This was not exactly the most fun project to tackle, but it is something important. Anything involving organization of equipment is a necessity in theatre.

At Athens Theatre, the equipment for productions is stored in a closet on the house right side. Additionally, there are walls designated for hanging cables and cords. There is a wall that has XLR cables of different lengths and mic stands, and another that has different cords, extension cords, and quad boxes (an electrical box with pairs of outlets, effectively serving as a large extension cord). There is also a closet built into a wall with shelves and felt boxes that hold different pieces of equipment, such as microphones, mic clips, DI units, and digital snakes.

The task I was assigned with went as such:

• Test the XLR cables to ensure that they work (there is a cable testing box I was given to make sure that they worked, and I had to make sure that the lights on the cable tester were turned on 1-to-1).
• Measure the length of the operative XLR cables.
• Mark the XLR cables by length using electrical tape (5-ft to 15-ft cables were marked with orange tape, 20-ft cables with no tape, 25-ft cables with yellow, and 50-ft cables with red).
• Attach new velcro straps to the XLR cables by color (same as above, except black velcro straps were used for the 5-ft to 15-ft cables).
• Sort XLR cables and arrange them on the wall by length.
• Attach new velcro straps to extension cords and quad boxes (blue straps).
• Label microphones pouches and place microphones in the corresponding pouches.

This was a project that took a few days to get through with so many steps to take, but keeping the space organized helps things move efficiently. Even though things will need to be reorganized over time, it sets a good precedent to tidy up the space.