Backstage booth/SM area

[mattciulla]

I am going to be building/creating myself a backstage SM area/booth type area. What are the best features you have had in a booth? This is high school theatre, but still tell whatever you think would help!

Thanks

[Here2serv]

The obvious would be a table top area. A white board and cork board that would surround the table top. Storage under the table top would be great. Doing like shelves and making them to where you can slide clear containers into them. A drawer or a built in place to store pens and pencils and all other office type supplies that are needed. Since you have the luxury of building it, just make sure to build places to store things. That way they can be out of sight, but readily accessible. Best of luck!

[Mac Calder]

What is the area going to be used for?

For example, my bio at work has a huge whiteboard, with screws for holding up clipboards underneath - it's sole purpose is holding job sheets and showing what is in each room for the week, and who is working them. Not that useful in a theatre, but one of the most useful features of our booth for what the venue is used for.

We also have a bench along the front of the bio with gaps for followspots, with patch points along the back which link to patch bays, special lighting rails along the roof, which allow you to clip in a light at any location, racks for cables, a separate office etc. Your best bet is to visit a few venues and ask to see their facilities so that you can see what works and what doesn't.

[Celeste_SM]

Space for video monitors - at least 2, maybe 3.

[BWEEVEED]

Well. Considering this IS a high school theatre booth...

Countertop space, I'm not sure if this is where sound and lights will be run. Shelves underneath. Enough room for more than one person depending on how it will be used.

ALSO. If you do put shelves underneath the countertop space, install a light so you can actually see/find stuff under there when all the lights are off and such.

[rocco]

For high school theatre something to keep people who shouldnt be in there out of there. Like locks on cabinets is a very good idea. I remember my sophmore year a few idiots got into my booth and decided it would be a good idea to spray the fire extinguisher all over the place... a disaster at best, however we got the school to compensate for our dimmer rack and light board. I digress... Also think about what your keeping there, if your going to have to douple as props mistress/master make sure you have room for them. I guess what you really need to do is think about what your using it for, and go from there...

[deletedoldnotanymore]

Heh, I just built one of these for our studio theater last year!  Ours is a raised platform with a counter around three edges.  Things that we found very important were:
* Carpeting to keep the noise of the rolly chairs down
* A nice big clock we got from Ikea
* at least a foot of space around the edges for emergency exits
* lots of things to tape cable to
* enough shelf room to have the prompt book on the counter, and have the sound and lights equipment setup.

Hope it helps!

[Rhynn]

Your own built-in running light with a dimmer switch.

A mounted microphone holder for your "God" mic if it is "handheld."

A power strip with surge supressor for your computer and other things.

Place for your own sound monitor with volume control.

A permanent place for your headset--especially if it is wired--have it mounted to the unit.

A cup holder for your sealed bottle of water.

Another cup holder for pencils and pens.

[LCSM]

A drawer right beside my right hand to hold pencils, pens, erasers, betteries, etc.

If it's going to be a closed booth any type of air conditioning you can afford (my high school is still begging restlessly for this).

Lots of space to work and spread out your stuff.

Lots of storage cabinets with locks where you can store headsets, etc. where nobody can get at them to break them.

The biggest thing for me would probably be space to move around and make yourself at home.