“Into the Woods” on the drafting table, developing the elevation. With all the layers of trees and structure, I’m drawing from the front to back. In this image, the downstage most sets of trees have been finished.
Taking the aerial view from the Sketchup rough work-up of Into the Woods, I’m working up the groundplan. It may seem a bit of a backwards way to work, but I find that while Sketchup is good for tossing around basic structures, once you get into thinking about detail, you have to figure out how to build the detail before you can add the detail to the model. It’s easier to simply draw it, and then, once I know how the detail works on paper, I can go back and build it in the 3D space. More useful accidents happen on paper.
I’ve laid out the footprint of the space, made some changes, and will now take this preliminary groundplan and work up an elevation in which I can incorporate more detail (that Russian Constructivist book open in the corner is informing things — the director would like climbables. . .). Then it will be back to the groundplan to work in those discoveries.
At the same time, there are all the costume design projects from Intro to Theatre I have to get graded. . .
And “Into the Woods” hits the drafting table.
“Anything to Declare?” opens this morning with our student matinee. Below are two photos from last night’s final dress.
A moment from the series of revelations late in Act Three (Act One takes place in the same locale — the Dupont’s parlor).
And a moment from Act Two, Zeze’s garret, when her maid comes to inform her that she has a vistor in the midst entertaining another vistor. . .
I must admit to be being happier with how the second act turned out. The wireframe elements that were supposed to top the walls for Act 1/3 didn’t work — the wire used was too soft and bendy and it was impossible to get the clean sweeps and swirls I’d hoped for. Oh well.
A hold moment during first tech last night. We’re just about to move the buzzer from the stage left side of the arch to the wall upstage of the stage left chair so the actor ringing it won’t have to upstage himself.
And a moment in the second act act. The paintings were created (painted adaptations of the source images) by student propmaster Nick Skaja.
Dry tech this afternoon, so here is director Jim Butchart sitting behind stage manager Alyssa and student lighting designer Nick as they work through the cues.
The stage set up for acts one and three, the Dupont parlor.
And the stage set up for act two, Zeze’s garret. Yes, there’s still a fair amount to get done on both sets. . .
. . . and here in the shop we have Intro students Annaliese and Kathy working on the wireframe cake toppers while. . .
. . . Intro student Hannah paints one of the easels.
Today, we got to a point where much of what was built is painted and can now start being assembled. Very exciting!
This is Zeze’s groundrow, which is the view through her tall artists garret windows out onto the alleys of Paris. The holes will get material and light so that it seems like someone is home.
Here is student lighting designer Nick Skaja focussing.
Meanwhile, in the shop, the window gets painted. . .
. . . the wireframe ‘cake toppers’ start to take shape. . .
. . . masking flats get based. . .
. . . and when lighting takes a break, walls go up. That’s TD Steve Chene in the forground, and Nick pointing up where one of Zeze’s practicals will get hung.
At our production meeting for February’s “Into the Woods” I presented this rough model of where I was heading (based, of course, off of earlier discussions). We’re chosing to highlight the artifice of storytelling — the devices and effects will be clearly devices and effects. As both boundary and place of journey, the forest has also got a structural grounding in Tatlin’s “Monument to the Third International.” This is the machine that creates family, in what ever form family will take. . .
Now that Zeze’s walls are largely done with their paint treatment, all the sections of the Dupont parlor are laid out for their base color.
TA Alyssa measures a piece of our existing foam cornice to create duplicate pieces.
Student propmaster (and lighting designer) Nick has begun work on the show’s several pieces of art. The one with it’s back to us leaning against the rack will be doctored to allow it to be smashed over someone’s head, thus humorously replacing her head with that of the actor.
And finally, dying the settee cranberry.
With the structure of Zeze’s garret pretty much done, the shop is turning to the curved walls of the Dupont’s parlor. Here are students working on some of the door sections.
My project for the afternoon was getting the rest of Zeze’s walls painted with their “cubist” treatment.
All the walls were built in smaller sections (which made them much easier to paint, it must be said) because this production is our ACTF submission. Should it be chosen, we will have to transport it to the January conference.