Author Archives: Laura Salvaggio

Laura Salvaggio

Laura received a BFA in Production Design from SUNY Fredonia and an MFA in Theatrical Set Design and Painting from Temple University. She now teaches all things tech theater at Utica College and dabbles with other theater projects locally.

Jaxsan 600

Scenic Painting
Jaxsan 600
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I won’t have too many articles on just a product, and generally will just link to products in Amazon so you can know what they are if you don’t already.  Today we have an exception, because it’s such a niche product that is special.  Jaxsan 600 is one of my favorite materials for texturing or… Continue Reading

Back-paint Masonite to Prevent Warping

Set Construction
Masonite
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Often theaters will skin the floor of the stage with Masonite (or hardboard).  It protects the permanent stage floor and provides a smooth surface that can be painted.  It’s also a great sounding surface for tap dancers.  When I was in high school, our stage was skinned with Masonite that we kept painted flat black… Continue Reading

The Pumpkin of Doom

Props
Pumpkin of Doom
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This project involves using board foam, layered together and sealed and painted, to create a very unique prop, although the techniques translate to other projects easily. I once designed the show Revenge of the Space Pandas, which is a children’s theater piece by Mamet.  Yep, you read that right!  Mamet wrote some children’s theater, and… Continue Reading

Great Stuff Technique for Gluing Foam

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When I was in school, we used to hook layers of foam insulation board (both blue and pink) with what we called “Green Glue.”  I’m pretty sure actual green glue is something different but this was a product by DAP that was a foam safe contact cement that came in a green can.  The problems… Continue Reading

A different kind of Castle Painting with Blocks

Scenic Painting
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All theaters work under constraints, so it’s good to know some ways to get the “effect” you want with less investment from time to time.  In this case, the budget and time frame were both short and so I needed to make it feel like a castle interior quickly without spending much. This show, The… Continue Reading

A Small Turntable on a Small Budget

Set Construction
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I currently work for a college where theater is a fun thing to do on the side, but not the main event.  We have a lot of fun, but the budgets are tiny.  One of my first shows there was “The Ladies Man,” which is a door slamming farce that requires a small turntable for… Continue Reading

Painted Clapboard Siding

Scenic Painting
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As I was going through pictures of work I’ve done, looking for a process to write about, I stumbled across this series of pictures.  I don’t remember what show this was for, however I do remember it was at our local community college and I was working with student helpers, so it’s a fun, easy,… Continue Reading

All About Spatter

Scenic Painting
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Spattering is one of the easiest techniques to learn, but one of the hardest to completely control.  In my opinion, this is by far the most fun painting method ever. Someday I do want to add a video tutorial or at least more pictures to this section, but for now this is better than nothing…… Continue Reading

Sonotube “Pipe”

Scenic Painting
Pipe
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This article will discuss primarily the painting method used to paint some faux rusty/ grimy pipe made from sonotube, but also address some of the basics concerning the construction of the unit. Since moving to Utica, NY I have spent a lot of time working at Mohawk Valley Community College.  They have often hired me… Continue Reading

Rock Wall: A Quick Effective Model technique

Scenic Models
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For the purpose of this tutorial, the wall we are making is made of cut rocks for a formal English garden that is barren of plant life.  I’m not going to talk much about the design process or style choices on this one.  This article is more about the how to than the why.  … Continue Reading