Nate the Dragon
The Dragon Isle side of the rotating back flats for “Nate the Dragon.” Originally, the central rock was supposed to be off on the left — when we laid this side out, we laid it out with the flats upright on stage, thinking that it would easier. None of us realized that when you rotate the flats, the images flip, so while the Treegrass Isle side was fine, the Dragon Isle side no longer matched up. Thad, the student set designer, panicked for a moment, and (since I couldn’t be at tech that evening) then set to work adjusting the image to work (this is his first academic set design). He did a fine job of sorting it out on his own.
Tonight was first dress rehearsal, and here’s the stage under worklights, set for the top. This is a traveling show, so we have a single performance on campus and then it gets loaded into a panel truck with all the costuming and driven around to area schools. Since we never know what the spaces will look like until we get there, the set has to be flexible enough to accommodate libraries and gymnasiums, as well as actual stages.
This is also the first show with puppets we have done. The puppet bodies were purchased, but faculty member Tracey Lyons designed the costumes for them.
A photo from dress rehearsal. Student Joe Berman is the lighting designer.
And Dragon Isle, during dress rehearsal.
Meanwhile, work begins on the next show, “Clybourne Park.” Here’s Intro student Tanner stapled scabs onto legs for the platforming. That show is being designed by guest designer Keith Pitts.