Saturday, October 19, 2013

Friday, September 20, 2013

COMING IN OCTOBER ...

Les Miserables for Tacoma Musical Playhouse

Painted Show Curtain ~ Paint Elevation


Monday, August 12, 2013

AMAZING WHAT YOU FIND IN THE ARCHIVES

"Archives" meaning cleaning out the studio closet.  I am sure every designer that has worked for a decade or more has a stash of sketches and renderings from their early days that make them cringe.  The truly awful ones get burned or destroyed along the way and a few "cringe-ables" are kept to show in classes and such - to prove to students that they can learn and develop these skills, that we were not all spawned brilliant.

I had that rare experience the other day of coming across something from my "ancient designer past" that did not make me cringe: A set of renderings from an Advanced Scene Design project my last semester in undergrad.  Two different sets for the same space, both for A Midsummer Night's Dream, one unit set and one multi-set.  The space chosen was the Kresge Theater at Willamette University, a thrust stage that I was weened on as a designer (the Music department had the proscenium stage - we had a thrust and an arena).  I actually finished these renderings several years after I graduated, and I am pleased to say that they do not make me cringe today, even though my paint skills have developed considerably since.

Unit Set by Judith Cullen for A Midsummer Night's Dream (1984)
Multi-Setting design by Judith Cullen for A Midsummer Night's Dream (1984)

Sunday, June 2, 2013

INTO THE WOODS Open at Vashon Drama Dock in July!


Views from the paint elevations . . . The set is three books, with the central one in front of the other two and open.  The Center book has a pair if doors SR (the bookplate) and an elevated window SR.  Groundcloth continues the "Once Upon a Time" motif.  Lovely, fun project with Charlotte Tiencken Directing.  Delightful people on the Island.

Friday, April 19, 2013

THE RAINMAKER Opens tonight @ Lakewood Playhouse!

Every production of N. Richard Nash's play that I have ever been part of has been a thing of beauty.  This one is no exception, and I am NOT talking just about my work.

 A few shots taken as ladders were still in play and Technical Director, Larry Haggerman, had put out bubble wrap for the weary but accomplished crew to do the happy dance on ...
 Shots of the finished (AND dry!) set taken during cast warm ups before the final rehearsal ...God help me!  A rehearsal block dressed as a crate made it into the show - I DIDN'T PUT IT THERE!
Thank you to Casi and Cast for bringing very real and honest characters to life!  Thank you Larry Haggerman and the LPH Team and Crew for, in some cases, almost literally moving mountains to make this lovely show a reality. Opens tonight, April 19th, and plays through May 12th.  Yes, it really rains on stage!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

THE RAINMAKER Opens at Lakewood Playhouse 4.19


I love Richard Nash's Romantic Comedy.  Just love it!  Have done it several times, last time as Props and Costume Designer for a lovely production in 1998 Directed by Rod Pilloud.  This production is Directed by the fabulous Casi Wilkerson ...

Here are process shots and paint elevations. Lot's still to go!

 Volunteers Robin and Evelyn are doing a great job.

               





Thursday, January 31, 2013

VIRTUAL DESIGNING - It's Not Just Me!

It was amazing to trip over the article in the recent USITT issue of Sightlines about Designer Richard Finkelstein.  It seems Mr. Finkelstein also designs in Second Life (c) and uses it as a design tool for his real world productions. I had a great chat with him.  Remarkably, we found that we had run into some of the same people.  It's a small virtual world after all.

Mr. Finkelstein's work and mine do not travel in the same sphere's, but good design is good design no matter the size of the theatre or the budget.  It was great to see that someone else finds this a unique and very useful resource.  I still love drafting with my pencil, and I find Second Life (c) a much easier to manipulate platform for exploring virtual models.

Explore Richard Finkelsteins's work. He will be hosting a session at USITT in March (as the article explains) on Designing in the Virtual World.

Looking at his site inspired me to rework some features of my own site here.  Note the tabs under the masthead that now make it easier to explore different aspects of my work.