OPERATIONS BOOKS (http://www.presett.org/helpful-books.html)
    - ION, ELEMENT, EXPRESS - ONLINE MINI COURSES
    (http://www.presett.org/litt.html)
    - HIGH SCHOOL THEATRE OPERATIONS ONLINE COURSE (http://www.presett.org/tmt.html) - NEW! INDEPENDENT STUDY for those who don't have time to join a cohort!
    - THE ECLECTECH SHOPPE (http://www.presett.org/eclectech.html)

    beth@PRESETT.org
    Westminster, CO
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  • 3.  RE: Black Box Wish List

    Posted 06-21-2019 17:42
    Thank you for your in-depth response, I will look into Presett.

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    Scott Bier
    Whittier, CA

    "Your fear of looking stupid is holding you back."
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  • 4.  RE: Black Box Wish List

    Posted 06-21-2019 13:04
    One of the best things about our Black Box Theatre is that it's completely flexible. We have about 80 chairs, a variety of sizes of platforms and legs, and an 8' high 4X8 "tech booth" on wheels that we can move to wherever it's needed. We have used the theatre for proscenium style productions, a thrust, arena seating, and once, being adventurous, 5 small stages all around the theatre. A fixed stage and fixed seating limits your ability to create spaces that suit you're productions.


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    Michael Bergman
    Teacher/Director
    The Potomac School
    McLean, VA
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  • 5.  RE: Black Box Wish List

    Posted 06-21-2019 19:38
    Fantastic opportunity to be updating your space.

    Without knowing the specifics of your space---
    For me the biggest pieces of have to haves for a black box are-- a pipe grid with lighting circuits throughout and a bunch of simple black flat 0% fullness masking drapes... The other thing that would be great is to have speaker jacks on every wall with flexible hang positions for enclosures as well.  Those three things make life so much easier in a flexible space.  I think other stuff like flexible seating risers and platforms for acting areas can be acquired over time, but a pipe grid and lots of lighting positions are key for me.

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    Michael Johnson
    Trinity NC
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