IT ALL STARTS WITH THE CARPENTERS
In the carpentry shop at the warehouse, our carpenters usually work on scenery for two productions at a time. This skilled group of ‘chippies’ is perhaps one of the most unlikely teams of theatre enthusiasts at the RSC. They may keep a low profile, doing most of their work away from the actual theatre, but they are passionate about the sets they create. Sets are usually metal frameworks (made off-site), which are then clad with wood. While the team is working with apparently immovable pieces of metal and wood, they also need to be flexible enough to be altered at short notice should changes need to be made to the set.
The paintshop and props teams, designers, actors, director, and lighting technicians all have to be involved at some point during the creation of the scenery. Even during rehearsals, elements of the set may need to be changed and pieces of scenery that took weeks to design and build may – for artistic reasons (often the way it’s used by actors) – be scrapped altogether or altered beyond recognition.
The Royal Shakespeare Company scenery department leave nothing to chance. They use the latest compliant spray equipment to reduce waste for ecological and health and safety reasons. To ensure all staff are fully training in the setup, use and routine maintenance of spray equipment, the RSC contacted Mick Warren from Spraytrain.com. The training was presented at RSC’s own workshops to provide theory and practical training
