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How fast can you take down your theater?

That may seem like an insignificant question at first, but there is a reason I ask it. During our travels, we often did a Sunday School program in the main auditorium to the whole Sunday School. Then, we’d have to remove all the equipment from the stage before the morning service started. Many times we only had fifteen minutes to accomplish it. With practice, we got so we could have everything taken down and loaded in the vehicle in ten minutes. It was actually easy to accomplish.

Before we went to the church, everyone had a part in getting the equipment into the church and setting it up and everyone had a part in taking it down. The key was that each one had a part assigned to them. I took care of the sound system. My wife and another puppeteer took down the theater. Once the curtains were removed, my wife started folding them and putting them in the suitcase. The other puppeteer began to take the pipes, bases, and kneeling pads out to the vehicle. Another puppeteer was assigned to pack the puppets. When anyone finished their task, they grabbed any equipment remaining and took it out to the vehicle.

Since all the parts were assigned ahead of time, no one was standing around asking what they needed to do. Our team wasn’t that large, so each member kept the same assignments over and over. By doing the same assignment continually, we developed short cuts that helped cut down the time to clear everything out.

For instance, if we knew we only had a short time to remove everything, while I was out front finishing up the program, the puppeteers were removing rods and starting to pack the puppets. Any scripts that were up were taken down and put away. That way, we could immediately start taking down the theater and no one would see puppets lying around.

By working together as a team, we not only got the equipment down and packed in a short time, but we ended up leaving a good impression—that we are professional in all areas of our ministry.

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