The Show Must Go On (Your Ears)

“I paint flowers so they will not die.” - Frida Kahlo

We all know the feeling. The actors waltz onstage in a line. There’s clapping, maybe standing. Then all of a sudden the house lights come on, and you lose that darkness, that feeling of closeness you’ve grown so accustomed to over the past few hours. People begin to shuffle up the walkways, and outside the air is cold. And part of you wants to turn back and rejoin that liminal space, that in-between, for just a few more moments. It’s the beauty and the tragedy of theater, its temporariness. 

Then there’s the final strike. All the set so strategically placed to convey the narrative comes crashing down, and heads straight to the dumpster. That is, unless Final Strike Collaborative has anything to say about it. 

Our artists reuse salvaged production materials to extend their life span through metamorphosis into a new piece of art. But what about the pieces too small or flat or awkward to be furniture, or even decor? Well, we have an answer for that, too.

Earrings. They’re small. Versatile. They come in different shapes and sizes, and best of all, can be worn again and again. And they came about because of the need to recycle one of the most important theater materials of all: the stage floor.

Our President and theater-technician-extraordinaire Laicey Gibby-Brown recognizes the significance behind these functional accessories, as the stage floor is the “most prominent set piece. It’s what the audience interacts with most consistently without ever realizing it.” The floor serves as the canvas for the entire story. Our earrings allow for a close-up, intimate look with the artistry integral to the set’s creation. They reveal the designer’s intention, as Laicey notes: “From a broad scale, flooring creates one cohesive visual. Texture adds dynamics. It infuses the story with something. Flat colors disappear into the background, allowing the other set pieces and actors to take over.” Even the tiniest piece of stage flooring indicates the role it played within the story.

Hand-crafted jewelry at a Final Strike Collaborative pop-up booth in downtown NYC.

Recently we’ve been scavenging even more materials for our unique earrings. The jewelry’s best quality is its adaptability. Its smallness allows us to use as many pieces of our scavenged materials as possible, without throwing away scraps. On our website, customers can find earrings born from unfinished rehearsal pallets, the muskets in Hamilton, plexi

glass windows, wood trim, and even the g-strings in Gypsy. We have featured show collections such as Music Box Theatre’s 2024 production of Suffs The Musical, the Schoenfeld Theatre’s 2024 The Notebook: The Musical and 2023 Life of Pi — a Tony Award-winning show! 

To purchase earrings from these shows and more, please visit the “Shop All” section of our website. Or, if you are a New Yorker, you can find our earrings for sale at Broadway Up Close’s booth in Times Square. This organization has been the first to host Final Strike Collaborative products for sale in-person through our new consignment partnership. Special thanks to their owner, Tim, for this incredible opportunity. 

But wait. It doesn’t stop there. Final Strike Collaborative is always open to material donation offers that could contribute to the creation of these one-of-a-kind pieces. Never hesitate to reach out. And, if you or someone you know is interested in helping transform our trash into treasure, we invite you to check our website for upcoming workshops, which are entirely free. 

Through these refurbished earrings, our artists have found a way to mix personal creativity and expression with honoring the original Broadway show. They are a small yet powerful reminder that every element in the story matters, a story whose life lingers long after that final strike.

Date Published: December 16th, 2025

Author: Madeleine Thompson