UW Whitewater Theatre/Dance Department

As I await finals and senior project meetings, I’m drafting the shows for Summeround. Since we’re using the same platform arrangement for both, and budgets are small, it’s relatively straightforward. We also have a student TD this summer, and this is the first show she’ll be flying solo on — so not damaging her is also a priority.

First, an image of the “Black Cat” half of “Poe Xs 2.” Same rotating flats, different imagery, this time of a prison cell:

A photo from yesterday as I laid out the groundplan. Since the models were built in Sketchup in a rather fudgy fashion, I’m tightening up measurements as I draft. I will likely rebuild the set in Sketchup more accurately so the TD has a true 3D version for reference as well.

The elevation and section are also done, so it’s time for detail plates. Here is the decking, nearing completion:

Finally, I like to figure out how to build some things before I draft them. I will be talking to our academic TD about the rotating panels before I draft them for the student TD, but here’s what I think would work:

“Animal Farm” has opened and closed, and we’re heading into the final days of the semester. Production work doesn’t stop though — this week saw the presentation of the Directing I scenes in the Hicklin, and Friday night will feature the Emerging Choreographer’s Concert in the Barnett.

We’ve started moving not just on the two summer shows, but production meetings are scheduled for the first Fall show (“Toil and Trouble”), and student designers have been given their timelines and deadlines so that they don’t panic the day after Labor Day when we both return to class and start building the set.

Here are the preliminary Sketchup renderings of the two summer shows. First, “Rounding Third,” since we had a meeting about that show yesterday:

Since we have a small budget for the summer as well as a first time student TD, I’ve chosen to go with a rep arrangement of platforming and pivot walls that can accommodate simple scenic environments for both plays. Here’s the first half of “Poe Xs 2:”

We have our Poe meeting tomorrow, but the director likes what she’s seen so far.

The students, of course, have been working their tails off as well. In the advanced design seminar, two students chose to develop their rendering skills by analyzing and painting various fabric textures. Here’s Lilliana’s:

And some of Allison’s:

Lilliana is also at work on a scenic painting project:

Finally, our TD (Ruth) has been feverishly putting together a comprehensive production calendar for next year. Here it is, pinned to the board outside her office for all to see and refer to:

When you put the whole thing on a piece of paper and color code it, well, it sure reinforces the fact that we do quite a bit here!