Facility Info

The scene shop is located at the CPH Production Center about 5 miles from the Allen Theatre Complex (ATC). All scenery built at the Production Center must fit into a truck and be transported to the ATC where it is assembled onstage. There is a 10,500 square foot construction and layout space with no pillar obstructions. We have a fifteen-foot height clearance under the ceiling trusses of our barrel-roofed shop-space; between the trusses we have up to 24 feet of height to assemble scenery, do rigging and any other work necessary to build the shows. We are equipped with all the normal power tools and hand tools to create scenery from wood, steel and any number of other materials. We have a 4’x8’ CNC router table and our automation system is equipped with four 5 HP motors, a stagehand FX and two copies of Spikemark Software, all from Creative Conners Automation.

Staff Descriptions

The Technical Director (TD) is responsible for managing all aspects of scenery construction from looking at the Scenic Designer’s drawings, engineering how to construct the set, collaborating with other department heads on the best materials for construction, budgeting for materials and labor and overseeing the build, load-in and strike for each set.

The Assistant Technical Director (ATD) is responsible for assisting the TD with their responsibilities, as well as taking the lead on building the two shows we produce each season for the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program.

The Shop Forman builds scenery and oversees the construction by the Shop Carpenters working in the scene shop. The Shop Foreman is a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local #27 (IATSE).

The Shop Carpenters are responsible for safely constructing, loading-in and striking each set. The Shop Carpenters are members of IATSE. CPH employs four full-time seasonal Shop Carpenters and usually hires an additional three or four IATSE stagehands to help with the load-in and strike of each show.

The Stage Carpenter primarily works in the Allen Theatre Complex and helps with the load-in, rigging, and strike of each show. The Stage Carpenter is responsible for repairing and maintaining all of the scenery once it arrives in the theatre. They are also the head of the Run Crew and take the lead in all scene shifts. The Stage Carpenter is a member of IATSE.