UW Whitewater Theatre/Dance Department

We are heading into tech for “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” and we are behind, but catching up. The set is designed by student Lilliana Gonzalez. I’m doing the lighting design this time around.

Here are the tree-trunk stools, ready to get painted:

Intro to Theatre students applying gaff tape over the gap between the two halves of the trees:

Making headway on the painting of the backing flats:

These half trees are done (except for painting the framing black). They get attached to the side masking flats to frame the playing space.

The trees on stage, as we get ready for rehearsal:

Light board operator Stephanie doing some programming at the tech table:

The view over the monitors during the run:

And then coming in bright and early this morning to continue texturing the trees with Lilliana, and putting lots of fans on them in the hope that they will be dry by tonight.

It’s hang and focus week on “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Student ME Dan is leading crews of the Intro to Theatre students on getting the show hung and circuited. A view from the booth:

Down on the deck, working on the 1A Electric:

Looking up into the Beams:

In the shop, work on the trees and props continues.

And we forge ahead with the painting of the backing flats:

“On the Verge” opened on Monday. I wasn’t able to get photos under stage lights this time around (will have to look forward to the photos that Sarah Altermatt, our publicity manager, took), but here’s a not blurry photo of the set under worklights with no tools, ladders, or students. . .

And the floor, from two angles:

The production freight train rumbles on. I drafted the light plot for “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” since the hang starts on Monday.

And construction of “Sleepy Hollow” got rolling in the shop. Here’s TA Quinn working with two Intro to Theatre students, cutting out the surround for Ichabod’s blackboard (set design by student Lilliana Gonzalez):

Finally, I need to get the groundplan of “Public Enemy” finalized and distributed. In the midst of that this afternoon:

“On the Verge” opened last night, and here’s a slightly blurry photo of final cleaning and touching up on Monday afternoon:

Yesterday, I presented images of “Public Enemy” to guest director Mary MacDonald Kerr at our production meeting. Here’s a slightly revised version of the first scene of the play:

This afternoon, I’ve got “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” on the drafting table, working out the lighting design so I can get the plot turned in this week.

Now that “On the Verge” is virtually open, we move onto the other shows, which are already in progress. Last time, we talked about colors, movement, I rethought cyc versus black traveller, we settled on a period that felt like 1930ish. . . So here’s a new version of “Public Enemy” in preparation for this afternoon’s production meeting:

We’re in the last days of tech week, and finally catching up.

Here’s a view over the light board op and student lighting designer Quinn a few nights ago at one of the first techs:

And the view down the tech table, starting with student stage manager Allison and heading down through sound and projections.

A couple of finished prop shots. Nicky Paradise’s cardboard piano:

And Grover’s Masai based mask:

And finally, even though I hate the idea of the magic theatre elves, since we’re taking photos tonight, and our TD, Ruth, will be working on getting the projector permanently hung (ah, projections — there’s always misadventure where they’re involved), I came in in the morning to get the painting finished and hang more clocks. More clocks will go up Monday afternoon, but I wanted the set to look at least mostly finished so students can have photos for their portfolios and KCACTF presentations.

It’s been a bit hectic this past week, but here are some photos of our progress on “On the Verge.”

First, here’s Ruth, our new tech director, sorting through some cut luaun:

TA Dan, working on a flat frame:

TA Alex working with an Intro student on some platforming:

TA (and student lighting designer Quinn) working with an Intro student on the portal:

TA Bruce working with an Intro student on platforming, with TD Ruth sharpening a pencil there in the background:

A shot from the circuiting call:

Earlier last week as platforming started to go into place:

My work on the fake cardboard piano for Nicky’s Bar and Grill:

A coat of primer on the platforming:

TD Ruth explains something to TA Bruce as the projection portal goes up:

And tiny triumphas as my vintage Chiclets box dries in my office:

It’s been a little while since I last posted. Things have been hectic, as we have “On the Verge” in the shop, are deep in production meetings for “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” and have just started planning “Public Enemy.”

Here are a few shop pics from last week:

TA Lilliana works with an Intro student on laying out some of the cardboard decoration for the piano:

Some of the clocks, as well as the in-progress surfboard:

TA Quinn works with two Intro students on header pieces:

My progress on Grover’s Masai warrior mask:

And Intro student Andrew working on framing for the piano:

It’s the first week of classes, and we’re off and running! Our new technical director, Ruth Conrad-Proulx, is getting the shop up and running so we can start building “On the Verge” next week. Here’s the final rendering:

Angela Ianonne, the director, has asked that all of the larger props have a hand-crafted ‘proppy’ look to them — as though everything was made out of lightly decorated cardboard. Here’s a sketch for Grover’s mask, based on a contemporary Masai mask:

And, since “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is our second show, we’re forging ahead with that as well. Student scenic designer Lilliana has been working on her drawings over the summer, and since we had no one to slot into the lighting design position, I’m going ahead with that. Here’s the start of some lighting sketches:

Working up a rendering of “On the Verge” today: