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!
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
