Evolution of a Set: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Day Eleven: Lighting Director Dan Thorson has been working diligently for the last few days to get things all set for “tech week.”  The sooner the lights are designed and set for a show, the better chance the actors on stage have to adjust their blocking to familiarize themselves with where to look, when to move, etc.  Pretty intricate stuff!

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Evolution of a Set: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Day Ten: The wallpaper is going up so well that we had to order more!  The pictures don’t do it justice.  Also new that we didn’t discuss yesterday is the type of backdrop we are using for this production.  It is not our normal scrim, it is parachute material that can used in a number of different ways for lighting techniques, including (drumroll) FIREWORKS!  Fireworks?….On stage?  Yep.  We’re not going to say anything more…you have to come see it for yourself!

Auditions:
Saturday, September 18, 1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Kids and Families Only
Sunday, September 19,  6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – Adults
Tuesday, September 21, 7:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. *DATE CHANGE

Callbacks:
Wednesday, September 22,  7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

I hope you can all make it out to auditions!

Evolution of a Set: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Day Nine: We say wallpaper, and what appears?  Wallpaper!  Set Crew Volunteer Bob Ceminski (pictured) first brushed every inch of the walls and sanded and removed and debris so that the wallpaper could go on smoothly without any bubbling.  We think its looking great!  What do you think, folks?

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Read the whole interview here!

Evolution of a Set: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Day Eight: It is rush, rush, rush to get as much done as possible for our publicity photos!  If you’ve enjoyed our productions before, you know that things change a great deal in the last couple of weeks leading up to the opening night.  At this point we’re planning on wallpaper, and that should arrive shortly.  What others things do we need that you’re not seeing from the Set Design Renderings? (located at the top).

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I was once asked what I liked about being a scenic designer and the answer I gave shocked the person asking the question… I quickly responded “I like being able to play god…” for the record… that is god with a little “g” HAHA! What I mean by this is that as a scenic designer I am given the great responsibility and opportunity to create the worlds that these plays reside in.  We are given a script that has a slice of the lives of the characters in it… it may be a day a week, or even years, but we have a portion of there existence.  Good actors and directors know that the characters do not just appear on the stage deliver their lines and exit.  It may not be written for us, but as actors and directors prep, many times they will create a story for these characters outside of the dialogue given to us by the playwright.

As a designer I try to figure out what that other story(s) may be and let that fuel my designs.  Obviously if the script says “Billy enters through the door…”  I as the designer need to provide a door for him to enter, but what is on the other side of that door?  What is the shape, color, size, texture, etc… of that door???  This is the exciting part of being a scenic designer… asking these questions and finding the answers.  How do I find the answers?  Well the first place is the script, then in meetings with the director and fellow artistic staff we find out the answers to these questions… many times the answers spark additional questions and many times there is not a right or wrong answer.

I have designed over 140 productions in my 21 years of doing this and have had the great opportunity to revisit a couple of those shows and I always try to not let the design be impacted by previous designs.  It is difficult at times, especially when you find a good answer to those questions, but I really strive to keep things fresh.  As I design I am constantly looking for images and research that help answer these questions, but try REALLY hard to not look at other peoples designs for a show I am working on at least until I have a strong idea of the design aesthetic.  By avoiding other’s answers to the design questions, I feel that I am able to keep my work fresh and specific to the particular production I am working on.  The beautiful thing about live theatre is that it is that… live… I want the design to be a product of that specific production, influenced by the particular  artistic staff, director, theatre facility, budget, etc… and a bit of vanity… me at that point in my life…so a scenic designer gets to play god by creating the world(s) that the play resides in… and by letting it be a little bit of who they are at that time in their life makes the experience all the more personal.

So when you see CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, know that its physical environment was influenced by many things… a great director, and  fellow artistic/production staff, a well designed and equipped theatre space, a wonderful producing organization… lets not forget the AMAZING writings of Mr. Williams, and lastly a little bit of me and who and what I am at this moment in my life.  So to those sharing this experience… I hope I have not steered us wrong.  Enjoy these 672 words and know that they are still less than 1 picture.

Evolution of a Set: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Day Seven: All the furniture was cleared so that the set crew could get to work on painting this lovely floor!  Pretty neat, right?  Now we’ll find out how happy the cast was to reset the entire stage with the furniture…

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Evolution of a Set: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Day Six: Drafts are almost gone as the walls are coming together nicely.  Up next?  Painting the floor.  It looks as though Scenic Designer Todd Edwards was looking for hardwood floors, so we’ll have to see what Tech Director Patrick Vital-Schwartz comes up with!

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