THE Production: Building a sustainable set Donyale Werle’s scenic design for The Taming of the Shrew was realized by Paper Mâché Monkey, a Brooklyn-based art and design studio that uses sustainable, green practices to create specialty scenery, props, and costume crafts for on- and off-Broadway clients. The studio debuted their work in with the creation all of the handcrafted set dressing and props for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson on Broadway. Founders Kenneth Grady Barker and Meghan Buchanan answer questions from the Theatre’s education and humanities department.
Q: You describe Paper Mâché Monkey “as a creative team, [priding] itself on being comprised of multi-disciplined designers and sculptors in their own right.” Is there a line between design, sculpture, and set building? If so, where is that line?
Q: Donyale Werle has described her process as collaborative and a “teambased approach.” How would you describe your collaboration with her? Especially with respect to the Shrew set? A: We have had the opportunity to work on several shows with Donyale, and have really developed an understanding working together. Her designs have a specific direction, but are also open to interpretation. We respect what she has put on the table, and she acknowledges that we are not only builders, but artists that are able and willing to enhance her design. Everyone’s ideas count in this process (and we hire people who have equally great ideas). For us, it’s a very liberating and truly collaborative process.
Down stage right wall
A: For many companies, I think there is a much more distinct line than the ones we have created for ourselves at Paper Mâché Monkey. We are each artists and designers in our own right, and we try to take on projects in which we are not only building something, but also contributing a thoughtful aesthetic expertise. I don’t think there is necessarily a line, but really a marriage of sculpture, fabrication, and the art of set design.
A: We have had a lot of conversations regarding sustainability. As we all know, the theater is an inherently wasteful industry. Shows are built out of entirely new materials, installed, performed on, and dumped in the trash sometimes in a matter of weeks. Though convenient for a show’s quick turn-over in a theater, this practice is not good for the environment. Large amounts of perfectly good materials go to waste constantly, especially in an urban area as big as New York City. Finding and re-purposing those waste materials to create new sets and props is just one step that we can take toward a greener theater. To us, sustainability is thoughtful resourcefulness. Q: Where did the set’s salvaged wood come from? Were there any other materials salvaged for the project? A: The wood in our show came from a number of places. Build It Green and Materials for the Arts are a couple of our “go to” resources for doors, lumber, paint, and fabrics. We have also established a relationship with a company that recycles the wood from used shipping pallets to create new ones for sale. We were able to talk them out of some of their lumber 26
the taming of the shrew 360°
Pallet and other sourced salvaged wood
Q: What does “sustainable” mean to you?