Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2009 - 19

Design
Let's talk more about designing both scenery and costumes.

How soon do lighting designers participate in production
meetings?

I'm always asked which I prefer, scenery or costumes. And the answer
is that they are two completely different things and that I rarely like
doing one without the other. If you are creating another world you
have to do both.

As soon as they can see sketches or a model, and a ground plan and
section. You usually have an indication of where the theatre's
electrics are, but the lighting designer almost always needs to
move drops or scenery slightly to light them more effectively. It's
best to have them involved as early as possible.

Have you considered doing lights as well?
No, enough is enough. It's too technical. At Yale they make you take
all three disciplines, which is good for understanding things
collaboratively, but it's hard enough juggling scenery and
costumes.

How many years does a company expect a new full production
like The Nutcracker to run?
A new Nutcracker is a huge investment for a company so it has to last at
least ten years. I think Alberta said thirteen. Milwaukee has already
done ten and I don't hear noises about retiring it.

It must be interesting to do a project that lives on and on.
I really wouldn't want to spend a couple of years working on a show that
could close in a week. At least if I spend a long time on a project I
know it's going to be around for a while. The Rigoletto I designed
for the Metropolitan Opera is going to turn twenty shortly, without
retirement plans. And that is exactly what they asked me for up front.

How do you go about designing for a project that has to have
such a long life span?
longevity for a production does preclude doing anything too
outré or quirky. American companies generally don't have
the luxury of retiring a production after a couple of seasons
the way a European subsidized organization can. In Europe
a company can (and has) done productions of Rigoletto that
look like they take place in outer space and two years later do
a completely new one that takes place in a department store in
Helsinki.

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre;
Act I, Rat Cavalry costume
sketch.

What is your creative process and where do you get your
research? Do you go straight to period specific sources or
do you find artwork that is inspiring?
I do both of those things, and if music is involved I listen endlessly.
I also like to research what has been done before to avoid
repeating ideas-or to steal good ideas. It's a very instinctive
process,hard to explain, and, of course, you have a lot of
discussions with the director or choreographer, or both. by
the time I sit down to start pushing the pencil I know what the
production is going to look like-not that it doesn't change or
that I don't refine or embellish it.

Pittsburgh Ballet
Theatre; Act I,
Little Mice costume
sketches.

How long does the entire scenic design process take?
It usually takes two to three months to design, build a model,
and draft. Then you begin the paint elevations, and that is
something I have to do myself. drafting and model-making are
taken care of by assistants.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2009
