Archive for September, 2015

I Hate Hamlet

Posted in General Production, Scenic Design, Scenic Painting on September 30th, 2015 by Eric Appleton

More progress on “I Hate Hamlet.” I think we are closer than we look. . .

Platforms have gone up:

Walls are getting painted:

The throne is built:

And my globe is getting closer:

I Hate Hamlet

Posted in General Production, Scenic Design on September 24th, 2015 by Eric Appleton

Construction continues on our upcoming production of “I Hate Hamlet.” Of course, we’re also in the midst of the light hang, and here is TA Bruce leading students on hanging and circuiting the first electric:

In the shop, painting commences on various walls:

My side project is the creation of a Renaissance globe that is also a bar. The globe portion has dried, and here it is, cut into hemispheres. Yes, that it a beach ball used as a form.

And here is the stand, placed on stage for the evening’s rehearsal so actors can get a sense of its size:

At the end of the shop day, TD Steve Chene leads students in assembling, flipping over, and placing some of the platforming:

Three Excellent Cows

Posted in General Production, Scenic Design on September 22nd, 2015 by Eric Appleton

So, we’ve also got “Three Excellent Cows” heading into rehearsal. For today’s production meeting, I’m working up some prop drawings.

I Hate Hamlet

Posted in General Production, Scenic Painting on September 17th, 2015 by Eric Appleton

“I Hate Hamlet” is in the shop! Here are Austin and Lilliana working with an Intro to Theatre student on the table saw.

I spent some time in the theatre painting the deck. I laid down a base color yesterday afternoon. . .

. . . and today laid in some grainy texture. The scenic painter for Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s “Boeing Boeing” mixed a certain amount of acrylic sealant into the paint for that wood floor; it imparted a nice depth as each layer went down. I’m trying that on this floor. So far, so good.

I Hate Hamlet

Posted in General Production on September 9th, 2015 by Eric Appleton

The semester has begun! “I Hate Hamlet” moves into the shop this week, production meetings for “Three Excellent Cows” have begun, and we’re in the process of planning the first production meeting for “Radium Girls.” Here are some of the “I Hate Hamlet” drawings in the hallway outside our TD’s office:

Meanwhile, in the shop, I began the process that I hope will end with a globe that has a bar in it.

Yesterday was also our department’s open house, where we try to get the current students and the new students all together in one place for a meet and greet and welcome. Here are some of the bright and shining faces of this year’s departmental student body, as we wait for everyone else to arrive.

I Hate Hamlet

Posted in Scenic Design on September 1st, 2015 by Eric Appleton

As we move into the first week of classes, I am finalizing designs for “I Hate Hamlet,” our first production of the year. This is a Sketchup rendering of the set. It’s sort of an Act One image, with the boxes and modern furniture, but trying to get the computer program to do drop cloths and sheets covering objects is more trouble than I’m prepared to attempt at this point. Just imagine a lot of white sheets covering things.