Unboxing the Box Problem

one parcel at a time

“Boxes.”

What I gathered from my phone call with the czar of American theater is that the most pressing problem for a designer like me to focus my energies on is boxes. Too many boxes.

He has to two step his way into his office, then fox trot to the bathroom.

Working in theaters nowadays requires catlike nimbleness and a catlike box-love.

Yesterday I introduced the best mail-order gift to theaters ever - The Real Real. TRR is responsible for 85% of my theater boxes. Next week I will tell you about how to use The Real Real to make shows better, beautiful and more affordable.

But today, I wonder if you will pay.

The following is under a paywall because

1. The theater czar telling me that mail-ordering is a big designer-made problem is a controversial statement for designers (yes, mild cis-straight-male-non-designer-director-superiority detected; but please shelf that for now, if you can).

2. Some of you loooove your boxes of potentially pretty things.

I love them, too. But, I am trying to do a job here. So, I have to look at the outcome, and the budget, and ask if the boxes work for both of those. It’s mixed.

For you box lovers, though, you will read the below with your claws out … which leads to misreading … which leads to anger …. which leads to catty comments.

It costs $5 to scratch my eyes out.