Sets Machine

This was another one of those crazy projects with Sets Machine that so define my experience living in New York.  It’s a truth about the scenic industry that you have to have an uncanny ability to work excruciatingly long hours. The jobs take months to design, but often only have weeks to prepare. For designers and fabricators this means that you need to have complete faith in your vision, and in the abilities of your crew. For the crew this means you need to know what you;re doing, be ready to learn on the fly, and commit to your skills.  This project was during an especially busy time for Sets Machine, my favorite shop.  Lots of other jobs were in progress as we put this together, so any day would see me painting, staining, building, or carving.  My particular highlight of this job was cleaning the beautifully routed Corona logos into reclaimed pine, and then carefully pouring in clear resin into the letters.  The brothers then planed the backs off the boards, and we sanded the front, leaving perfectly frosted translucent letters.  I also got to help with the installation of this one, which I don’t always get to do, and on a seventh floor patio in Manhattan it was a real pleasure.