For those of you who are interested in new materials, check out Transmaterial. I can’t describe it better than this quote from the site:

...Transmaterial online is intended to be a clear, concise, accessible, and carefully edited resource that provides information about the latest and most intriguing materials commercially available.

A little more...

As the speed of technological progress continues to accelerate, innovation threatens to outpace architects’ and designers’ working knowledge of materials thereby limiting their applicability. In order to stay at the cutting edge of design, a knowledge of the uses, properties, and sources of new materials is essential. A companion to the Transmaterial books written by Blaine Brownell and published by Princeton Architectural Press...

While most of us in theatre probably couldn’t afford any of these new materials, they do provide inspiration for solving some of our... err... unique challenges. Added bonus -- some of them are just super cool.
All in all, this here is some top notch geek porn.

Found out a couple of pitfalls when building mirror flats with mirrored acrylic skins. Our usual acrylic adhesive is a two part methacrylate based adhesive. It works incredibly well when bonding acrylic to just about any substrate (steel, wood, other plastics...) Some formulations cure to a relatively clear finish, which is quite the selling point. Unfortunately, we found that methacrylates will distort the mirror coating on mirrored plexi. Whoops. You can see the distortion in the picture below. It’s probably better to stick to liquid nails next time. As a side note, 3/16” mirror acrylic does not look great with toggles on 2’ centers; I recommend a thinner acrylic sheet contact cemented over a plywood skin to realize a flatter surface.

Dirt on stage. Poo poo. Dusty, dirty, a real pain in the ass. Jen tells me that she’s got a way to tame the dust. The secret is glycerol (aka glycerine or glycerin). Don’t worry, glycerol may sound threatening, but rest assured, it is not. It is a sugar alcohol that is found in everything from food to pharmaceuticals. Obligatory wiki link to glycerol. You can buy glycerol in 5 gallon buckets, which should last most folks for an entire run.

Before each show spray the dirt with a mixture of glycerol and water. The mixture will wet the dirt enough to prevent dust without getting muddy. The mixture will also keep the dirt damp for longer than just plain water. Sweet. Jen pointed out a few things:

• She didn’t remember the exact mixture of glycerol to water that she used, but her results will assuredly vary from yours; experimentation is the key. (I suggest you try a 1:1 first & see where that takes you.)
• The dirt will darken (you know, like it does when wet) after application. Experiment with the amount of mixture applied until you find the correct hue (failure to do this may lead to cranky designers)
• The mixture will slowly evaporate out of the dirt during the show. Experiment with mixture ratios, and time of application (before curtain.) If it just doesn’t last long enough, you may have to increase the amount you are using.
• Put on your scientific caps; remember that things like stage lighting, air handling and temperature will affect the whole shebang. Be rigorous & meticulous whilst experimenting.
• And above all else, after you find that perfect mix - be consistent!

Thanks be to Jen, who is a Stage Supervisor goddess.