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With many theatres dark and people spending more time at home, theatre fans worldwide have been turning to crafting as a fun and rewarding creative outlet. We've already told you how Cricut machines are perfect for the crafting theatre fan, but now we've developed some projects that you can make yourself at home with Cricut or use as a jumping-off point for making your own completely unique creations.
If you've never used a Cricut before, they are digital cutting machines about the size of an inkjet printer, but they're much more powerful than a pair of scissors; a Cricut can cut cardstock, vinyl, leather, fabric, and even wood with digital precision that makes even the most intricate of shapes a breeze. Take a look at these seven projects for theatrical crafters to see just what Cricut can do!
Custom Greeting Cards
For fans of: The Prom, Company, Kiss Me, Kate, Be More Chill, and The SpongeBob Musical
If you want a regular greeting card, you can head to the grocery store, but these fully custom cards are easy to make and perfect for a theatre aficionado.
You'll need:
- Cricut Machine (Joy, Explore Air 2, or Maker)
- Scoring Stylus or Wheel (optional)
- Cardstock
- Glitter cardstock (for The Prom and Kiss Me, Kate)
- Black Cricut Pen (for The Prom, Be More Chill, and The SpongeBob Musical)
- Silver Metallic Cricut Pen (for Kiss Me, Kate)
- Black vinyl (for Be More Chill)
Use the links below to open our project files into Design Space.
The colors we used in Design Space match the colors of cardstock we used for our sample cards to make assembly as easy as possible, but feel free to go in other directions should you get inspired!
A Royal Laptop Decal
For fans of: Six
Time to face facts: the logo on the lid of your laptop is looking lonely, but this decal will spruce it up in no time. We chose a crown from Cricut's image library that matches the musical's logo, but you can find several crowns more like what the women wear in the show should you wish to give this project your own flair!
You'll need:
- Cricut Machine (Joy, Explore Air 2, or Maker)
- Vinyl in Gold, Black, and Purple
Open this project in Design Space to get started. We sized this design for Apple's current laptops, but Cricut's software will let you easily re-size to fit whatever you're working with. Pro-tip: Use the stars we added to this project to aid in layering the two colors of vinyl in the crown before applying it to the laptop. After both colors of vinyl are on the transfer tape, you can cut off the star. Learn more about using Premium Vinyl with Cricut here.
Iconic Broadway Silhouette Coasters
For fans of: Newsies, Hamilton, West Side Story, Evita, Sweet Charity, and A Chorus Line
We used Cricut's Influsible Ink transfer sheets to make these coasters, which will keep your tables water ring–free with style. This project takes a little bit of Photoshop know-how to prepare your silhouettes, but it's well worth the effort. Once you have your silhouette ready, upload it into Design Space, size it to fit on a 3.6" round circle, and you're good to go!
You'll need:
- Cricut Machine (Joy, Explore Air 2, or Maker)
- Cricut EasyPress 2
- Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets (We used Comic Dots and Comic Dots Rainbow)
- Cricut Coaster Blanks, round
If you need more help with using Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets with Cricut's Coaster Blanks, this article has everything you need to know.
Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome Mat
For fans of: Cabaret
We were inspired by all the Broadway productions of the John Kander-Fred Ebb musical for this welcome mat, which pays homage to the original and 1998 revival logos along with the light-up club sign from Boris Aronson's original 1966 set design. Make sure guests know you're a theatre fan before they even enter your house with this mat.
This project is a little unusual in that nothing we cut out with our Cricut machine is seen in the finished mat; we used Cricut to cut a stencil and then we painted the mat using a liquid rubber spray that makes this welcome mat durable enough for outdoor or indoor use.
You'll need:
- Cricut Machine (Explore Air 2 or Maker)
- Cricut EasyPress Mini or Iron
- Coir Welcome Mat
- Freezer Paper
- Flex Seal Aerosol Liquid Rubber Sealant Coating, Black
- Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Matte Acrylic Coating, or any other clear spray sealer
- Flat Head Thumb Tacks (optional)
Download our Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome Mat digital materials for all the files and directions you'll need to make this project.
Mrs. Lovett Doll
For fans of: Sweeney Todd
Keep this one out of the kitchen, because she looks like she's making some unsavory plans—and pies! We used Cricut's most versatile machine, the Maker, to cut the fabric and felt for this project, which was inspired by Angela Lansbury's Tony Award-winning performance as the evil, pie-baking Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd.
You'll need:
- Cricut Maker
- Cricut EasyPress Mini
- Sewing Machine
- Everyday Iron-On Vinyl in Black, Green-Apple, and Petal
- Fabric (Yellow, flesh-color, brown, white, and black)
- Felt (Beige and red-orange)
- 1/4" elastic
Download our Evil Baker Doll digital materials and load this project into Design Space for all the directions and files you'll need to make this project.
Paper Flowers
For fans of: Hadestown, Beauty and the Beast
Cricut is perfect for making shockingly life-like paper flowers. These iconic Broadway flowers from Hadestown (a carnation) and Beauty and the Beast (an enchanted rose) would make a top-notch theatrical bouquet!
You'll need:
- Cricut Machine (Explore Air 2 or Maker)
- Cardstock (red, pink, and green)
- 18-gauge Stem Wire or Green Pipe Cleaners
- Quilling Tool
- Hot Glue
- Mini Glass Cloche
Open the Way Down Carnation or An Enchanted Rose project in Cricut Design Space to get started. We made our flowers fairly small, but you can re-size them in Design Space to make a flower of any size you'd like.
Etched Glasses
For fans of: Company
Raise a glass to the ladies who lunch with these Company-inspired glasses. We cut out vinyl stencils using our Cricut and then used glass etching cream for this frosted effect.
You'll need:
- Cricut Machine (Joy, Explore Air 2, or Maker)
- Two Rocks Glasses
- Vinyl (any color)
- Armour Etch Glass Etching Cream
- Paint brush
- Protective Gloves and Eyewear
Open the I'll Drink to That Glass Set project in Cricut Design Space to size and cut your stencils. Apply the stencil to the glass where desired, and then use the etching cream according to the directions on its packaging while using protective gloves and eyewear.
Whether you're making one of our projects or getting inspired to make something completely your own, we want to see your theatre crafts! Post a picture to Twitter or Instagram and tag @playbill and use the hashtag #PlaybillCrafts—you might see your latest creation featured on Playbill.com!
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