Theater and film companies across the nation use huge amounts of materials to get their productions exactly how they pictured them to turn out. Afterwards many of the sets and materials are discarded. While this remains a huge problem in the film and theater industry, it has not gone unnoticed and in Kensington, and volunteers have developed a starting point.
The Resource Exchange, located at 2829 Cedar St., has created an outlet for materials used in film and theater productions to be stored, rented and sold instead of going to waste in landfills.
The executive director of The Resource Exchange, Karyn Gerred, said the mission is to creatively reuse, recycle and conserve all kinds of materials.
“At a low cost, we’re trying to get these materials back into the community for the arts, but also for just regular average Philadelphians, for the business community, for whoever might be able to best utilize them and keep them out of a landfill,” Gerred said.
Previously a scenic painter, Gerred was familiar with the film and theater industry. With the help of her partners, who also have backgrounds in the industry, The Resource Exchange started with just where the most raw materials were going to waste.
“We started all of this with that (film and theater industries) as the beginnings,” Gerred said, “Because there is a lot of waste in those industries, they are fantastic great cultural institutions, but a lot goes into the making the short term productions that need saving.”
Recently moving into the neighborhood in September, with a 3,000-square-foot store, The Resource Exchange has been able to expand the materials it is saving. Through rentals or purchases, customers can find props for a play, fabrics and ribbons to get creative with, school supplies for low-budget teachers and even little trinkets to decorate a home.
Most of the materials in the store are donated through theater and film companies or local artists. While some of the items’ original stories are kept secret under film contracts, others, like the train car from the “White Christmas” production at the Walnut Street Theatre, give the materials lively character.
As an artist herself, volunteer Linda Conley said the challenge is about people finding affordable materials that match their style.
“The Resource Exchange provides creative people with beautiful, unusual materials at affordable prices that they would not necessarily have access to in the traditional marketplace,” Conley said. “And that they can feel good about using, knowing it was saved from a landfill.”
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