Challenge: the challenges for this set were the need for two completely different scene locations  and the director’s desire to have a minimal amount of set pieces that would have to be rolled on and off the stage.  The actors doubled as the stage crew so set changes needed to be as simple as possible so as not to overburden them.  Also being a non-musical there were  no musical interludes to distract from the time needed for set changes so they needed to be quick and unobtrusive.

Solution:  A turntable unit anchored the set and was designed to change from the stairs for the Inn to the stairs for the Manor House with only a 90° turn of the turntable.  Two pivoting walls – one attached to the stationary Manor wall and one attached to the Inn wall of the turntable – easily pivoted to their needed position when the scenes were changed.  They were constructed and attached in such a way that it was next to impossible to not position them correctly for their scenes.  For the Inn, the main wall was flown in while the turntable was spinning. Then as the final wall was rolled into position (almost a straight line from where it was stored off stage) the actors brought in the table and chairs.  The set items were constructed (although not completely detailed) as quickly as possible to allow for the actors / stage crew to get used to the somewhat complex choreography needed to rotate, swing, fly and roll in the set pieces.  If not done in exaclty the right sequence the set could not be changed without major problems and potential damage.

Result: a very satisfied director who liked the smoothness of the scene changes so much that he agreed to have them done in full view of the audience and included it into his blocking and stage direction for the actors. (which i had envisioned all along)

The workshop was a 2 week program for middle school and high school students which culminated in a 2 run performance of the show.

Challenge:  budget and time were limited.

Solution:   Existing flats and platforms were used and repurposed wherever possible to keep costs and build time down.  Low cost construction techniques were used as well to keep costs down. (ie: free carpet tubes were used to construct the columns, trash bags stuffed with newspaper then painted were used to create the boulders and cliff wall)  Column units were designed to be used with and without various attachments and placed in various configurations to create different looks for the multiple scene locations.  This also helped to minimize build time and cost by using the same units for multiple tasks.  The set was constructed over a 3 week period for a cost of approx $400

 

Challenge:  Client was in the process of restoring a historic Victorian home. They had been working with a local painter and had already committed to the main house color, but didn’t know what to do about the accent colors.  They were concerned that they may have made a mistake with the chosen house color. 

Solution: I did not  feel the expense of repainting in order to change the color was warrented in this situation.  Working with the client’s chosen house color, my objective was to accent the Victorian styling of the home but keep it subtle, light and fresh looking.  I brought in a deeper more golden color that coordinated with house color to use as an accent on the facias.  This allowed the white trim details to stand out   White trim was also used on the windows, porch posts and railings.   Additional accents of a dark tan and green were brought in around the windows.  Not only did these colors help to “pop” the windows but it also tied into the interior colors of the home.  The front door was painted with a rich burgundy red that coordinated with the reds in the  stained glass transom above the door.  Lastly the porch deck was painted a rich dark brown to anchor the whole palette.

Result:  a soft Victorian look that blends well with the natural elements around it.  A once nondiscript old house is now a much admired show piece of the neighborhood.

 

 

Challenge: Clients purchased and are renovating a classic, historic Victorian home.  They already have furnishings from their prior home.  They wished to reuse / repurpose as much of it as possible.  They wanted help with coordinating what they had with the new spaces, ideas for wall coverings, paint colors, accessory placement, furniture placement, etc.  The client also wanted the main public spaces to portray the historical Victorian style of the house as much as possible but still have it comfortable and livable for their young family.

Solution: Dining rooms typically do not  have the opportunity to incorporate a lot of pattern /color  through fabrics and upholstered pieces.  In order to give this space some punch I chose a very strong wall covering that had a very large  scale, colorful pattern.  The colors brought together all the colors in our chosen color palette for the house.  The window treatments were originally the window treatments in the client’s former living room.  To further soften the space a new area rug was placed under the table.  With all else in the space being fairly dark the area rug was kept lighter to help offset the some of the darkness, and tie into the lighter color of the trim moldings and ceiling.  It also brings your eye to the table area of the room helping to break up the long narrow view of the space.  The trim paint color (same color used throughout the home) was also kept light to brighten the space, give a more updated look to the space , add continuity throughout the home and to help show off the beautiful original trim work.  Along with the table and chairs, the client’s existing hutch, buffet and grandfather clock were also reused for this room.  A larger buffet was repurposed in the adjacent living room.  Aside from the area rug, the only other new items purchased for this space were the chandelier and the decorative wood drapery rods and sheers (not yet purchased at time of photo).

Results: a bold yet comfortable space for dining that pays hommage to the style of this classic Victorian home.  This home was recently showcased in the December 2011 Woodstown, New Jersey’s  Candlelight Tour. (A townwide event which has the town’s historic homes open to the public for display with all their holiday finery.)

Challenge: Needing to create a tropical hillside approximately 26 feet long by 18 feet wide as inexpensively as possible.  The hillside designed by Joe Southard consisted of 3 tiers of platforms joined by various stairs on stage as well as escape stairs for each tier leading off stage.  The stair units as well as the platforms needed to be camouflaged so they would not be seen as such from the audience’s perspective.

Solution:  we constructed hillside facade structures using inexpensive materials such as 1×4 lumber, chicken wire and burlap.  These structures were molded, painted and then attached to the platform structures.  As scenic artist it was my job to make this structure look like a very natural, life-like tropical hillside through the use of paint, artificial plants and various creative touches.  Money was spent on inexpensive artificial greens and flowers, however, the larger more obviously tropical type plants were beyond our budget.  I overcame this obstacle with the creative use of  poster board, floral wire and spray paint; creating medium and large leafed tropical plants that blended well with the artificial plants and flowers. Our budget also did not allow for the purchase or even construction of Palm Trees which would further enhance the tropical nature of our island hillside.  Masking flats were needed for some of the escape stairs so the decision was made to paint the palm trees onto the flats.  By incorporating trompe l’oeil techniques and attaching some of the artificial foliage onto the masking flat, the flats became an integrated part of the set, having some of the audience members wondering if they were painted or not.

Results: a very realistic, colorful hillside full of life and visual movement that became the perfect backdrop for the colorful tropical style costumes worn by the actors. 

 Challenge:  There were several challenges associated with this set.  One, the director wanted to stay as true to the film version as possible for the look of the set.  Two, from the beginning Joe and Jolene were aware that the set would be used for two consecutive theatrical productions.  The original set was built for the Pennsville Memorial High School.  Knowing the set needed to be transported to the Player’s Club of Swarthmore for YPTW’s production meant the set had to be able to be dismantled easily or built in such a way as to be able to be taken out of the building. (biggest exit was a 6′-8″h x 6′w double door that opened onto a loading dock.  Challenge three was the sheer number of set pieces needed and the lack of wing/storage space at the high school.  Lastly, budget was a consideration.  The school’s set from the previous year was sold to another organization which left little to no building material for reuse on this set.

Solutions:  The set was designed in such a way that most of the pieces and/or units were multifunctional.  For example the corn stalk unit rotated to show the forest trees, the land of Oz door and walls rotated to show the Witch’s castle door and walls.  Although this didn’t cut down on Jolene’s  work load as scenic design/artist it did cut down on construction costs and time as well as storage space.  These same pieces could also be blocked in various configurations to give different looks for the various related scenes. (ie: all in a row for the land of Oz gate scenes, split up and staggard for the Wizard’s Chamber, etc).  Other inexpensive finishing techniques were used to keep costs down. Ie: chicken wire, papermache & burlap used for a realistic log, cardboard construction tubes with a coating of drywall compound to create the apple tree costumes, 3-d, puzzle-like forest trees designed using a few sheets of luan and more drywall compound, inexpensive muslin and wire for the giant plants.

When the set was reused for the YPTW production some changes were made.  First off the PCS stage is about 1/2 the width of the PMHS stage some of the blocking of the set pieces had to be adjusted.  For example, only 6 of the land of Oz wall units were used instead of the original 8.  PCS also has a fly system so Glinda could be flown in rather than rolled in. Since the set was in essence complete Joe and Jolene had time to modify or add a few things.  The biggest being the Wizard Head.  PMHS borrowed a 2-D relief of a wizard head from another school.  Now with extra time, Jolene had time to design and build a 5′h x 5′w 3-dimensional wizard head with a working jaw.  It was definitely a show stopper.  Another change was a sepia-toned line-drawing backdrop designed and painted by Jolene that was added to act 1 to show the desolate Kansas fields and dirt roads.

Results:  a very detailed and full theatrical set that helped to transport the audience from Kansas to munchkin land to the land of Oz and back again.  When YPTW was through with the production, the set was sold in it’s entirety to another high school for their production scheduled for 2011.  This sale helped to recoup much of the funds used for construction materials.

Challenge: the client’s new space resembled a small apartment more than it did an office.  The client wanted a design concept that would relate to her business of web design – clean, contemporary (yet with a hint of tradition)  and up to date.  The carpeting was new so it couldn’t be changed nor could the kitchenette.

Solutions:  a new wall was installed to block the view of the kitchenette while still leaving access to it.  If future tenants want full access again, the wall can easily be removed.  The “reception area” now has a desk for a receptionist and a clean area for greeting visitors.  The waiting portion of the reception area (oversized hallway leading to the main office) is now a practical waiting area with 2 guest chairs, an accent table, lighting and a display wall.  The display wall was designed to double as a portfolio / gallery space for the web sites my client designed.  The photos showcasing her designs were meant to be interchangeable so that she could customize the display depending on her potential clients’ needs.  The color scheme was kept extremely simple with the use of only black and white.  Color was limited to a few accessories and the client’s own design work.  

The office continued with the black and white theme with a few more softer, personal touches that the client desired since due to the nature of her business she spent a lot of time there.

Results: a low cost renovation that provided the  look the client desired with the added benefit of being a great marketing tool to showcase the client’s web design work.

Challenge: Client had already put in a new carpet (mauve color) and repainted the walls (blue). She then wanted me to design a room for her that was inviting, warm, cozy and “grown-up”.   She did not want the living room to look like a baby’s room which was all she could picture after doing the new paint and carpet colors.

Solution:  First and foremost I had to tone down the blue/mauve combination without discounting it all together.  I accomplished this by bringing in some darker  tones with shelving, a desk (not shown in photos) and the leather sofa.  Lighter colors were brought in through the window treatments and swivel chair fabric to soften the space and bring in some feminine elements to the space to help balance the dark, maschuline aspects of the room.  Bolder patterns were used on the fabric of the desk chair and a wing chair  helped to balance the space as well as bring it into the “adult” world the client wanted.  Additional artwork on the walls helped to take ones eye away from the “blue” background.  Finally large plants were used as filler and to further tone down the blue/mauve background.

Results:  This is in no way a baby’s room.  This is now an updated traditional space that maintains it’s light, airy appeal yet feels anchored, warm and inviting for adults of all ages.