Saving Bits of Broadway and the Environment While Sending Students to Shows

Jennifer Wheeler Kahn on her journey from stage manager to Scenery Bags CEO

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Thankfully, Kahn’s 17 years as a professional stage manager turned her into a consummate problem-solver—there is no order too tall for her, figuratively and literally. She approached her pandemic challenges with the same creativity, innovation and integrity that inspired her to launch Scenery Bags in 2017. After years of running a popular no-waste wedding blog with her sister while stage managing, Kahn started to wonder if there were a way to combine her passions: theatre and the environment. “I never thought those two pieces of myself would converge,” she admits. But after stumbling across a store that sold bags made from old sails from sailboats, she got the idea for Scenery Bags. “Everything in my life started to make sense,” she says. Instead of watching gorgeous, handcrafted backdrops, costumes and floorboards end up as landfill, “I was able to preserve pieces of theatre that usually get thrown out.”

Over the past five years, Scenery Bags has collected more than 30,000 pounds of theatrical materials from approximately 30 shows and beyond. Sales of the company’s handmade bags, jewelry, keychains and keepsakes have helped more than 1300 students experience the magic of live theatre.

Still, Kahn is constantly coming up with fresh ways to make Scenery Bags more green and greathearted. “I think that comes from my stage management background in a weird way,” she says. “My inner monologue is always, ‘How do I make this better?’ Not just a better product, but how do I make it more ethical and sustainable? For example, our lining has become more eco-friendly and we’re moving into recycled zippers. We’re saving art and the environment and doing good in as many directions as possible.”

With Scenery Bags’ five-year anniversary coming up in July, Kahn is debuting some new products. She’s particularly excited about the jewelry she’s fashioned from Beetlejuice‘s stage floors. “No one else is really doing that and it’s been really fun,” she says. While she admits her sales have dipped since venues reopened—”theatre is back and fans want to spend their money on tickets. I get that. I want to go, too!”—she is thankful for what she calls “the best community in the world. Theatre artists and fans are so loyal and supportive. I started Scenery Bags as this cute little maternity leave project, and it very quickly took off. I accidentally created my dream job.”

Browse all of Scenery Bags’ gorgeous products.

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Top image: Scenery Bags founder Jennifer Wheeler Kahn holding one of her upcycled products. Photo courtesy of Kahn.

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