Theatre 111 Scene Shop at UWGB is a Hidden Gem | The Fourth

The Hidden Gem on UWGB: Scene Shop

There is a hidden gem on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB) campus: the Theatre 111 Scene Shop, located next to the University Theatre. It is a space where faculty and students can learn and engage in various theater-related activities.

David Cook, the Theatre Department’s technical director, says, “The Scene Shop is a laboratory for UWGB students, both theatre majors and non-majors, to learn how to build scenery by building the scenery for our productions.”

Cook’s role in the shop is to coach students in safely learning how the theater industry constructs sets and how plans are engineered into reality. The Scene Shop has been on the university’s campus since Theatre Hall was built. Cook notes that he has run into students, employees, and various faculty members who have worked at the shop as far back as the 1980s.

The Scene Shop focuses on crafting all the behind-the-scenes elements necessary for a UWGB production, including set building, lighting, painting, and other technical concepts. A variety of components come together to produce the sets for musicals, plays, and dance productions staged by the UWGB Theater and Dance Program.

Recently, the UWGB Program completed its fall play, “Vinegar Tom,” where the shop created a large-scale wood piece. The set included various levels of stages and hanging flats to evoke the feeling of old wooden Salem buildings.

The shop’s sets vary in size depending on the production. “There is not a typical day, which is why a lot of students like it. What we are doing is going to vary depending on which part of the production process we are in,” says Cook.

“At the beginning of the process, we are doing a lot more of the rough construction, building larger, more structural units, getting into the middle, people starting to paint things, and getting into the fine trim work.” Cook described that after a show, sets are dismantled, and reusable pieces are saved.

Occasionally, outside guest artists come into the space to work with students or for specific productions. “This is really a shop for the students,” says Cook. A wide variety of students work in the shop for many reasons. Around 15-32 students per semester take Theater 338: Practicum Class, which is a hands-on theater credit. “Since the class is repeatable, you get a tremendously wide range of experience,” Cook says. “I was just checking the class listing for next semester, and there is one guy taking it for his eighth time.”

The shop also employs student workers, referred to as theater technicians, as well as students with interests in painting, lighting, or props. Individuals who come through the shop learn everything theatre-related, from the construction of sets to painting, props, audio, video, and projection design.

UWGB student Kory Karls has been working in the Scene Shop for four years as a theater technician or student worker. “I love working as a theater technician here at UWGB because this job gives me an opportunity to practice such a unique skill set where I learn new things every day, and I have made amazing friends while working here,” says Karls. “Another cool thing about this job is that I still get to be involved in the theater program without actually having a major or minor declared in it.”

The shop is fully equipped with specialized tools and equipment for creating a wide range of set sizes and characteristics. Machinery such as table saws, circular saws, routers, and staple guns, along with hand tools, different glues, screws, and various wood materials, are commonly used to create structurally sound pieces and connect different components. Karls says, “I have gained confidence in my basic carpentry skills and using all sorts of blades, as well as learned about knots, stage lighting, a little bit about stage rigging, how to drive lifts, and various other helpful little tips.”

Students are not required to have prior experience working with tools to join the Scene Shop. However, since the shop is equipped with dangerous equipment, individuals must complete an orientation to learn how to properly and safely use the machinery. Cook says, “Students do everything. Their point in being here is to learn how to do everything.” UWGB student Ben Hansen first took Theater 338 Practicum Class last fall and has learned many skills; some of his favorites include drills and saws. “I think it’s a lot of fun once you start getting comfortable with the tools and procedures,” Hansen says. “Plus, David (Cook), the professor, always works with you to find something you’re confident in doing or, more importantly, help you get more comfortable with something new.”

The Scene Shop offers opportunities for theatre majors and non-theatre majors to learn new skills and expand their capabilities. “Every semester, at least a third of the students come in and probably have never touched a hammer before,” said Cook. “The goal for them is to walk out with more knowledge than they had coming in.”

Cook also reflected on the satisfaction of seeing students apply their learned skills in professional roles. Many students go on to work at the Weidner Center across the street from Theater Hall, where they use their skills as technicians. “Students have gone on to win technical awards, working as professional technicians, from being technical directors or assistant directors in large theatres to touring with large music groups,” Cook says.

Individuals in the Green Bay community and students at UWGB can be sure to look out for the Scene Shop’s set and production design in the upcoming show put on by UWGB Theater and Dance Program, “The Angel Next Door.”