outside
the box DESIGN/ TECH SOLUTIONS
Upcycled
Creating a Eurydice Backdrop from Plastic Bottles
by Matthew Leckenbusch, Kendra Johnson and Shannon Robert
I
n the fall of 2014, the Clemson University theatre department set a goal of
producing at least one upcycled/green show each season. The department kicked off its commitment with a production of Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice in the spring of 2015. The objective was to promote recycling on campus by increasing awareness of plastic waste, which is substantial on college campuses across the country. Faculty, staff, theatre majors and nonmajors gathered materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill and integrated them into the play’s costume and lighting design, scenic construction and stage management for a completely upcycled production.
SCENE/LIGHTING DESIGN
This modern-day retelling of the Or-
pheus myth was staged in the 968-seat
Above: Nearly 18,000 recycled plastic bottles were used to create the backdrop for Clemson University’s spring 2015 production of Eurydice. Right: Workers strike the set. Sheer fabric recycled from an earlier event was draped behind the wall of bottles to catch light.
Brooks Theatre. The scenic plan, developed by professor and scenic designer Shannon
half of the final total. Collection boxes were
ment chair, cast members and students
Robert, was to transform plastic water
also set up around the Brooks Center, with
from many majors pitched in, some also
bottles into an enormous backdrop, lit by
the only stipulations being that containers
recruiting their friends and roommates.
ethereal colored lights that would transition
must be clear and relatively clean.
seamlessly from one setting to the next.
Planning: Back in the scene shop, team
by counting bottle caps, that about 20,000
Technical director Matthew Leckenbusch
members got advice from the university’s
bottles were processed by 124 volunteers.
and student carpenters began work early
environmental health and safety depart-
Of those, 17,814 were used in the final prod-
in the fall semester on a small-scale proof
ment on how to prepare and clean the
uct. Total hours to complete the work came
of concept. They experimented with string-
bottles. Then volunteers were recruited to
in at 584. That was less than the 800 hours
ing plastic bottles on recyclable fishing
help clean, cut and hang the bottles.
Haynes had expected based on the test
line, with quarter-inch reusable washers
strings she and Leckenbusch assembled.
to secure them. After four or five strings
technical director, keeper of statistics and
Cleaning: The first step in readying
were created, they hung them on a welding
unofficial ambassador for the project. She
the collected bottles for the project was
screen. The lights were turned off. Shining
helped mobilize Saturday work calls, jok-
to remove caps and labels. (Some of these
a flashlight through the gel onto the bottles
ingly referred to as Bottlepaloozaganzas.
were used in the costumes.) Then the team
revealed the potential of the project.
The team originally thought 12,000
used 295 gallons of tap water to wash and
Collection: The first step in creating the
bottles would be sufficient, so three Sat-
rinse the bottles in five-gallon buckets with
design was to collect bottles. Students in
urdays of work, in addition to the normal
nontoxic cleaner.
three theatre classes were invited to com-
work week, were scheduled. This estimate
Scene Construction/Load-In: Next,
pete in a friendly contest to see which group
ballooned by 40 percent and workdays
volunteers cut the bottles into small,
could collect the most bottles. The students
were added, as well as volunteers. Faculty
randomly shaped pieces. These smaller
hauled in roughly 12,000 bottles, more than
members and their children, the depart-
shards were affixed to 500 to 600 strands
6 x Southern Theatre x Winter 2017
Student Liz Haynes served as assistant
At the end, team members determined,