set design – Page 2

Snowbound Set Design and Build

Gallery 7‘s production of Snowbound is now playing at Abbotsford Arts Addition. I had the privilege of designing the set and building it. Here are some photos of the set build and a few shots from tech week rehearsal as well:

The set is quite simple, just a small stage with a backdrop. But it did take two weeks to build and set up.

The window is an important part of the play; it needed to open easily with a pull bar, revealing a snowy background behind.

The floor was done with painted stage risers; painted vinyl laid on the venue floor for the lower part.

Snowbound plays until February 10.

A Tale of Two Cities – Design and Build

Gallery 7‘s production of A Tale of Two Cities is now playing at Abbotsford Arts Centre. I designed and built the set. Here are some pictures!

Design was fairly simple: Floor with trapdoor, a couple of risers, and backdrop of a city skyline, with some furniture to create different scenes.

These show some of the build in progress: windowframes, flooring, candelabras, wedding arch, walls, trapdoor stage plug, chairs.

There were also some custom barrels which I cover in detail in this blog post.

The backdrop was a large undertaking, being 30 feet wide by 15 feet high, with windows that could be lit from behind.

It was flown in, so needed to be structurally sound. It was constructed of 2×2 SPF and recycled coroplast. Windows were painted muslin. Brick work was painted with a roller with slats cut out and dipped in various colours of paint.

(Director: Gabe Kirkley; Lighting: Ken Hildebrandt; Costumes: Dani DeJong; Props: Becki Cormier; Set Design: Andrew Potts)

Jeeves Intervenes set design and build

Gallery 7 (www.gallery7theatre.com) is now showing Jeeves Intervenes on the stage at MCA Abbotsford. It’s a delightful farce/comedy. I had the privilege of designing and building the set.

I really enjoyed reading the script. In my research I read some of PG Wodehouse’s other works and watched the TV series “Jeeves and Wooster.” What I enjoyed most was the ridiculous amount of privilege that Bertie Wooster enjoys, and how even though he has problems like everyone else, he can muddle through them with grace given by his manservant and others.

So…how to build a posh London 1920’s flat with a modest budget? I spent a lot of time hunting for “vintage” furniture on Craigslist and Marketplace. It started off with a beat-up turn of the century wardrobe and the collection built from there. Many items were cheap but needed refinishing or reupholstering. I had many volunteers for this show, who were all helpful in making Bertie’s place come to life.

Below are some pictures starting with the concept drawing and then showing a few building pictures.

Set – almost finished!

Set Design – Miracle Worker

I was asked to design the set for TWU’s fall production of The Miracle Worker.

It was a new experience in that I didn’t have to build the set this time. It was kind of nice! It was a challenging set to work with…but the team made it work well.

The play is running at Trinity Western University until Nov. 5.

https://www.twu.ca/news-events/news/samc-theatre-presents-miracle-worker-story-helen-keller

I borrowed a pump and refurbished it a little so that it worked.