Collaborative Scene Shop brings ‘Sweeney Todd’ to life for Broadway Camp’s 10th Anniversary

Innovative scenery, moving robotic streetlamps, and weeks of collaboration create a professional-quality production while giving students hands-on theatrical experience

As the Collaborative School of the Arts Broadway Camp celebrates its 10th anniversary, the Collaborative Scene Shop continues its longstanding partnership by building the scenery for this year’s production of “Sweeney Todd School Edition.” This year, the team has crafted an ambitious set combining expert craftsmanship, innovative technology, and collaborative problem-solving to create an immersive theatrical experience.

The production’s centerpiece is an impressive, multi-level scenic unit that transforms seamlessly throughout the show.

“We have a very interesting two-story unit that has three different sides on the base level, in addition to the barber shop that is on the second level,” said Lead Carpenter Bryan Drossel. “This unit is on wheels, which allows it to spin 360 degrees to play all three sides, as well as act as the bridge between the upstage platform level.”

The set fabrication took approximately two weeks, followed by nearly two weeks dedicated to scenic treatments and painting, along with a week of technical rehearsals to ensure every moving piece functioned as designed.

This year’s production also features a creative technical innovation. The Scene Shop built semi-autonomous robots that will move the streetlamps across the stage, adding a unique visual element to the storytelling.

“The cool thing we are doing on this show is we have built three robots so that the streetlamps move around,” said Collaborative Scene Shop Director Obadiah Savage.

Drossel explained that the robots use sensors and programming to follow a path across the stage.

“Built to sit on top of the robots are streetlamps,” he said. “This will create the effect of people walking down the street using the semi-autonomous robots.”

From initial design discussions to final construction, the project relied on close collaboration between the Scene Shop and the Broadway Camp production team. Constant communication ensured every scenic element fit together seamlessly while meeting the practical needs of performers and stage crew.

“Working with CSOA is always a pleasure for us at the shop because of the work it serves,” Drossel said. “There is a lot of communication that goes on beforehand leading up to the build that makes the magic happen, and we appreciate all of the time that everyone puts in to make the Broadway Camp productions happen.”

As Broadway Camp marks a decade of inspiring young performers, the Scene Shop continues to demonstrate that some of the most remarkable storytelling happens long before the curtain rises. Behind every scene change, moving streetlamp, and rotating set piece is a team dedicated to turning imagination into reality — one production at a time.

The Collaborative Scene Shop, a professional theatrical fabrication facility, designs and builds scenery, props, and stage elements for theatre, events, and educational programs. The shop combines traditional craftsmanship with modern technology to create high-quality, functional, and visually engaging environments, while also supporting hands-on learning opportunities for students and emerging artists.