Design Presentation to the Cast of Superstar

    The design presentation to a cast and crew is always one of my favorite events during the course of a production.  As a set designer you get a lot more time than you do as a prop designer (if you get any at all), so it is the best time to get a lot of information to the team.
    Last night, I met the entire cast of Jesus Christ Superstar (well, actually, Jesus wasn't there, but I digress...).  What a talented and super interesting group of actors...so many great stories were told as we all got to know each other. Kudos to director Linda Hunt for leading us in that "get to know you" exercise.  One thing I love about community theatre is that everyone is in it for the same reason.  Just for the love of it, for the fun of collaborating and creating together and putting on an amazing production.  We all know there is no money, fame or awards attached to this work, it's purely for the enjoyment we each get from the process.

    So, I got to show the cast my Google SketchUps and thought I'd share them with the faithful followers of my blog (heehee, I think its up to one whole follower now).  In any case, I enjoy writing my thoughts down here and keeping a journal of things.
    Note in the pictures how the two set of steps change from scene to scene.  The entire set is stationary except for these two step units and some furniture.  Working closely with lighting designer, Brian Mahoney, we plan to make these various stage areas really come to life as unique locations when filled with actors and props (and maybe some cool special effects too).

Enjoy my SketchUps!


High Priests configuration - the moving staircases create a pyramid for the priests to stand on as they look down upon JC and his followers.  This is one of the most open layouts as the entire cast comes onstage for the Hosanna number.





The Temple configuration - In this scene the steps are moved side to side and placed dead center for JC to enter the Temple all mad and righteous.  He's got plenty to be mad about too!  Look at those skanky 80's girls dancing in the corner and that cock fight being waged upstage and is that girl holding a scarf or some kind of organ...don't get me started on the guys on the pillows.  I do love Google SketchUp for the cast of characters you can download into your sketches.



The Last Supper configuration - The Last Supper opens Act II and I really want to give the feeling that we were inside a secluded space that served as a home base for JC and his apostles.  To do this, I designed a canopy that cuts the stage in half both sideways and front to back.  The fabric will have some translucency when softly lit from above.  We'll also be adding small lights to the lowered deck by JC's feet in this pic.  These will cast a candlelight mood on the inside of the canopy and allow us to play with shadows.  The beams used to hold the canopy will actually be real tree trunks roughly 4" in diameter, untreated and set into holes in the stage.  Pillows and mats will be made of burlap and other woven fabrics. I'm contemplating bringing the two moving step units to each side of this canopy to further enclose the scene and give the apostles some more sitting options.

Superstar research

While looking for images of the building materials of the 1st century, I came across the following images that spoke to me. 

I like the size and texture of these stone blocks. They would work in the two large columns that flank each side of the stage.  These columns will be twelve feet high and three or four feet thick, with staggered sandstone blocks.  These will be textured through a treatment using both paint and sawdust to give them a rough finish that will catch the light nicely.  More to come on the columns later...

 This painting shows Jesus with his earthly father Joseph doing carpentry.  I like this image for the wood in it, both the wood they are working and the natural piece of wood holding up the overhanging roof.

This image is a good one to see the smaller size blocks used in construction of houses.  Probably not right for the palace and high priests' locations, but would work along the front of the stage.  Perhaps in showing the progression of masonry and carpentry from the front of the stage to the back will mirror the power of the people versus that of the authorities.

Jesus Christ Superstar - Set Designs

Currently, I'm working on a scale model and Google SketchUp of my Jesus Christ Superstar designs for Narberth Community Theatre's production running this March.  Linda Hunt is directing and had a lot of great ideas for the show but wanted to keep it simple...I tried.  I swear I did, but the more I came up with the more she loved.  So as the TD/Master Carpenter said at the last production meeting, "It's going to be epic!"

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to document the final design process and set build along with other fun things. There will be some puppetry, a sort of rock climbing wall, a hanging Judas and of course, the requisite crucifixion. Oh, boy!

Check back soon for sketches, photos and more! For info on the show check out NCT's website: http://www.narberthcommunitytheatre.org/

Prop Master's Pride

On Thursday, September 30th, The Cryptogram by David Mamet opened to rave reviews.  Toby Zinman of the Philadelphia Inquirer calls Simpatico's production "fierce and subtle and a must-see for any Mamet fan." You can read the whole review here: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/toby_zinman/20101002_A_brilliant__subtle_take_on_David_Mamet_s_family_drama.html
Ms. Zinman is even kind enough to mention several of the props that are crucial to the storyline and act as clues to unraveling the mystery.

On opening night, I had a great moment of Prop Master Pride when the German pilot knife was revealed for the first time. The audible gasp from the audience at its appearance was so incredibly gratifying. It was a prop success in so many ways.  It is an exact replica of a World War II era gravity knife.  It has a weight and severity about it when it propels from its handle.  The sound it makes as it falls into place is like a guillotine - swift and sharp.
It is rare when a prop elicits a reaction from the audience.  Props usually go unrecognized as they are mostly items in life we take for granted (tea cups on tea treys and bottles of booze) They are there to convey reality and therefore blend into the scenery.  However, when the prop is a weapon, especially a knife in an intimate blackbox space, the audience's level of tension ratchets up.  They won't take their eyes off it. A well propped stage weapon evokes this reaction without shedding any blood.  My new gravity knife does just that.
Here's a video of me testing it out in the shop:

For tickets and information, go to http://www.simpaticotheatre.org/

Musical Propping Vs. Play Propping

While working for Theatre Horizon on their upcoming production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the difference between propping a musical and a staged play has become amusingly clear. 

To explain, for Bee I'm brainstorming a way to make a Twinkie really explode when squeezed during a song about an erection.  While The Cryptogram has me hunting for just the right German pilot's knife to remain historically acurate while also looking dangerous and massive in the hands of John, the 10 year old boy played by Conrad Sager.

I do love my job. If you were ever an avid treasure hunter as a kid, this may be the profession for you.

The Cryptogram by David Mamet

I'm currently working on props for Simpatico Theatre Project's upcoming production of David Mamet's The Cryptogram.  The show opens September 30, 2010 at the Walnut Street Theatre's Independence Studio on 3.  For more info on the production and Simpatico (where I'm also the Company Manager) visit us online: http://www.simpaticotheatre.org/

The play takes place in 1959.  A very specific year chosen by Mamet as it relates to a turning point in America.  It is the last year of the 50's before the crazy swinging 60's and all its social upheaval took the country by storm.  It is the last year of America's "innocence" some say.  In The Cryptogram, the characters also go from an idyllic, picture perfect existence into a troubling and unknown future where the stability of life is forever upset.

TOY research - One of the three characters in this thriller is ten-year old JOHN, played by Conrad Sager in Simpatico's production.  To get a sense of what John might play with and to fill the living room space onstage and give Conrad some objects to identify with, I've researched popular toys of the 1950's.

KNIFE research - One of the most significant props in this play is the KNIFE.  John's father, Robert, a character never seen onstage, is the central motivating factor in the lives of the three characters we do encounter: his wife, Donny, his son, John and the family friend, Del.  The knife belongs to Robert who picked it up under mysterious circumstances during World War II or maybe from a street vendor.  It holds mythic and symbolic importance to both Del and John and leads to a crucial plot point.  The knife is described as a German Pilot's knife that would be used by paratroopers to cut their cords should they become entangled in a tree after their jump.  Doing research on knives was enlightening as there are several variations on the "pilot knife".  The one pictured above is the closest I could find that fits the scripts description of its origins and size.  The play ends with young John carrying the knife upstairs by himself into a dark unknown where nothing good can happen.

RADIO research - Set Designer, Meghan Jones and Sound Designer, Larry Fowler, have been discussing ways to include a vintage 1950's radio as a practical onstage.  The one pictured above is typical of the period with a hard-plastic shell, two knobs for tuning and volume and a large speaker face on the front.  This prop will live onstage for most of the show and will be somewhat central to indicating the time period of the piece.  Hopefully, audiences will recognize the radio as being from the 1950's along with the costumes being designed by Janus Stefanowicz.

more to come on THE CRYPTOGRAM by David Mamet http://www.simpaticotheatre.org/

The Producers

The Producers by Mel Brooks

Presented by the Dramateurs at the Barn

June 2010

Set Designer and Scenic Artist


Act I, Sc. 2 The Office of Max Bialystock

Act 1, Sc. 7 The Elegant Foyer and Living Room of Roger DeBris' Upper East Side Apartment

Act II, Scene 5 The Office of Max Bialystock (after Ulla "tidy ups")