As a performing arts teacher with over 20 years of experience in staging school musicals, I've seen firsthand the financial challenges that schools face in producing high-quality productions. The temptation to cut corners and work with limited budgets is understandable, but this approach often ends up costing schools more in the long run.
Consider the scenario of a school that allocates a modest $5,000 to $7,000 budget for their musical set. On the surface, this may seem like a reasonable allocation. However, the hidden costs and logistical headaches that come with this approach quickly become apparent.
Firstly, with such a limited budget, the school will be hard-pressed to build a set that meets the needs of a full-scale musical production. More often than not, they will need to borrow or repurpose sets from other sources. This introduces a host of issues - from the safety and structural integrity of the borrowed set to the time and resources required to transport, store, and potentially modify it to fit the school's needs.
Even if the school taps into its own in-house resources, such as maintenance staff and parent volunteers, to construct the set, these efforts come at a cost. The time and energy spent on set building is time taken away from the performing arts teachers, who are already dedicating hundreds of hours to the musical production. This diverts critical resources from the core educational and artistic goals of the production.
Furthermore, the final product may not meet the desired quality standards, potentially compromising the educational and artistic experiences for the students involved. In today's world, where students and audiences are exposed to a wealth of high-quality productions, both on stage and online, the expectations for school musicals have risen significantly. Settling for a subpar set can undermine the overall impact and engagement of the production.
In contrast, partnering with a performing arts organization that specializes in set design and construction can provide a far more cost-effective solution. For example, a professionally designed and constructed set, worth an estimated $50,000 to $70,000 to build in-house, can be made available to schools to hire for a fraction of the cost - around $15,500*. This price point includes not only the set itself but also the transportation, installation, and removal, as well as the necessary safety inspections and risk assessments. Cost estimate here is based on a school in Melbourne, Victoria.
By outsourcing the set design and construction, the performing arts teachers can focus their efforts on the core educational and artistic aspects of the production, confident in the knowledge that the technical elements are being handled by industry experts. This not only enhances the overall quality of the musical but also frees up valuable time and resources for the teachers, allowing them to devote more attention to their students.
Ultimately, the decision to outsource set design and construction should be viewed not as an added expense, but as a strategic investment in the quality and success of the school's musical production. By prioritizing the educational and artistic goals, while also ensuring cost-effectiveness, schools can create truly impactful and memorable experiences for their students and the wider community.
