UW Whitewater Theatre/Dance Department

Today has been a bit of a whirl for a number of reasons, so it’s always nice to wander into the shop and find diligent students working diligently.

Mariah works with TA Lilliana on framing an irregularly shaped platform:

TA Mason works with Intro student Lance on laying something out:

Intro student Steven measures some of the framing:

One of the cast members of Animal Farm, measuring out 2x4s for platform framing:

TA Katie diligently reading the labels of adhesives:

Some of the platforms that have been set in place in the Hicklin:

And since light hang started today, here’s Alex and Zach looking over student lighting designer Quinn’s light plot with ME Emily.

Now that ‘Dancescapes ’17’ is struck, construction on ‘Animal Farm’ begins! Here are some platforms in the shop, just waiting to be legged and bolted together:

These past two afternoons I painted the two drops — one comprised of sheets of plastic, the other erosion cloth. Here they are, drying in the Hicklin:

Here Intro student Jane works with TAs Lilliana and Katie on gridding out the shape of the mud pond:

Speaking of everything to be done on the show, here’s the build chart:

Intro students Steven and Lance in the midst of legging up and bolting together platforming:

The director, Angela Iannone, is going with a ‘found object’ approach to building the windmill, with a ladder as the structural support. While suitcases and crates will be stacked in and around the ladder, I need to build a topper that holds the vanes. Here is the start of that:

And now that “Putnam County” is done, I can get the drawing for Animal Farm done (though Dancescapes is the next production):

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” has now come and gone. Yesterday, after the student matinee, the set was struck. Set design by Eric Appleton, Costume Design by Tracey Lyons, Lighting Design by guest David Gipson, Stage Manager student Emily Ottinger, Props by students Tori Martino and Stephanie Graf, Music Direction by Sheri VanAlstine, Directed by Guest Ken Williams.

Here are some pics from the final dress rehearsal:

Spell ‘syzygy’:

Leaf Coneybear spells “capybara”:

Giving away candy during the snack break:

Into the final round of words:

Barfee spells the final word:

It was a very nice beginning:

And since the door push and kick plates didn’t get installed until the following afternoon (though still before the first public performance), here’s the actual, completed set:

A few more photos from last night’s dress rehearsal. Tonight is final dress, tomorrow is opening!

First Dress Rehearsal for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” took place last night. Out student stage manager, Emily, was out with the flu, so ASM Lauren called it. It’s a credit to Emily’s meticulous prompt book and Lauren’s willingness to plunge right in that the evening went pretty darned smoothly. Oh, and our guest lighting designer, David Gipson, was also out ill, but he had already gotten to a place where his notes were going to be minimal (that place where the LD changes things that no one but the LD will notice. . . ), so we just forged on ahead.

Here’s a shot of the students running the dance call:

And the stage management team having a confab with a blurry TD around the tech table:

In preset, with the guest director, Ken Williams, giving a note to the actor who is on stage throughout the preset:

There’s still a fair amount to be done on the set, of course. Being an academic program, our labor is student based, and is restricted by who is scheduled for what day. So, we got the header over the proscenium up, worked on the remaining doors, hung the championship placards, and skirted the judge’s platform. More coming today!

It’s first tech for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee!” Yesterday afternoon, we made the push to get the walls up for today. It was a busy day.

The Barnett Theatre as it looked at the beginning of the shop session:

A stack of flats awaiting either finish painting or being put up:

Here are the last two flats to receive cinderblock treatment. I was in a race against time, needing to get them done and dry before the construction team needed them.

Speaking of construction, here is TD Ruth working with students on raising the fake stage’s proscenium arch:

Student Mariah, in the shop, painting trim:

And TA Nathan working with student Alex on framing up and skinning the last two doors:

Back to the stage, where the walls I just painted are put into place:

ME Quinn and student Sam (who is a whiz at the Gio) finish patching the show:

All of which means that at the end of Friday, the stage looks like this:

Yes, there are wrinkles. Yes, the doors and trim need to be installed. Yes, the header above the proscenium needs to go up. . . yes, yes, yes. But, we’re ready with almost everything the actors will need for tech. And here we are, sitting in preset (guest lighting designer David Gipson) waiting to get rolling this morning:

And a little before that, student light board operator Cassie watches student stage manager Emily confer with sound:

An early moment of the show:

And a later moment of the show, looking at the stage over David’s shoulder:

The final push to complete “Putnam County” before tomorrow’s first tech is on! During the last two days our guest lighting designer, David Gipson, blazed through focus with aid of our student ME Quinn, so this afternoon is all about getting walls up!

Some pictures from yesterday’s shop session:

Here, Stephanie, one half of the props team, fabricated more break away karate boards:

And what those boards look like, painted:

The final large wall, covered and primed:

And then base painted, awaiting spattering. My project this morning will be to line out and glaze the cinderblock.

Here students Mariah and Peyton build the stud walls that will support the risers for the spelling bee participants:

While another Intro to Tech student frames up two more gymnasium doors:

Which will eventually look like this:

Finally, I attacked the banner yesterday. First, laying out the letters and filling them in:

Adding the blue surrounding color:

Then re-establishing letter outlines and adding the smaller text. Here it is, finished except for a final spray of dilute grey to pull down the zippiness a little more.

Light hang for “Putnam County” started today (guest LD David Gipson), so it’s time to start juggling electrics, construction, and painting. Here’s a shot from the booth of all the activity happening down on the stage yesterday afternoon:

There’s a projection screen that hangs off a batten, which is used for some of the Gen-Ed courses that get taught in the Barnett, so that had to be moved to another pipe. Here, student ME Quinn works with some of the Intro to Tech students in transferring the screen:

In the shop, construction of the large (sixteen feet tall!) flats for the gym walls continues. Here TAs Lilliana and Nathan confer over a drawing while Intro to Tech student Kolten watches attentively:

In the Barnett, Lilliana works with some students on framing up one of the flats:

While back in the shop, Nathan rips down wood with Intro students Megan and Kolten:

I continued with some of the painting. I think the Puma Pride sign turned out pretty decently (althought I just noticed I missed part of the M’s outline and will have to fix that today):

And I got close to finishing the last of the bee flats:

And the decorative bees for the false proscenium are now done:

Some more shop pics from yesterday afternoon!

Here, Technical Director Ruth discusses a construction matter with TA and assistant technical director Katie:

And here, TA Lilliana works with Intro to Tech student Kat on framing for the proscenium of the stage within a stage:

And then move onto skinning it:

In the Barnett, students start legging up the platforming for the stage within a stage:

I spent the afternoon on paint projects. First, painting and spattering the lower portion of the exterior hall walls:

And then attending to the bee flats:

And then while parts of those dry, lining the tile for the locker room walls:

And then returning to the bee flats. I think they turned out rather adorable. Here are two of them, completed: