Bonsai Trees Are Afraid

and where we keep the Wicked Witch of the West's feet šŸŒŖ

Hello!

Welcome to The Flying P, a weekly newsletter covering your Phipps Center for the Arts and anything else I might want to throw your way.

This issue hasā€¦

  • šŸ”Ø The Best Shop In Town
    so much set building going on

  • šŸ’€ The Best Props In Town
    the props, omg the props

  • šŸŒ± Plant Success
    not dying, thriving

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FACILITIES

Our shop rocks

a photo of the Phipps scene shop

our shop is HUGE

Thereā€™s lots to be proud of at the Phipps, especially when talking about the amazing facilities we enjoy. Today, Iā€™m going to give you a little tour of our fantastic scene shop (we have one of the best in the entire TC metro šŸ˜Ž).

I hope Kassi doesnā€™t get grumpy with me for these photos ā€” theyā€™re in the process of taking down The Drowsy Chaperone, so the space is a little more cluttered than normal. Sorry, Kassi!

a photo of a smiling cat face scenic element in the Phipps scene shop

the eyes move šŸ˜ļø

As you can see, the place is HUMONGOUS, and so well organized. Lots of things are saved from show to show, especially flats and other common items that tend to be used in most designs. This helps speed up the next build process because Kassi and the volunteer gang donā€™t have to keep building the same stuff over and over again.

It also helps the design process, as the scenic designer can put together a design based on what we already have saved in the shop. All of this not only saves time, but also money. Hooray for saving money!

a photo of some hanging decorative scenic elements in the Phipps scene shop

Sister Act anyone?

Weā€™ll also hold on to specialty scenic items that we could potentially reuse or even rent or lend to other theatre-producing organizations. We use something called Basecamp as a sort of ā€œonline catalogā€ so designers, potential renters, etc. can search our stock and find exactly what they want or need without traveling to Hudson. Convenient!

a photo of theatrical sign storage in the Phipps scene shop

lotsa signage

Thereā€™s lots more to it, but Iā€™ll leave that to Phipps Community Day, when you can get an actual tour and chat with Kassi and crew about all that goes into making this space work. Itā€™s truly incredible.

PHIPPS TOP 10
best-selling upcoming events this season by tickets soldā€¦

1. Prancer (previously: 1)
2. Transyl-Mania (previously: 2)
3. I Am Womanā€¦. presented by Lori Dokken (previously: 3)
4. Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society (previously: 4)
5. The Andrews Sisters Onstage: a Jen Burleigh-Bentz production (previously: 8)
6. Colleen Rayeā€™s NYE (previously: 5)
7. Silent Sky (previously: 6)
8. Underneath the Lintel, or: The Mystery of the Abandoned Trousers (previously: 7; 2nd SHOW ADDED)
9. A Brass & Organ Holiday (previously: 9)
10. Kick the Bucket List (previously: 10)

BETTER HURRY LIST
best-selling upcoming events this season by percent sold
(i.e., closest to being sold out)ā€¦

1. I Am Womanā€¦. presented by Lori Dokken (SOLD OUT)
2. Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society (previously: 3)
3. The Andrews Sisters Onstage: a Jen Burleigh-Bentz production (previously: 4)
4. Underneath the Lintel, or: The Mystery of the Abandoned Trousers (previously: 2; 2nd SHOW ADDED)
5. A Brass & Organ Holiday (previously: 5)

as of 10/7/24
FACILITIES

Donā€™t count out the props

a photo of the Phipps props storage room

prop storage is amazingly fun

Just upstairs from the scene shop is prop storage, one of the coolest rooms at the Phipps. This is where we store all our theatrical props.

Thereā€™s a ton of random stuff in here, so organization is key. And once again, the Phipps team nails the organization part. Much like with our scenic elements, all our props are categorized on Basecamp for easy searching (example below šŸ‘‡).

a screenshot of a Phipps props Basecamp entry

a page out of Basecamp

a photo of the Wicked Witch of the West's ruby slippers prop

šŸ šŸŒŖ

Sometimes a prop is so unique that you just have to make it. For the creation (and maintenance) of props, we have the prop shop.

Here, there are supplies, tools, and space needed to repair or create the props we might need for a production.

a photo of a prop shop

the prop shop

a photo of prop-making materials in bins

so many prop-making materials

a photo of prop-making materials in bins

organization is the name of the game

Prop storage and the prop shop are two more areas youā€™ll be able to tour during Phipps Community Day, so I wonā€™t toss out any more spoilers. Swing by on April 26th to learn more.

a photo of a purple iris

artist: Leslie Carpenter-Holt

šŸ‘†
my favorite gallery piece of the week
This piece is digital photography called Abstract Iris, and itā€™s hanging out in the Atrium Gallery for the next couple of weeks. Check it out!

DEEP DESK DIVE

My peace lily is loving life

a peace lily in an office window

this thing is happy

Iā€™m taking a moment to brag about the condition of the peace lily in my office. Six blooms, people. SIX BLOOMS.

I can hear you already: ā€œBen. You need to relax about the peace lily.ā€

I will not relax and hereā€™s why:
Iā€™m not the best at keeping plants alive. When I was in college, I killed more bonsai trees than I care to admit. Iā€™m essentially the John Wayne Gacy of bonsai trees.

So, whenever Iā€™m caring for a plant, the ghosts of those dead bonsais haunt me. Will I take a long weekend and forget to water it? What if the soil is wrong? Will I over water this thing? AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

But so far (itā€™s been over a year now), this guy is THRIVING. Maybe Iā€™m not as bad at this as I thought. šŸ™ƒ 

photo of Warren Sampson at a desk with audio equipment

Prancer First Look was a FUN TIME

If youā€™re still not attending the First Looks, youā€™re missing out. The photo above is from a portion of the night where Warren Sampson, Prancerā€™s sound designer, took us through a fun audio tour of the upcoming holiday production. Keep an eye on your inbox for an invite to the next First Look!

Are you the smartest PCA person in town?
Prove it by completing The Flying C(rossword).
šŸ‘‡

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Talk to you next week!

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