In January, coordination for the filming of ‘Abbott Elementary’ began when the show sent its location manager to the Please Touch Museum to scout the space. He had fortunate timing as a snowstorm had closed the museum to visitors, allowing him an exclusive tour of the facility.
Later in January, more staffers from the show returned to the museum. In addition, the museum provided educational materials that its staff typically uses for school field trips, enhancing the authenticity of the experience. Filming took place over three days in late February and early March, with cast and crew shooting scenes inside the museum’s various exhibits.
Curvan expressed pride in ensuring a best-in-class experience both for the museum’s typical visitors and those experiencing it through the lens of a television show. Staff arrived an hour before the crew’s 5 a.m. call time to turn on the lights, activate the exhibits, and prepare the areas scheduled for shooting.
A total of ten areas within the museum were included in the filming: the Adventure Camp, Centennial Innovations, Food & Family, Roadside Attractions, Rocket Room, River Adventures, and Wonderland exhibits, as well as the carousel house, lower-level theater, and main entrance. Show creator Quinta Brunson specifically wanted to incorporate experiences like shopping in the grocery store located in Food & Family and driving the SEPTA bus in Roadside Attractions. This connection to the museum was personal for Brunson, who visited the venue as a child when it resided on 21st Street.
Throughout the filming process, adjustments were made to accommodate the show’s production needs. For instance, the clouds in the River Adventures space posed a challenge for the crew’s lighting setup. In response, museum staff raised the clouds higher to ensure the lighting would illuminate the scene properly.
Additionally, a pipe in Adventure Camp that connects to the Wonderland room for children to communicate had to be modified as it interfered with the camera angle. The exhibits team creatively built out the piping, ensuring that filming could proceed smoothly. Although the clouds reverted to their original position after filming, the extended pipe remains as an ‘Easter egg’ for fans of ‘Abbott Elementary.’
One of the most significant hurdles faced by the museum was maintaining the secrecy of its involvement in the show. News of the filming dates quickly spread due to a casting call for local child actors. Curvan expressed concern that fans would realize the filming coincided with a ‘private rental’ that temporarily closed the museum from February 27 through March 1. However, the museum’s location, nestled within Fairmount Park, provided some degree of cover from onlookers and fans.
Curvan noted, “I think the benefit of being kind of nestled in Fairmount Park is that the visibility might not be as great as if they were at some of the other (Philadelphia) institutions. So our location in this instance, having private parking and a little bit nestled in a park, worked to our advantage.”
For museum staff, it was a point of pride that every shot of the museum captured in ‘Abbott Elementary’ was filmed on location within its walls. This filming marks only the second time the show has shot scenes directly in Philadelphia, with the first instance occurring at the Franklin Institute during the Season 2 finale.
The experience also offered museum professionals a behind-the-scenes look at the dynamics of putting together a television production. “It was a really unique opportunity for our staff to see what it takes to put on a television show of this scale,” Curvan remarked. The museum’s team even had the opportunity to assist the production, with the exhibits team involved in scenic painting and engineers communicating via walkie-talkies with the film crew, marking a true collaboration between the two parties.
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