"Ever wonder what happens to Broadway backdrops when the show ends? SCENERY recycles them to make bags. We talked to the CEO and founder to find out why and how #SheRoars (Source: TicToc)."
"Kahn credits much of the company's early success to the support she's received from the theater community. 'We have been given such an amazing opportunity to create less waste, keep a part of theatre history forever, and introduce a new generation of story tellers to theatre."
"Have you ever wondered what happens to retired theatre backdrops? Broadway stage manager Jen Kahn thought the same thing, and was inspired to answer that question in 2015 when she wandered into a shop that sold bags made from old sails from sailboats. And Scenery Bags was born. The theatre drops Kahn uses to make the bags come from all over the United States. These retired drops can come from closed shows, storage spaces, or are just damaged and no longer of use. Instead of a theater just throwing them away, they are graciously donated to Kahn, letting the stories live on in a new form."
"What do you love about running a business in NYC? SCENERY Bags revolves around the theatre community, and so does New York City! It's the perfect place to base my company. In the heart of what it's all about. Any career advice? Doubt is the enemy of imagination. So stop doubting and start believing in yourself and your dreams."
"As most entrepreneurs know, ideas can strike at any moment. Sometimes they are loud, and shiny, and chase us. But more often, they are subtle, haunting us in the corners of our minds, begging us to give them a chance to be bright and shiny, too. Jen Kahn heard the whisper and decided to take the chance and bring it to life. The idea became Scenery Bags and the rest, well, is not quite history…more like a new beginning. In making bags out of old theatre scenery drops, she not only gave her idea life, she gave new life to something that had been discarded. As this month’s Doing Good In Heels spotlight, Jen shares how she brought her idea to life and how Scenery Bags is doing its part to pay it forward."
"In July 2017, Kahn launched SCENERY, an eco-conscious company that makes zippered bags from retired theater backdrops. Not only have SCENERY’s unique products become big sellers, a portion of proceeds from each bag goes to support the work of the Theatre Development Fund’s (TDF) Intro to Theatre Program, which provides middle and high school students with a meaningful introduction to live theater. SCENERY brings together Kahn’s own mindfulness of the importance of repurposing and reusing materials with her determination to help children discover the magic of theater, as the mother of a young son herself."
"Theater backdrops are so magical onstage, helping bring a production's distinctive world to life. But once a show closes, retired backdrops often end up languishing in theater closets and storage spaces, most of them destined for the trash pile. Until, that is, Broadway stage manager Jen Kahn had a brilliant idea: Why not turn retired backdrops into adorable little bags? And why not donate a portion of the profits from the bags' sales to the Theatre Development Fund’s Stage Doors program, which helps introduce kids to theater?"
"There’s a story behind these bags — of upcycling, fashion, theater and giving back. It’s also the story of Jen Kahn and how her company Scenery came to be. In 2015, Kahn and a friend road-tripped from New York to Maine. They browsed in a store selling handbags made from old sails."
