Solutions for performing arts organizations
We represent a collective of professionals with years of experience in the performing arts.
Let's explore how we can help you.
We represent a collective of professionals with years of experience in the performing arts.
Let's explore how we can help you.
We have designed scenery, lighting, and audio for professional and educational theater, as well as special corporate events in everything from small studios to 10,000 seat venues.
We build sets, install lighting, and audio equipment whether or not we provide the original designs. Use us as a shop to facilitate designs or integrate our team into your educational production needs.
We offer maintenance and training programs to help educational facilities without the staff to support their own equipment.
If you choose us to build and install your set, we can provide short (45 minute) lecture/demonstrations for your students on how to design, build, light, and stage manage a production.
We realize producing theater in an educational environment can be difficult (been there - done that!). It’s hard to find experienced theater technicians, procure and transport materials, manage finances, all while juggling the classroom, staff meetings, and rehearsals. But it’s more than that: there are safety considerations, the aesthetics, and the learning experience you want to provide for your students.
Here's how we hope to make your life easier.
1) We work with your directing team to design a set based on your budget. Or you can provide the design and we will create construction drawings and material lists.
a) We will provide you with CAD drawings of the set designed for your space.
b) You can choose how we finish the project. We can do it all (build, paint, assemble, and strike), or you can choose to have your students do the assembly, painting, and strike. The more your students and parent volunteers do, the more you will save. But carefully consider the number of capable people you have to complete the project. Painting is the icing on the cake and poor painting can make even a well-made cake look unappetizing.
c) Choose any other service you would like us to provide: lighting, sound, projections, and/or seminars in theatrical production.
2) We will create an estimate for materials and services. The estimate will contain:
a) A service fee that covers all labor, shop space, tools, and transportation to your venue.
b) Cost of materials needed to construct your set.
i) We will add a Material Acquisition fee of 15% on all materials:. This covers time and transportation to acquire the lumber, hardware, rental items, etc.
d) We include a 15% contingency fund in case something unexpected comes up. We don't want to stop progress and jeopardize your show to get authorization to exceed the original Purchase Order.
e) Disposal. If your school has a contracted disposal provider, it will be more economical to use your service. If you don't have an existing contract, we will include the cost of a dumpster or transportation costs and landfill fees.
i) Collectively, we theater folks have put way too much in the landfills. When possible, we will reduce the final bill if we can reclaim reusable materials. It is difficult to say up front what can be reclaimed as sometimes the strike process changes the condition of materials.
3) We will send a Service Contract and the Estimate to you and your Purchasing Department to create a single purchase order.
a) We require a 50% pre-payment of the total Estimate to begin the project.
4) We will begin construction, keep you up-to-date with photos and progress reports. We are happy to attend production meetings (virtually or in-person when possible). Staying abreast of production needs or changes will help everyone avoid costly issues once tech week arrives. When lighting the show, our designer will attend the final designer run.
5) After your show closes, we will send a final invoice, including all receipts for materials used for your production. We ask for final payment within ten business days of the receipt of the invoice. If payment exceeds 30 days, we reserve the right to assess a 3% penalty.
Producing theater costs money. But, our focus is on developing partnerships. Obviously we can't lose money, but we're going for economy of scale - and we will make every effort to give you quality at the budget you have available.
First and foremost, we are theater people who love the process of creating art. We embrace the collaborative spirit behind every production. And with our years of experience, we know the little tricks and tools of the trade to provide you with the results you're after.
Secondly, we're educators. We want your students to have an experience that is enjoyable and educational. Far too often we've seen students put in stressful situations trying to do too much by acting in the show, building the set, and still trying to do homework. Sadly, we've also seen students demoralized when the technical elements don't meet their expectations or match the level of their efforts.
We build in our shop because it's safe and efficient. But we believe we can offer a balance of hands-on experience along with how-to seminars that expose students interested in technical theater to the world of production.
Big Fish (Four Seasons/Theatre Lila) Overture Center Playhouse. Set Construction
Let us know how we can be of help to your organization.
Located in Wisconsin, servicing the MIdwest.