Summeround is in full gear now, and the shop is working on the set for the first offering, “The Tangled Skirt.”
I spent some time this morning working on the bus station floor:
While students worked on flats in the shop:
Allison traced, cut, and primed our greyhounds:
And I finished the morning by finishing paint work on a few walls:
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” opened last night. Our director was guest Lenny Banovez (of Titan Theatre out of NY), the set was by Eric Appleton, lighting by student Joe Berman, costumes by Marshall Anderson, sound engineer student Mason Ronan, stage manager student Emily Ottinger, and props student Allison Lozar.
Eight actors were cast and they switched off on almost all the roles regardless of gender, so there were a lot of runs to allow them a chance to do all the roles that fell in their allotment. Here are some photos from the first run on the last day of dress rehearsals (Sunday):
The choosing of roles:
A trio of lovers:
Pyramus and Thisbe:
Titania asleep:
Titania and Oberon and Puck:
And meanwhile, it’s back to work on “Yankee Tavern:”
Last night was first tech of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and it went very smoothly, thanks to the efforts of stage manager Emily, lighting designer Joe, light board operator Alex, sound designer, Mason, sound operator Dan, and guest director Lenny Banovez. Tonight we do it again.
During the afternoon, work on the carpeting continued, and we hope to get this finished for tonight:
I also finished up the Sketchup rendering of “The Tangled Skirt:”
and started on the model of “Yankee Tavern:”
Tomorrow is dry tech for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and here is student lighting designer Joe working with other students to finish up focus:
When the worklights got turned back on, carpeting the hills began with gusto:
And down in the design room, a production meeting for the summer production of “The Tangled Skirt” took place. Around the table from the left we have TD Steve Chene, director Skip Grover, Kiley, costume designer Tracey Lyons, and SM Emily.
Focus starts today, with student Joe Berman as the lighting designer. Here’s a shot from earlier in the week, with Intro to Tech students in the Hicklin working the hang:
Here, facing is being applied to the platforming. I painted on linoleum strips so we could easily wrap around curves.
I also spent time in my office working on “On the Verge” drawings. Here’s the elevation:
And this morning started working on detail plates for “The Tangled Skirt:”
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” goes into tech next week, so here are some pictures of where we are at the moment. First, here’s student stage manager Emily posting new things on the callboard:
We were trying out a new method of building the slopes with celotex, but it was taking too long and was too fiddly, so we’ve reverted to styrofoam. Here we have Alex, Javona, and Christina cutting out shapes:
Props manager Allison works on the wooden sword:
The grid is half hung at this point, so this afternoon the light hang will continue:
My project is to finish painting the stone facing — we’re doing it on strips of linoleum to better accommodate the curved platform edges:
Also did some more work on “On the Verge.” Here’s the model with a new header and added clocks:
Finally, this slice of tree is from one of the sugar maples that used to stand across the street from the Center for the Arts. It and it’s twin were cut down this Fall so a developer could build some truly nondescript student apartments. One of the art profs claimed this chunk and plans to sand it down and make a timeline of it. They guess the trees were at least two hundred years old.
Now that groundplans for “Yankee Tavern,” and “The Tangled Skirt” are off the drafting table, it’s time to work on “On the Verge.” The director (Angela Iannone) came to the first production meeting with some very specific visuals, and like the other two shows, we’re doing it in the corner of the Hicklin Theatre. Here are photos of the 1/4 scale experimental model in progress:
That’s Gertrude Bell, from a 1909 photo, standing in for the actors.
We’re about two weeks out from tech for “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” and things are coming together in the Hicklin Theatre. Here’s a shot from the booth showing the freshly painted stage perimeter and about half of the risers in position. This afternoon we start painting facing and begin building the slopes.
Now that preliminary designs for this summer’s “The Tangled Skirt” and “Yankee Tavern” have been approved, I’m also working on the groundplan for “The Tangled Skirt.”
Last night was final dress rehearsal for “Sweeney Todd,” and right now, the students are performing a matinee for high school students. Here are some pics from last night.
The opening number:
Sweeney and Anthony arrive in London:
Toby hawks elixir on the step of Pirelli’s wagon:
Mrs. Lovett brings up her husband’s chair:
Testing the trapdoor and chute to bakehouse:
Anthony’s rescue of Johanna from the madhouse:
Closing number:
Our TD said this show probably pushed us right to the very limits of our technical capacity. . .
This past weekend we had tech! Sunday was first Dress, and tonight, Monday night, is final Dress. Here are some photos from Friday afternoon through the weekend.
The pie shop second act counter, with cask:
Students installing the pie shop shelves:
Some of the posters that will appear all over the stage:
TA Joe leading students in raising Pirelli’s wagon after attaching the flat to the platforming:
Getting reading to practice the trap door business:
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ASMs under the platforming, waiting to catch actors as they come down the slide (engineered by TD Steve Chene). Safe as possible, and works like a charm!
Stage manager Allison, calling the show during one of the runs this weekend:
And a shot of the stage as Toby begins to play barker:
My personal moment of triumph was discovering that I could use sea sponges instead of springs to allow the harmonium pedals to be pumped after I detached them from the bellows! Yay, low tech!