Starting Your Career as a Theatrical Designer: Insights and Advice From Leading Broadway Designers by Michael J. Riha

Starting Your Career as a Theatrical Designer: Insights and Advice From Leading Broadway Designers by Michael J. Riha

Author:Michael J. Riha [Riha, Michael J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Performing Arts, theater, Stagecraft & Scenography, Business Aspects, Business & Economics, Negotiating, law, Contracts, Direction & Production
ISBN: 9781621532248
Google: lnCCDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2012-06-20T23:38:56.776520+00:00


Top: Scenic sketch Les Liaisons Dangereuses, American Airlines Theatre, New York, NY, 2008 Directed by Rufus Norris Lighting, Donald Holder Costume, Katrina Lindsay Set, Scott Pask Bottom: Production photo, Joan Marcus

Rather than compression and release, Cry-Baby was about the collision of convention and rebellion. The shapes of the moving portals first established the staid world of the “Squares,” then tilted dramatically to reflect the rebellious nature of the “Drapes” and their reaction to conventional society. Also, the scenery itself reflected the pop colors and textures of the 1950s. These are two very different projects, but both are rooted in a conceptual understanding of the material and the desire to physically portray and support that onstage.

Q: Can you talk a bit about this new project, The Book of Mormon, for which you are currently in tech?

A: I hope a lot of new people, those that don’t usually go to the theatre, come to see a show like The Book of Mormon. People who enjoy South Park now have a chance to experience this Broadway musical written by Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Avenue Q’s Bobby Lopez. It’s always great to reach an audience that may not normally be accustomed to coming to live theatre, and even a younger audience as well. The show is fantastic—so funny and irreverent, and along with that, it has enormous heart. It shows so hugely the writers’ love of the traditional musical theatre form, and the story and songs are amazing.

The Book of Mormon has elements of traditional musical theatre design, viewed within this liturgical frame as the proscenium, so it becomes a kind of “pageant.” It’s based in the wing and drop tradition, largely because it is in a quite small playhouse, and in this case, is the form best suited for ease in delivering scenery out on the stage and for lighting. It is particularly suited to the show here, as its roots, its story and songs, are very much influenced by the traditions of the great composers, lyricists, and shows of Broadway’s golden age.

However, there is a definite break from traditional content, just like the show. The wings, which depict a kind of scorched landscape once we arrive in Africa, are tatty, burned, torn, and completely distressed, all within the religious white gleaming portal, with its stained glass. It ultimately looks kind of beautiful. It is a huge contrast to where the musical begins in Utah with bright, shiny, cool colors, each element almost having its own halo, and everything moving magically. The design also has many scenic transitions that happen in front of the audience. Behind the scenes, the crew moves at breakneck pace to create instantaneous shifts from one place to another. Some are actually quite startling, and the entire stage is transformed incredibly fast.



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