Perfect Props

Billy Elliot Th Musical has been running in London since 2004, and over the years has caused expected wear and tear damage to it's props - in particular, the school chairs. Since 2006 I have been one of a small team that regularly makes, maintains and repairs these chairs.
The way the chairs are used in the show mean that they need to be both very light, and very strong, so when we build and repair the chairs we use traditional carpentry methods and discreet bracing.
Because a large number of chairs are on stage at the same time, it is essential that all the paint colours and finishes are the same. The chairs only come back for repair in small numbers, sometimes individually, so when any one of four or five people can be painting the repaired chair how do you keep a consistent style and colour? A great deal of experience!

Credits: Russell Beck Studio