UW Whitewater Theatre/Dance Department

The revised groundplan for “Dracula.”

And the groundplan as starting to be worked up in Sketchup.

The groundplan for “Dracula” is done.

Rethinking Dracula after the first sketch; I feel like I went too far with the neo-Gothic roofline. After seeing this quick work-up, Angela reminded me that there is a reference to bars in the script — they only go up on one window after one of Renfield’s escapes. So even though I enjoy their look, they’re a step too far. I do intend to insert tracery into the Gothic arches again, though I am considering a mix of tracery and more utilitarian round-topped windows inserted into the arches. . . The furniture depicted are placeholder pieces downloaded from Sketchup’s warehouse, though they have the dimension and general shape of what I expect to ultimately use.

And the drafting table, as I work up the groundplan.

Working up a sketch for the Fall’s production of “Dracula.” We’re doing this in a stadium configuration, with the study on one end and a space that doubles for Mina’s room and the crypt on the other.

The finalized groundplan is due in two weeks. On today’s agenda, first tech for “Our Town.”

The set up for the first act of “Our Town.” Again, we have chosen to not go beyond what Wilder asks for, though as you may note, I have decided against a cyc (even though some cyc effects are noted in the script, the photos of the original production show a bare back wall. I like the idea of the back wall ensuring that we don’t suggest we’ve left the theatre). The Foley table off house left will be joined by the organ (when I get dimensions and a picture I will probably add that to the image).

Adding the ladders.

The set up for the church in Act Two.

And Act Three’s graveyard. We will be closing the main act as noted at the end of the act, opening back up on a stage empty except for the ghost light.

Today is the first rehearsal of “Our Town,” with designer presentations. Here’s the Sketchup rendering of the first act placement of furniture, etc. I will be closing the main act a couple of feet to help frame the space a little more cleanly. . .

Now that “The Drowsy Chaperone” has closed and been struck, attention now turns to “Our Town.” I’m finishing up the Sketchup Model of the Young Auditorium — there are a few architectural features I’m tracking down scale drawings for — after which I will start arranging furniture to give us some snapshots of the various set-ups. As mentioned before, we’re staying pretty traditional with the staging, though we will have live sound effects on a foley table off on the house left walkway.

We’re starting to think about the Fall already, and the first show up will be “Dracula,” directed by Angela Iannone. Angela’s a director who always comes into the process with a ton of visual research and a pretty firm sense of how she would like to use the playing space. This image is a very preliminary consideration of where her thoughts about how the space might work meet my thoughts about how the space might work. She knows she wants to have a playing space through the audience, though she wants to go diagonally across the theatre (we’re in the black box for this one); this means that audience on the far side has to walk through the set to get to their seats. I asked her to consider a more traditional stadium seating arrangement. We’ll see where we head next!

I finally finished my Sketchup rendering of “The Coronation of Poppea,” right down to the end table, standards, and benches. The only thing I’m not particular happy with is the direction of the fabric on the side stages — I have figure out how to rotate texture directions. And now, having worked through this, I think I will be giving the Graphics Seminar a much simpler task for their project. . .

Ever closer on the Sketchup model of The Coronation of Poppea. Now to address the side stages, with their fabric swags and benches.