UW Whitewater Theatre/Dance Department

It’s final dress for “Muskie Love” tonight. Here are the renderings and the groundplan pinned to the hallway bulletin board outside the theatre. When I started at Whitewater, I discovered that most of the Intro students doing their shop hours really didn’t have a sense of what the final product was to be, so I started hanging the drawings up outside our TD’s office so if they were at least interested, they could go take a look.

A view of the stage from one end. . .

. . . and the view from the other.

Roy’s bait shop sign. Since I’m not painting this summer in an attempt to let my hands have a break from the carpal tunnel, all the painting was done by students (and our TD, Steve) without my immediate supervision. I think they did a pretty solid job of it (though I apparently forget to tell them to age the fish as they did the letters — my fault, since they were working off a photo for that).

Finally, I’ve got “Master Class” on the drafting table. This is a lighting design for an August production at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. I have to get the plot and hookup finished and sent off no later than Thursday night.

The build for “Muskie Love” continues:

Here’s the completed boat that will be pushed around via foot power. . .

Kat works on the muskie part of the Roy’s bait shop sign. . .

. . . while Anastasia works on the lettering.

The floor treatment for Roy’s bait shop and the dock.

One of the gimmicks of the show is fishing in a boat the actors push around with their feet.

Paint treatment for Roy’s sign and the boat.

And down in the theatre, the floor is primed for the floor treatment. . .

As stage manager/propsmistress/painter Alison watches TD Steve Chene mix color for the floor. That’s Cat hiding behind the door, there.

With “Deathtrap” closing this weekend, production work continues apace on “Muskie Love.”

Here, leaning against the wall in the Hicklin are the two platformed areas — to the left is the dock and to the right is Roy’s Bait Shop.

On lovely, sunny days, we open the shop doors and do a little work on the loading dock. This is stage manager Alison, who is also doing a fair amount of painting and prop work on the show. She, Anastasia, and Cat are all base painting Roy’s sign.

On the drafting table, the last plate for “Muskie Love” is done — the boat, the counter, and some crates.

Which means I can move onto further paint elevations. Here, things dry for the dock and shop, with a little help from Jerome Robbins.

Here’re Alison and Joe working on the partner desk for “Deathtrap.” I pretty much gave Steve a photo and said go for it. Alison, after sprucing up the rest of the furniture in the show, went ahead and figured out the paint treatment for this piece. Way to go, Alison!

Meanwhile, I worked up the floor treatment for “Muskie Love.” Next on the agenda; the boat.

Meanewhile, beginning on drafting for “Muskie Love.”

While I was off driving back and forth to Milwaukee for “The Winter’s Tale,” Steve (our TD) and the students made headway on “Deathtrap.”

It’s in the round but on the stage of our proscenium space, as the black box is seeing refurbishment this summer. It will also feature the new risers we got last year.

Since there’s a fair amount of staircase action, here’s the staircase, built into one of the voms.

And here are students Joe and Alison (who is stage managing “Muskie Love,” the next show) working on the french doors in the another vom.

Preview night for The Optimist Theatre’s production of “The Winter’s Tale:”

Part of the Milwaukee skyline at sunset as we begin.

The end of the introductory dance, with Hermione and Leontes downstage center.

Leontes begins to explain his suspicions to Antigonus.

Paulina begs Leontes to accept the baby as his daughter.

After distaster, Leontes begins to accept the magnitude of his delusion.

Antigonus about to leave the baby on the shores of Bohemia.

Perdita and Florizel get ready for the sheep shearing.

Dion, Paulina, and Leontes, reflecting over the events of the past fifteen years.

In Paulina’s hall, marveling at the statue of Hermione.

Tomorrow, opening night, will be Friday the 13th. With a full moon.

It was also nice to note that a UW-Whitewater graduate, Lexie Higgins, was working as assistant stage manager on this production.

Some pictures from last night’s dress rehearsal. Once again, the temperature got down to an unseasonable 56 degrees. . .

. . . so as the night went on, all of us at the tech table donned hoodies and blankets. Here’s stage manager Claire and board operator Ashley against the skyline of Milwaukee at dusk.

In Sicilia, at the court of Leontes. Hermione convinces Polixenes to extend his visit. Our director, ML, was very pleased to discover that even though the show begins in daylight, lighting still brought a degree of dimensionality and interest to the stage. The stage floor will be painted tomorrow.

The trial of Hermione.

The top of the second act, as Time tells us we’ve jumped fifteen years forward.

The return to Sicilia, as Leontes and Paulina take about the dear deeparted Hermione.

Spending some time today finishing the rendering of “Muskie Love” before heading into Milwaukee for “The Winter’s Tale” tech.