UW Whitewater Theatre/Dance Department

Picking back up with “Jack and the Magic Beans,” the second show of our season at UW-Whitewater. This is our touring children’s show of the year, with only a single performance on our mainstage before we send it off to area grade schools. This means that the set has to fit into a small panel truck (12 feet long or so), fit through whatever doors the schools have, be able to be set up with relative ease and speed by the actors, as well as be flexible enough that the scenic elements can be shifted on site as needed to accomodate performance spaces of various sizes and limitations.

Back in the Spring our costume designer, Tracey Lyons, suggested a Nordic folk feel to things, so I’ve been researching Nordic folk art, from rosemaling to woodcrafts to quilt patterns, threw in a dose of Richard Scarry’s Busy Busy World, and come up with what I hope will be a colorful storybook environment with a Scandinavian feel.

Folding screens will frame the space and provide masking. Other scenic elements will be flat and foldable and easily shifted during full-view scenic changes. The second act takes place entirely within the giant’s castle, so scale becomes an issue where flatness and ‘folk’art’ perspective will help — think Colorforms. . .

Now that we’re back in session, we must forge ahead with “Dracula,” the first show of the season. This is a rendering of the finished version, with some added furniture. Yes, the whole set, including props and furniture, will be in black and white.

Our final performance took us back to Cesena, though this time to the Biblioteca Malatestiana, the oldest public library in the world (550 years old). It was quite difficult to find, as the signs in Cesena pointed you toward the library, but the facade itself was under construction with no clear signage from the street. First a few photos on the road to Cesena.

One of the nice things about driving in Italy is the interesting art that gets placed in the roundabouts.

This sign was actully posted right next to the courtyard entrance we were supposed to turn into. Certainly made it feel as though the library was still a little ways off.

This is the front facade of the library. The only signage is there, above the door, behind the scaffolding. Since it was siesta time, no one was around.

But, thanks to our intrepid driver Claudio, we figured out where to go.

The courtyard, like the library, was from the 15th century.

This was one of the few outdoor venues that had lighting as well as masking flats. Once again, facilities were a bit primitive; two portapotties back stage for the whole cast.

The stage set up for Lucia.

We ended the run with an analog board.

The hookup du jour.

On dinner break, a chance to walk around Cesena. Unlike last time, we were actually in the city center. This is the plaza in front of the library.

Down the street, a romanesque church — the unseen right side had a seriously baroque apse added to it.

A plaza near the castle, with a seriously Mannerist fountain.

This was across from the fountain.

Finally, Lucia in performance. It would have been a stellar evening if we hadn’t been competing with a Rolling Stones concert, apparently over at the castle. It lent an extra urgency to the performance. The final act was accompanied by the yowling of mating cats on the cloister roof behind the stage. If a singer can hold his or her own against all of that, they’re doing okay.

A nearby town, Sant’ Agata Feltria, is home to one of the oldest still extant wooden theatres in Northern Italy: Teatro Angelo Mariani Sant’agata Feltria. Verdi himself premiered operas here. We didn’t tour to this theatre, but it was close enough that Candace (director of Figaro), Renee (set designer/TD), Anna (SM for Figaro), and myself drove up the next morning to see the space.

Not the theatre yet, but a charming fountain we came upon as we left the parking lot.

The front of the theatre.

Once inside, you’re greeted by historic scenic art by Romolo Liverani.

Renee holds up the monograph on the scenic artist. It wasn’t for sale, and we resisted the urge to steal it.

Other drops were represented by smaller pictures of them.

The drop currently hanging has actual peepholes worked into it so that actors could look out at the audience from backstage. Here’s Renee demonstrating.

A slightly blurry photo of the stage.

And a view from the stage. Note the meagre front of house lighting positions to the right and to the left.

Note the tromp l’oeil work on the swag behind the blue curtain.

And despite the fantastic scenic painting, the lighting was still on the primitive side. The First Electric with those ubiquitous PCs.

Not much space over the stage, but those rafters are incredible.

In the entrance, a preserved antique “No Smoking” sign.

It was then time for lunch. Thank you, Candace!

That evening featured a performance in Novafeltria of La Cambiale di Matrimonio.

Since we were fast approaching the end of the program, the next morning was spent beginning to clean the shop. There were plenty of left over pieces from years past that we were rather astounded by. Here’s what passed for marble. . .

And we were all agreed that this was one of the most hideous pieces of stage furniture any of us had run across. Apparently this was put on stage for a previous production of Rigoletto.

Much of that morning was also spent on our knees scrubbing the paint off the shop floor, but by the end of our efforts, the shop was spit spot. The executive of the school, Ubaldo, said it was the cleanest he’d ever seen it.

This was the room used as the paint shop. It also got thoroughly scrubbed. Always leave a space in better shape than you find it.

Finished drafting “Much Ado” today and handed the drawings over to the director. It will be interesting to see how Stage Q puts this show together, since it’s probably the biggest show they’ve yet attempted (and that goes for costumes and lights as well. . .). Here’s wishing them luck.

Drafting up plates for the Stage Q production of “Much Ado About Nothing,” being produced this Fall in Madison. We have a production meeting tomorrow night, so I hope to have the whole thing drafted to hand off, since I will not be around to help them build it (since I’m designing all three shows this Fall for the UWW, and when this goes up, we will be hip deep in “Dracula.”) The trick, of course, is trying to design something that can be successfully built by volunteers, within the highly theorectical minimal budget, in the fuzzy time allotted. . .

The groundplan.

The elevation.

Platforming.

More platforming, with the bar and dj booth.

And finally — a few years ago we did “The Threepenny Opera” at UWW. I was hoping to snag this sign I painted for my office, but it was whisked away by persons unknown at strike. It suddenly showed up at the end of the semester this year. . .

The theatre in Pennabilli sent its own truck that morning; we were surprised to learn that there were no sides. We also had to leave the scenery at the theatre overnight and return in the morning to strike. Fortunatley, Pennabilli was only about a half hour away from Novafeltria.

The truck, unloaded, in the narrow lane next to the theatre. That rusticated archway to the left in the stage door. Despite the interesting truck issue, this was one of the most pleasant load-ins we experienced.

The front of the Teatro Vittoria. The theatre itself is a couple hundred years old, but was thoroughly renovated about fifteen years ago. Some of the residences abutting the theatre were given to the theatre to increase the backstage and provide more dressing room space.

The interior, from the booth, as we set up for Suor Angelica and La Cambiale di Matrimonio.

The view from the stage.

The dimmers and patch panel.

And the board du jour. . .

. . . which was a far cry better than the old resistance dimmer they had on display in the lobby.

After setting up, the house man, Franco, took us on a biref tour, stopping at the overlook atop the mountain. from the left, it’s Franco, Renee (set designer/TD), Brandon (SM), Anna (SM for Figaro), Milly (painter), and Maura (props).

The view from the peak down into the town.

The town is also the adopted home of the artist Tonino Guerro. One of his installations is “The Garden of Forgotten Fruit,’ a small orchard planted with antique varieties of fruit trees.

Another Guerro piece near the theatre.

Pennabilli is also a center of antiques; here’s a very cool chair way beyond my budget.

Pennabilli’s hookup du jour.

Suor Angelica in performance.

The final moments of Suor.

The next day, after returning to Pennabilli to collect the scenery, we performed Le Nozze di Figaro in our home space in Novafeltria. Here is the set, getting set up.

And lighting intern Sean Houston fiddling with the preset. As noted earlier, curtain times were rather malleable, so audience drifted in early, drifted in late, and when enough people seemed to be present, the show started. . .

The next day was our day off, and while there was a group trip to Venice (leaving at an ungodly hour in the morning), much of the tech staff decided to forgo the five hour bus ride and enjoy the area around Novafeltria. Our production assistant Antonio suggested a day trip to Montebello, where his girlfriend had been a tourguide for many years. It was also the home of Azuretta, the blue ghost, and a cache of medieval furniture that had been discovered in an abandoned cellar. Sadly, we weren’t allowed to photograph the interior.

The views, though, were spectacular. Here’s Renee and Antonio at one of the overlooks.

The view in the opposite direction, across the valley. That’s San Marino, covering that mountain in the distance.

And the view looking back toward Novafeltria. The lone knob to the right, in the distance, in Maioletta, a former hill town overlooking Novafeltria.

On this day, the GPS directed us to a strange corner of Cesena. It turned out that we were performing in the central plaza of this bank building.

A fellow came out and told us we couldn’t park on the plaza itself, instead telling us to park in a vacant grassy area next to the building. This meant lugging all the scenery up these stairs. The fellow then vanished, until after several frantic phone calls, he emerged an hour or so later with an interpreter to show us the dressing areas. . .

A view of the stage from behind, as we set up.

And the stage, finished.

One of the challenges of Italy is the fact that everything shuts down in the middle of the day for the siesta, including many restaurants. We had to wander a fair distance, accidentally finding ourselves here (which a few days later we learned was pretty close to the city center), to find the first open pizzeria. Since the performers didn’t arrive until about five, they had no problem finding places to eat.

On the other hand, gelato seems constantly available, and the shop across from the pizzeria had some of the best gelato of the trip. The Figaro flavor was particularly good.

The audience arrives, and here is lighting intern Sean Houston at the board.

Suor Angelica in performance in Cesena.

And La Cambiale di Matrimonio in performance.

The next day we returned to the Castel Sismondo in Rimini to perform Lucia di Lammermoor. It was rainy as we set out; Renee (the set designer), myself, and Claudio, our driver, left late. The crew was to follow. A picture from along the way — that’s San Leo foggy in the distance on the right.

Here’s costume designer Stephanie Henderson helping me set up the music stands for the orchestra. Setting up the pit became my special project night after night after night.

Stage manager Alex checks out the stage from the house.

On dinner break, passing through the piazza.

The Plaza of the Three Martyrs, in Rimini. This is the site of the intersection of two ancient Roman roads.

The curious Renaissance Malatesta church.

The arch of Tiberius.

Director Francois Loup arrives at the Castel.

The audience arrives.

The hookup du jour.

And finally, Lucia in performance.

Thoughout the tech rehearsals, work on scenery continued. Here are the walls from Figaro, laid out in the shop as Renee (the scenic designer and TD) painted detail. That’s scenic/lighting intern Sean Houston in the back, there.

The director of Lucia (Francois Loup) had asked for a portrait to hang in one of the scenes. I jumped in and banged it out. Here it is in progress. . .

. . . and the next day, done.

More of the Figaro walls go up.

Here we are, loading the truck for one of the first tour dates — San Marino, which was about half an hour away.

Interior of the theatre in San Marino, which, sadly enough, we did not perform in; though we used the dressing areas. Wonderful space, and if you note, contained the only ERS units we saw the whole trip.

The San Marino theatre from the stage. We played in the Piazza Sant’ Agata, directly in front of the theatre.

Here is the set, mostly up. The fellow to the right is Roberto, one of the team of local lighting technicians who made our lives much, much easier on many of the tour dates. He was also a singer.

A view of the stage from above.

The board du jour. Since most of the outside venues used the same lighting company, this was the board for most outdoor dates.

On the dinner break, Renee, Maura (our props master), and myself climbed a bit higher. This was the view from our pizzeria table.

. . . and then a little higher at the cafe near the top. That’s Rimini and the Adriatic.

Candace Evans, director of Figaro, relaxes as we wait for the audience to arrive.

The mad scene. The president of San Marino and his wife were seated directly behind the maestro. I would have to say this was probably the most magical evening of the trip.

The next day, we took Lucia to Pesaro, a beach resort town south of Rimini. The stage was in a castle. Which had a moat. An empty moat, but a moat nonetheless.

Being a castle, they were short on amenities. Here is the backstage toilet. The only backstage toilet. There were two portajohns for the audience out front.

On the dinner break, we took a walk — here’s the telecommunication building on the main piazza.

This fantastic Art Nouveau house was near the beach. Note the lobster brackets holding up the eaves.

And the tech staff all managed to accidentally convene at a cafe on the beach for dinner.

Back at the castle for focus. There were six 10″ (or so) PCs on the FOH truss, and 10 PAR 64s on the castle wall. All were too large for my cuts of color, and the staff had no frames. We did Lucia in white light that night.

The board du jour, a sister to the board in Novefeltria. The technicians were very reluctant to redo the soft patch so I could run it reasonably as a two scene preset — they wanted me to run it via submasters. I convinced them, eventually. It was very lucky we brought a rug we didn’t need, as the fire marshal brigade in attendance wouldn’t have allowed the board’s cords to be run to a position where the stage was visible from the board without something to cover them.

The hookup du jour.

The audience filters in as staging rehearsal takes place. We discovered that curtain times were very, very malleable.

We may not have had color on stage, but there were several kick-ass LED wall washers that were controlled through the board, so at least I got to change the color of the courtyard as the show progressed.

In the third week we begin teching the operas; this is a from a run of Figaro. These were less techs than run throughs with orchestra and very little time to change over between. There were also concerts scheduled in the space in the evenings. This was the first time performers ran through the shows with scenery, costumes, lights, or full orchestra, not to mention that with the compressed schedule scenery had yet to be completed (scenic design by Renee Suprenant).

Here is the crew putting up the walls for Lucia’s tech rehearsal.

A blurry photo of the final scene of Lucia, in tech.

The final moments of Suor Angelica’s tech.

La Cambiale di Matrimonio’s tech.

Since we were working with twelve dimmers and did not know what types of boards were to be expected in other venues, the old fashioned two scene preset cue sheet was the best way to handle notation. Even this turned out to be rather hopeful, as once we went on tour, equipment and positions varied widely, and with darkness not coming until curtain, cueing tended to be improvised live each night.

Our first tour date was Suor and Cambiale in a cloister in Rimini. The technicians were extremely helpful, even cobbling together two extra sets of stairs to the platform for us. In the cinema next to the piazza which served as dressing rooms, there were glassed portions of the floor where you could look down to the medieval crypts and the old Roman road.

A few of the PCs. These units were the type we found everywhere — no Fresnels, no ERSs. These units didn’t have working clamps and were gently wedged into the truss.

Renee watches set up as the local electricians nestle the PCs in the truss.

Here we are waiting for the audience to arrive and speaking with our new friend Nicola, who then walked us down to the Tiberius bridge. The lightboard was the exact same model as what we had in Novefeltria, though we had fewer dimmers. . .

The Bridge of Tiberius, the 2000 year old bridge a short walk from the cloister. That’s the old section of Rimini, across the river.

The string quartet warms up.

The performance of Suor Angelica. A much smaller stage than in Novafeltria, so it’s a little cramped. Since it was also the evening of Rimini’s pink festival, there were LED wash units lighting the apartment building behind the stage. The technicians were kind enough to let me pick the color for the performance.

And finally, La Cambiale in performance.