Game, set, and Match!

One show down, one term down, and six months to go.

I am currently working on Joking Apart by Alan Ayckbourn, for which I am doing the set design. It is being directed by Andrew Lewis, staged in the Geoff Gibbs Theatre with half of the third year actors. Actually the casting is wonderful. I first read the play in January and laughed out loud, which is always a good sign. I did not find out the casting for at least a month, but was so pleased with it. It will be very funny indeed. Joking Apart is set in an old overgrown English Garden, with most of the action taking place off stage in a tennis court (which butts onto the stage) and a little gazebo. Creating the world of this has so far proven rather challenging as we are battling with a really low pros arch, a deep stage and very specific set requirements. I have drawn and re-drawn plan after plan, perspective drawing after perspective drawing, and have finally worked it all out. The white card model has been made, and approved by Andrew, so on Monday I will have it costed once more by the workshop department, and begin making the real model and the construction drawings all ready for the presentation coming up. There is a lot of work to do, but as I feel I know the dimensions and have answered as many questions already as I have pre-conceived ever coming up, I am confident. I think tis show will be pretty darn good! I am looking forward to starting rehearsals and the build. During the course of my last show I feel in love with the people in workshop once more, they really are a great bunch.

So far I think this semester I have learnt the most about set related stuff, and tried to focus more on my perspective drawings and building the models. I was so happy to have made the Playhouse in half a day, which I will use for my class project with The Haunting of Daniel Gartrell. I am learning a lot from Zoe Atkinson, who is really a great teacher. She has been so encouraging and has pushed us further than we normally are in classes. We were also able to tour the Playhouse and meet the playwright Reg, which has made a huge difference in my interpretation of the play.

I am meeting the playwright and the director of my final show at WAAPA late next week. It is a musical, being written for WAAPA called A Little Touch of Chaos. I am hoping that it will afford me a chance to design some bolder brighter costumes. Maybe be able to be a little more adventurous, although, it is a small budget musical, and it may be too contemporary. I seem to design for more serious costumes, in suits, and house dresses and period ware that are pale, muted colours. I am keen to do some more print clashing, fabric clashing crazy stuff just for a change. We shall see…