Set Construction

Set construction brings the world of the play to life. With many people working to follow the design specifications of the show and scenic designer, set construction is typically done by the scenic department and is headed by the shop foreman or master carpenter and reports to the scenic designer, technical director, and director. The shop foreman works with their team to meet the demands of the scenic designer. The technical director works closely with the shop master and is in charge of engineering the scenery, having it redrafted for the scene shop to build. The technical director works as the liaison to the shop foreman to get everything built to spec. This guide provides a description of the set construction process and application.

Terminology

• Broadway Flat: Lightweight walls made of wood with boards laid flat as a frame.
• Foam Smith: The art of turning foam into usable items.
• Hollywood Flat: Lightweight walls made of wood with boards on edge as a frame.
• IATSE: The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, also called Local One, is the union for stage employees.
• Load-in/Load-out: The process of installing or dismantling a production on stage. Load-out is also called strike, not to be confused with a union strike.
• Metal Work: The trade or skill of using metal to create usable items.
• Platforms: Stage elevations made of wood typically in standard dimensions like 4x8.
• Scene Shop: The location where the set is constructed.
• Scenic Carpenters: The skilled workers that build the scenery in a Scene Shop.
• Scenic Designer: The person who designs the set.
• Shop Foreman/Master Carpenter: The person in charge of the Scene Shop.
• Technical Director: The person who redraws the scenery so the scene shop can build them.
• Welding: The melting of metal to join two pieces together.
• Woodworking/Carpentry: The trade or skill of turning raw lumber into usable items.