You can purchase some common items directly from me (J. Michael Griggs) at the Loeb Drama Center. This service is only for HRDC Loeb productions. This is the current list of what I have available:

Lumber
In the year 2006 the Clifford Lumber Company ceased to exist. Clifford now works with Stock Building Supply in sales and we hope to work with him to achieve the same level of service that we had when he was our one man personal lumber company. Most ordering for Loeb shows goes through Michael Griggs, so discuss your needs with him. Prices listed below are just a guide and are for single pieces, if you order in quantity then the price per piece goes down. Lumber prices are very volatile, they change daily. Between wars, tsunamis, hurricanes and housing booms there are a lot of houses, cities, and countries being rebuilt.

There are many other type of lumber and wood products out there, veneer plywood, MDO, MDF, bendable "wacky wood" plywood, homosote, particle board OSB, cedar. They can be used to build special projects like 4' tall round, tapered flower pots. Talk to me if you have an unusual project so we can find the right materials.

Paint

We have been ordering scene paint and All-Floor paint from Backstage Hardware & Theatre Supply. They have a web page at http://www.backstagehardware.com/. He carries a complete line of theatrical supplies including the whole rosco catalog and is also a True Value hardware store. He has been very reliable for getting things delivered when you need them. Go to http://www.rosco.com to see the rosco product line. I have color charts for the paints at the Loeb Drama Center. Call Eric at Backstage Scenic to get prices, you can also e-mail him at goget@flash.net. Talk to me before ordering.

Notes about Paints:
Scene paints: The rosco line of scene paints is the standard for most of our stage painting. There may be other brands that may be a bit cheaper, but rosco is consistent in color and quality. Also, it is easily obtained and can be delivered right to the theatre (see Backstage Scenic above). There are different types of paints we use for different purposes. The rosco products pages can give you a good description of the products, below are my personal preferences and price considerations
All of these are water based paints, NEVER buy oil based paints, stains or varnishes for Loeb shows.

rosco Iddings Deep Colors: Iddings Color Chips A line of highly concentrated rich colors in a casein binder. Must be diluted with water to use, so 1 gallon actually is like 2 or 3. Can be diluted with large quantities of water to create very thin washes (or glazes) of color. Best for backdrops on muslin and muslin covered flats. Flat matte finish and not waterproof when dry.

Supersaturated Roscopaint: Supersaturated Color Chips Also highly concentrated rich colors, but in a flexible acrylic binder. This means it sticks better to difficult surfaces like plastics and metal, so it is a better choice for props and furniture and for carved styrofoam creations like rocks and sculptures. Plastics and metal still need a good primer like rosco Tough-Prime. This is expensive paint and we don't use it too often, when we do we usually buy it in quarts.

rosco Off Broadway: Off Broadway Color Chips This is a more affordable vinyl acrylic paint. It just may be Supersaturated Roscopaint already diluted down to a working solution. It is ready to use right out of the can, no diluting is needed, which is great when you have an inexperienced paint crew. It can be diluted a bit if you want a thinner wash. This is probably the paint you want for 80% of your stage painting. Prices vary by pigment, a recent rosco catalog lists (gallon prices) white $18.00, black 21.00, earth colors like Burnt Sienna 20.75, and brighter colors like reds, blues, and greens ranging from 25.00 to 36.00 there are also silver, copper, and gold metallic colors which are expensive, but you can order pints or quarts.

Rosco Color Coat paint chips

rosco Clear Gloss and Flat Acrylic Glazes: These are clear acrylic mediums that are used as an overcoat to seal floors and to make things glossy. They are water based and must be thinned with water at about 1:1 dilution. They are best applied with a roller. Any of the rosco paints can be mixed into them to make a tinted glaze. For example, if you painted a floor to look like wood and wanted to seal it, you could mix a little brown in with the clear gloss and it would give the floor a added layer of depth. The Flat variety does all the same stuff, only dries without the gloss shine. This stuff goes on milky and looks ugly until it dries. Do NOT use any type of varnish, wax or urethane finish on the actual stage floors since it difficult to repaint.

ALL-Floor: a floor paint made by California (the paint company, not the state). Best thing for floors since it has sealer built into it. It dries to a good tough waterproof finish that won't scuff too easily and can be mopped clean. Also very important for Loeb Theatres is that it is easy to paint over, which we do constantly. Do NOT use any type of varnish, wax or urethane finish on the stage floors since it difficult to repaint.

Latex paint (common house paint): A cheap flat latex paint is a good choice for painting lauan covered flats and things like the hanging ex flats. It is also good for priming lauan flats before using good scene paints. NOT good for muslin drops or flats since it is too thick and doesn't thin out too well. Not good for floors since it scuffs easily and can peel up. You can color tint latex paint with any of the rosco paints.

Stains and varnishes: Never ever purchase oil based stains or varnishes for Loeb shows. If you are staining hardwood furniture then use water based stains and urethane finishes which are available. To "stain" a piece of furniture built with softwood like pine or plywood, use scene paint thinned out the proper amount. Softwood and plywood are usually too absorbent to take furniture stains well and often come out spotty and blotchy (two of my favorite cartoon characters).

Fabric

Syracuse Scenery is a preferred and less pricey alternative to Rose Brand for custom made drapes and scrims. They carry a full line of fabric, hardware and lighting equipment. http://www.syracusescenery.com/

New England Textile, 50 Essex St, Boston 617-426-1965 a lot of odd bolts of drapery fabric and other things. Real cheap, but they said they were remodeling, so prices may go up when that happens. This is where I go to get something like 50 yards of shiny blue drapery fabric that is 6 feet wide for $3.00 a yard.

Winmil Fabrics, 111 Chauncy St. Boston 617-542-1815, Good selection of fabric for costumes and scenery around the corner from New England textiles.

To get to New England Textile, Winmil and other fabric shops in downtown Boston, take the Red line to downtown crossing. See map.

There is a place called Sew Low Discount Fabrics Inc. at 473 Cambridge St. in Cambridge. It is near the Green Line Lechmere stop but it is easier to take a cab or the #69 bus from Harvard Square that goes down Cambridge St. Their phone is 617-661-8361. It is jammed packed with all kinds of fabric and trim and is close by. For other sources check the yellow pages.

Lighting

High Output, Inc. 495 Turnpike St. , Canton, 02021, 800-787-4747:
They have color and gobos and we get a discount. They used to be close by but moved far away. At their web site http://www.highoutput.com/ you can download their sales and rental catalogs. They also carry scene paint and other supplies. They don't deliver little things, unless they have something coming nearby anyhow. Call to find out or ask Derek Wiles.

Alps (Advanced Lighting and Production Services, Inc) is a good source for rental items and purchase of all lighting related items. Toll Free (866) 961-3066 and http://www.alpsweb.com/

Barbizon Light, 3 Draper St., Woburn, MA, 781-935-3920:
Carries color and templates, they deliver via UPS which costs extra. We buy lamps and instruments and parts from them. http://www.barbizon.com/

Backstage Hardware & Theatre Supply
21 Drydock Ave, Boston, MA 02210
Phone: 1-800-698-8995, 617-330-1422 Fax: 617-330-6997 Sells Color (gel) and his service on paint and supplies is great. See above at paint.

If you have more detailed questions about lighting talk with Derek Wiles the ART Master Electrician at 495-2668, ext. 8861, or derek_wiles@harvard.edu.

Misc. Supplies

Backstage Hardware & Theatre Supply, 1-800-698-8995. He carries the complete rosco catalog and will get you whatever else you need since they are a True Value hardware store. See above at paint.

Home Depot, 75 Mystic Ave., Somerville, MA, 623-0001:
They have everything and cheap too. This is where we get things like pre-made doors with or without frames. Tools, plumbing, plastic drop cloths, decorative moldings, carpet, etc...... Almost impossible to get to without a vehicle. There is now a Watertown location that is easiest to get to with a car.

For Plastics call Hart Supply at 781-749-4000 to get prices and information.

Dickson Bros. Hardware Store. Harvard Square. 617-876-6760:
A True Value hardware branch. Higher prices than most due to location, location, location. They have most everything.

Tags Hardware, Porter Square Shopping Center, 617-437-9449:
An Ace Hardware branch. One stop away on the red line at Porter Square. Like Dicksons they have everything, and a little more.

Pearl Art Supplies, 579 Massachusetts Ave. Central Square, Cambridge. 617-547-6600. Great art and craft supplies, one stop away on the red line in Central Square. Reasonable prices and huge selection of craft supplies, special papers, model making stuff, etc.

There are many other suppliers we use for specific things (big blocks of foam, special nuts and bolts, rigging hardware, steel, plastic, etc.) talk to me if you have something in mind that is not covered above.