News and Events
Set-Exchange.co.uk
17th Apr 2013
Next month
Set-Exchange.co.uk will be two years old.
For those
of you who haven't come across the project yet, in essence they are a Freecycle
for theatre. Set up as a reaction to
funding cuts and as a way to reduce waste and promote sustainability within the
industry, the project aims to to help them share their resources and help others
while helping themselves.
So how
does it work? Contrary to some beliefs, they do not have a huge warehouse of props and they don't have a fleet of trucks
driving around the country collecting old sets. They are a website based on the Freecycle model. They provide a platform where you can advertise
items of set, props, costume, lighting or anything theatre related that you no
longer need and make them available to the wider theatre community. Rather than throwing your set in a skip at
the end of the get out, it provides an opportunity for you to offer any useful
items or materials that someone else might be able to reuse in their
production, be it some flattage, a set of treads, some spare timber, a show
floor, a carpet, a sofa, or a staircase.
This site
is completely free to use, the only condition is that any items you offer must
be offered for free. The grand concept
is that in giving away your set and props after a get out you reduce your
disposal costs and reduce landfill. The person who wants the item you are
giving away takes responsibility for the cost of collecting the item, but they
get something for nothing for their next production. They reuse, they share our resources, and they get
a little bit closer to making our industry more sustainable.
They have
had a huge range of items posted and re homed through the site, including a
stage revolve, 500 tip up theatre seats, staging, flats, an ice cream van,
various sofas, hospital beds, 50 par cans and numerous small pros and full
sets. Anything goes and it's more than
likely that someone out there will want what you're giving away. Venues involved to date have included the
Royal Court, Manchester Royal Exchange, the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne and
the National Theatre, down to the many smaller commercial and fringe venues
around the country. They also have the involvement
of a number of set builders who regularly post items after a clear out of their
stores.
They also
allow the posting of 'wanted' items where you can put a request for items that
you are struggling to find, in the hope that someone might have that 1930's
cigarette machine lurking in their props store that they are willing to lend
for your production.
The
project was set up to benefit everyone on the community we work in. There is no
vetting policy to sign up and join in, and we actively encourage everyone to
get involved, be it production managers, set builders, stage managers or props
supervisors. We currently have over 1400 people signed up and using the site,
but the more people they can get joining in, the bigger the benefit to everyone
involved. By signing up you can opt to receive regular emails whenever a new
item is posted on the site, or you can follow their twitter feed, @setexchange.
