Let's talk about tape

Tape will be used throughout your stage management endeavors (and honestly in your LIFE endeavors), so let’s go over some tape basics from your resident user of tape. I myself have solved many a theatre emergencies and “fixed” many a household items with my handy roll of gaff tape and you can too!


GAFFER’S TAPE

AKA Gaff Tape

DESCRIPTION: a strong pressure-sensitive tape made of cotton cloth

USE FOR: Taping cables to the ground, taping two items together, sturdy (but temporary) fixes

GOOD TO KNOW:

  • Gaffer’s tape can typically be removed without leaving behind adhesive residue.

  • You can typically tear it with your hands (no scissors needed)

BRANDS: Pro Gaffer (Tape Works), Gaffer Power (Gaffer Power, Amazon), Pro Tape (Amazon)


SPIKE TAPE

A stack of colorful rolls of spike tape

DESCRIPTION: A thin roll of gaffer’s tape (1/2”), typically in an assortment of colors

“In the days of Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre, the actual floor of the stage was dirt. In order to lay out specific locations on that stage, the director would actually put spikes into the ground to show the actors where to stand.” - Tape Works (website)

USE FOR: Marking spots on the stage for scenery placement and actors marks

GOOD TO KNOW:

  • Like gaffer’s tape, spike tape can typically be removed without leaving behind adhesive residue.

  • You can typically tear it with your hands (no scissors needed)

  • A fun stage management hack is to take a small piece of wood or a dowel and wrap several different colors of spike around it, fashioning a sort of spike tape wand (so you don’t have to carry around a bunch of bulky rolls!)

BRANDS: Gaffer Power (Gaffer Power, Amazon), Rose Brand (Rose Brand)


DUCT TAPE

DESCRIPTION: a strong pressure-sensitive tape made of cotton cloth and coated with polyethylene (a plastic polymer)

USE FOR: Taping items together, sturdy but potentially damaging fixes, and (I have to say it) repairing ducts

GOOD TO KNOW:

  • Duct tape WILL typically leave residue behind

  • You can typically tear it with your hands (no scissors needed)

BRANDS: Duck Tape (Amazon), 3M (Amazon) Gorilla Tape - which is a thicker version of standard duct tape (Amazon), many more


GLOW TAPE

DESCRIPTION: A vinyl glow-in-the-dark tape

USE FOR: Marking spots that crew or actors need to see in the dark (e.g. an actor’s mark, scenery location, or a hazard backstage)

GOOD TO KNOW:

  • Glow tape needs to be “recharged” regularly, which can be down by shining a flashlight on it

  • You can usually find pre-cut glow tape dots / shapes, but if you’re not investing in that - it’s a good idea to pre-cut your pieces of glow tape in advance (you CANNOT tear it)

  • There is also the combination glow gaffer’s tape

BRAND: Rose Brand (Rose Brand), Pro Tapes (Amazon)



ELECTRICAL TAPE

DESCRIPTION: An insular vinyl pressure-sensitive tape

USE FOR: Repairing minor breaks or tears in electrical cords

BRANDS: 3M (Amazon), Duck (Amazon), many others


MASKING TAPE

AKA Painter’s Tape

DESCRIPTION: A pressure-sensitive paper tape

USE FOR: Hanging signs on walls, marking off areas, a less-effective spike tape alternative for spaces that prohibit spike tape

GOOD TO KNOW: Masking tape is usually considered the safest tape to use for protecting surfaces - it is not likely to cause damage or leave residue on surfaces

BRANDS: Scotch (Amazon - white tape, Amazon - blue tape), many others


PACKING TAPE

DESCRIPTION: A pressure-sensitive, and oftentimes translucent, adhesive coated onto a plastic or vinyl backing

USE FOR: Taping two lightweight items together, (again, I have to…) packing/sealing boxes

GOOD TO KNOW: Putting a strip of packing tape over a paper label or sign can create a lamination effect and help the sign last longer.

BRANDS: Scotch (Amazon), many others


TRANSPARENT TAPE

DESCRIPTION: A pressure-sensitive transparent tape adhesive coated onto a backing, typical in homes & offices

USE FOR: Taping two lightweight items together, repairing rips in paper/scripts, hanging signs on walls (depending on the wall’s surface)

BRANDS: Scotch Tape (Amazon), SO MANY OTHERS


WHERE DO I GET THEM, THOUGH?

Where do you buy all of these tapes, you ask?

Well, hopefully, YOU don’t have to buy most of them (they should be provided by the company.) But, if you’re like me and ENJOY having your own variety of tape OR you’re purchasing tape to be reimbursed OR you’re a just-in-case prepper, here are some options:

  • Amazon - Amazon affiliate links are interspersed throughout this article! Amazon has everything, but it’s difficult to always know the quality of the items you are receiving due to the incredible variety of sellers.

Want me to talk about more types of tape? Love tape? Let me know. We can do Marley tape, plumber’s tape, medical tapes, even washi tape. I like tape.


In the News - April 2018

Hello and happy end of April!

Here's some news from the past month -

Broadway SM Matthew Stern writes on common stage management misconceptions in Theatre Art Life.

The Stage interviews Royal Ballet stage managers and they highlight some key differences between stage managing ballet and stage managing opera!

Stage-Directions talks about all the bells and whistles that stage managers dealt with before modern technological advances.

And, for your rehearsal room pleasure... now anyone can download sound effect samples from the BBC database!

And, as a reminder,  both the Broadway Stage Management Symposium and Broadway Basics will be held in NYC in early June.