Pack Rats, Be Warned!

I remember in college whenever I had a big paper due I would use cleaning my room as a means to procrastinate, thinking that a spotless space would lend towards a clear mind. The practice has stayed with me except now the tasks are a lot larger than a term paper and to make up for it I have an entire house maintain. And although CuDC really isn’t trying to procrastinate with renovating SOURCE, I still have the same creeping feeling that I have to clean it out before we get to work on it and you would not believe the amount of stuff we have to clear out. When CuDC purchased SOURCE it came with a mountain of old office furniture, set pieces, files, archives, costumes, props and knick knacks that are just plain weird. We’re doing our best to preserve everything that is salvageable or has history to it. Pat Sheehey was making regular trips to pick out important Source Theatre archive materials. Old company members have made frequent visits to what I affectionately call “the pile” to pull out that useful door, chair or prop that was used in another production long ago.

You have to understand that there literally is a “pile” of garbage that can fill more than one industrial sized dumpster on the second floor that is slated to be taken out with demolition. CuDC was able to save a lot of props and furniture from becoming landfill during a Dog Days of August Sidewalk Sale. Yet even from the broken and less useful props left behind a lot of history can be discerned. Considering what shows have been at SOURCE, I shouldn’t surprised by the amount of (mostly) fake weaponry. I’ve found swords, rifles, pistols, maces, spears, grenades, bullwhips, handcuffs, laser blasters, dynamite and detonators. There was also a coffin lid. Some props may or may not want to be claimed (red rubber crotchless underwear, anyone?) There is also an inordinate amount of filing cabinets and office furniture in various states of usefulness and disrepair and a few computers that can now be qualified as antiques, most of which may be making an appearance on Craigslist any day now. Don’t be afraid to call us if you think you can use any of it!

-Travis Bowerman, Director of Operations