Fabricating a bunch of little pieces...

The set design for 3PO is pretty different from other things that I have done at New Line.  For the past two seasons, most of the sets have been fairly representational interpretations of real places.  Probably the most abstract set that I have done to date was for Bonnie & Clyde, where the set consisted of fragments of real things that became ghosts in the memories of the two outlaws.  But even for those fragments, the execution was realistic.  I wanted each of them to be readily identifiable as a specific place.  For the set for Three Penny Opera, I took a different approach all together.

I mentioned in my previous post that the influence for the aesthetic of this set grows from tudor-style London streets.  Probably the last vestiges of the old neighborhoods that dotted the London map 150+ years ago.  Those buildings, many dating back to Medieval times, would have been the "old neighborhoods" in 1830.

Since Scott is really staging this show, not only in 1830, but 1930 AND 2015, it was important that the set, while recognizable as Victorian London, must not BE Victorian London.  Therefore the structures are not realistic representations of those tudor structures, but abstractions of them.  They are skeletons of the buildings.

Well, therein lies all of the pieces.  The "bones" of those old buildings are the large, hewn timbers that made the framework.   Building that on the stage requires me to make a bunch of timbers.  But I am applying them to platforms on legs that have to hold actors, so it is not so simple as just whipping together some big styrofoam elements and painting them.  Most of the timbers have to hide actual structure, fitting around each element like a tailored suit.  They have to fit together precisely.  I realize that I may have to do a little customization and trimming to fit during load-in, but for the most part, they need to be a kit of parts that gets snapped on after the platforms are erected and braced.

What looks like a simple set with almost no moving parts has really turned into a complicated puzzle.  Making the pieces is not terribly difficult. Making them the right shape and taking into consideration how I am bracing the platforms and how they fit together is crazy hard...

I decided that I had to tackle one section at a time. Since it is essentially 3 "structures", I needed to focus on one structure and solve it, then move on to the next.  I decided to tackle the most intricate one first...Peachum's shop.  It has the most pieces and is the most lacy.

PEACHUM'S SHOP
To get the geometry right, I made the platform legs first, then put them under an 8' 2x4, essentially mocking up the front of the platform.  Then I made the "beam" that covers the platform face followed by 3 leg covers.  Once those were in place, I could take measurements to make up the lacework in the middle that represents the windows and intermediate timbers.

The upper portion of the structure was MUCH easier.  It is essentially a couple of flats in the shape of the pitched roof with 1-1/2" styrofoam applied to the surface.  That took almost no time.











GALLOWS
While our exchange student, Kee put a coat of black paint on al of the pieces for the shop, I turned my attention to the gallows.  It is attached
to the shop, but upstage a bit and thru an archway. So, visually it is in the background.  Also, because it is off to the side, it did not need to be so transparent.  but it IS tall...it will be 9' off the stage when fully installed.

Again started with the legs. It is a 4x4 platform and needed 3 full-length legs and one short on that set on the top of the shop platforms.  Those all got covered on 2 sides with luan to make them look 4" square.

The bracing on the tower got a lot simpler when I decided that, since it was upstage, it didn't need to be transparent, only look transparent. So, We made two flats that fit between the legs and applied the timbers to it, not unlike the roofline of the shop.  A base coat of black paint on those pieces and we can turn our attention to the next structure.

BARN

This week we will make the pieces for the barn using the same process as the shop.  The jail portion is really only a platform on legs with the jail bars from B&C applied to the front, so that will be easy. I already have the beams for the area above it, I just need to make a quick flat or two to mount them to.

Hopefully, this weekend, my attention can turn to making all of the furnishings and "junk" that we need to add detail to the set.
R

Marcelle...part two

Things are really starting to take shape at our new home, The Marcelle.  Last week, Tyler at Cine Services and I spent a couple of hours and REALLY honed the lighting package.  We questioned every fixture, and made sure that we had every cable, splitter and clamp that we needed.  I then turned the order over the Chris Hansen and he gave it the green light.  So, Tyler ordered the dimmers immediately.  The electrician needs them in order to hard-wire them to the power sources.

Last Friday, I met Tyler and Ken Zinkl on site and they got to see it for the first time.  Ken is only the second New Liner to see the space under construction and he seemed really happy with all that he saw.  Ken, Tyler and I talked about installing the lighting system and went over power locations for not only lights, but also sound.  Even though that is being handled by another contact of Chris', it IS important that we are all on the same page when we start stringing cables and clamping lights.  Our lighting system will really be first rate.  It will arguably be one the the best set up black box theaters in St. Louis.

After Tyler and Ken left, Chris Hansen and I spent two hours going through details of use of the space, finishes, and coordination for the installation of the lighting pipe grid.   The contractor should have the pipe on the ceiling, the electrician all of the rough-in and the black box painted black within a week.  Then the wood floor goes in...the theater space is quickly nearing completion.

So, here is a photo tour...like last time only I think that it will make more sense as a theater now.

The LOBBY

 As you come in the main entrance, you will walk up 3 steps or turn right to go up a ramp into the lobby.  You can see the floating soffit overhead starting to take shape.  It is there to hide the heating and cooling equipment that hangs above.  You can see it in a couple of photos.  The soffit will be painted light cream and the structure, piping and equipment above all dark gray, so it will disappear above you.


The next view is at the top of the three steps or in front of the box office, looking toward the entrance to the theater.







On the right, a view from the landing of the ramp, looking across the lobby toward where the bar will be.


On the left, standing at the door to the theater, looking at the box office and entrance.








On the right is a shot of the entrance into the theater.

On the left, the photo is standing at the bar, looking back toward the entry.










THE FACILITIES
Immediately to your right before entering the black box space, a short hall leads to the public restrooms.









The ladies' room will have 3 stalls, the mens' room will have one stall and two urinals. At least they are CLOSE to the lobby, not two floors down...









THE ARTISTS

At the end of the short hall, a door leads into the green room.  There will be shallow counters along each wall with mirrors and lights.  There should be enough room for 15 people to sit in fron of a mirror at one time to put on makeup.  The door that you see in this picture leads into the theater storage area which opens into the black box.



The the other end of the green room, there are two small changing rooms and an actors' restroom with a shower.







The photo on the right is the theater storage room as seen from the green room door. You can see into the black box on the left.


THE BLACK BOX THEATER!!!!!

Stepping into the black box and looking toward what will likely always be some audience seating.  The ceiling is 14' high.  After the ceiling and walls are painted, a black wood floor will be installed over the concrete which should make it a bit more comfortable for the performers.

The last view is taken from the audience entrance into the black box, looking toward the storage and actor entrance.  The single door on the left goes into a secure storage room for New Line to keep keyboards and other valuables.  on the right, you can see the LARGE opening going into the unsecured storage area and the green room.





So, as you can see, things are moving right along and starting to take shape.  Within a couple of weeks, all of the drywall should be installed and finished, ready for paint.  Then it will REALLY look like a theater.

I will be sure to give you an update as it looks more finished.  Now, back to Three Penny Opera.  Load-in is two weeks away and I have a shit-ton of work do.
R

Initial thoughts on Three Penny Opera

Not once in my crazy theater career dd I ever pay a bit of attention to Three Penny Opera.  I had heard of the title and knew "Mack the Knife", but that was about it.  My perception was "it's an old and out-of-date show" and I never gave it much thought.  Honestly, when Scott announced it as the closing show for the season, I groaned. "What happened to Zorba" ran thru my mind. Well, not every show can be the next cool funky show that nobody believes that we can pull off.  There will always be that one show of the season that you wish you didn't have to do.

Then you read it, and talk to Scott, and read it again, and talk some more. All of the sudden, a light bulb goes off and you get it...

Welcome to my world.

For the life of me, after the first read, I couldn't get past the "Oliver-like" setting.  How many more Victorian England shows am I going to have to do in my day?!?!  The way that Scott talks about his feelings for Rodgers and Hammerstein is the way that I feel about designing for these "golden-age" shows...I appreciate where they fall in the history of theater, but that era is the past. It is the foundation for a much more exciting and invigorating theater experience. We do not need shows with 10 canvas backdrops.  We have pixel mapping, video projection, and abstract imagery that can be much more rich,

There is a cardinal rule in doing theater (or any other art really.)  Everything that we do, every decision that we make is about the story. We do not create the story. That is the author's job. We TELL the story. If any idea, any element, and action...ANYTHING at all does not help in some way to clarify the story, then we should not do it.  No embellishment that we can do as an artist will improve the story. Every action and every decision will either further the story or distract from the story.  It is our job to make sure that the latter get filtered out before it hits the stage.

In that first conversation with Scott, he said two things that flipped the creative switch in my brain. First, he said that this show is about the 1930's and about today, it just happens to be set in 1830's Britain. As such, he intends to stage pieces of it in all three eras at once. Second, he mentioned a production that he saw a few years ago where the designer had piles of chairs on stage and the cast just grabbed chairs, used them, then threw them back on the pile.  P-ting! Out the door went the Dickens backdrop and I GOT IT!  Since this show isn't REALLY about the dawn of Victorian England, I didn't have to reproduce Victorian England.

Breaking down the Backdrop...

With that, there are really just a few "places" that we must go to move the story along. Peachum's Beggars Store, the Stable for the wedding, the prison.  But..  nothing says that we have to go IN these places, just be there or suggest that we are there. And nothing says that this story moves over great distances...its not like freakin' Les Mis.  In fact, Nothing says that it can't really happen all in one neighborhood, a beggar's neighborhood...a ghetto like place.

Armed with this insight, and three major locations, I composed the stage with 3 facades, ala Forum.  The whole thing is a composition of a street that faces the waterfront.  With the audience as the water.

OK, so it is set in 1837 on the eve of Victoria's coronation, so there should be something that gives it a flavor of the era.  The archetypal tudor structure would be heavy timber frames infilled with white plaster stucco.


But if we don't want to be literal, what if I eliminate the plaster.  An aesthetic of just heavy, dark timbers in patterns that reflect tudor structure. Storefronts tended to be a bit more refined with more detail. A stable would be bigger and heavier with less detail. A jail is a box with bars...

Now, there is a TON of crap that has to come and go for scene changes. We have no stage crew, no wings, and no place to go with it all.  Thus comes the second comment that Scott made.  If this really is the beggar's neighborhood, it isn't a pretty place. there is crap everywhere, piled in the corners. It is a ghetto.  Then the cast just grabs what they need for the scene out of the pile and puts it back in the pile after the scene is done.  No scene changes, No storage in the wings... just organized clutter.

So, that is how we proceed.  Time to start working out the real geometries and developing the details. Load-in is only 4 weeks away.  No more time to snooze!
R