Designing a Debaucherous Duo: Part ?, Production Photos (IT'S OVER!!)

When you're working on a show, it can feel like you're neck deep in the thing 90% of the way through it.  At a point, just about before you go into tech week, you start feeling that work creep up a little higher around your mouth, and you think you're probably going to drown.  "Maybe the light at the end of the tunnel is that pre-death vision people get?" "When I die, what will happen to all my fabric?" Those kinds of thoughts are just the regular, when you work in theatre and life is always crazy.  You just kind of forget that there comes a time when it's over, when the stress breaks and you get to enjoy something for a quick moment before it's on to the next. 

 Though I am already on to the next (I had a design presentation for two one act plays I am desiginng for the Shaw this week), the short short run for The Lover went fabulously well and opening night, rainy though it was, was a relief and surprisingly a joy.  And now... it's over.  all the costumes have gone back to their rental houses or on to new homes, and I'm back in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  But we always have the photos to remember the crazy times before it all settled down.  And with that, here are gratuitous photos of The Lover.

Nicole Buscema as Sarah, Stephan Ermel as Richard/Max, Ed Hillier as John, Directed by Peter Wylde.  Set Design by Michelle Ramalho, Costume Design by Erin Gerofsky, Lighting Design by George Quan.  Photography by Erin Gerofsky.

A big thank you again to all who worked on the show, and everyone who came out to support it! We had some strong responses from Mooney on Theatre and NOW Magazine (for all you Torontonians), and I sincerely hope it isn't my last project with Three Peasant's Theatre.  Good thing the Artistic Director and I go way back, hah!

--Erin

Controlled Combat for the Adventurous Actor -or- How To (Safely) Get Your Ass Kicked On Stage

I might be dating a psychopath.  A sweaty, sweaty psychopath.

Over on Jetpack Wonder Stories (lookit that fancy button right at the top o' the sidebar!) today, Ephraim is talking about his experience taking a stage combat class! The post features photos I took of him looking cool, and because he's nice and level headed like that, he also published some of the not-so-cool ones (minus one that makes him look like a gremlin which makes me laugh every time I look at it.  I kept that one for myself, even he doesn't have a copy!).  

If you've ever wanted to know more about those fights that happen on stage or in the movies, or thought they'd be super fun to be a part of, head on over to Jetpack Wonder Stories tohear what it felt like to look like you're kicking the crap out of someone, while keeping things totally safe.  Spoiler, it means a lot of grunting, and sweating, and acting that makes for some very bizarre still images.  

Totally makes me wish I had been this serious about it when I did my stage combat course in high school!  I got to "kick" my friend in the face, repeatedly.  Also we learned how to "slam" someone's head into a wall or a desk.  It was awesome, and really hard work to get everything just right, but being 16, we used our powers only for evil (and to freak people out in the hallways).  Drama kids.  What a bunch of weirdos.

--Erin

Designing a Debaucherous Duo: Harold Pinter's The Lover (Part 4)

Drum roll, please....

Aww yiss, it's finals time! All my finals were completed for a final design meeting last weekend, at which time they were all completely approved.  And let me tell you: feels good, man!  These renderings were all done in gouache, which if you're unfamiliar with it is a paint that is like if acrylic and watercolour paints came together to produce a perfect, freaky-deaky hybrid.  It can create solid colour (in a matte finish! unlike acrylic, which is quite shiny) and watery transparent washes, and is very often used by illustrators.  My brother bought me a set of gouache for the holidays (thanks Joe!) and this was my first big project with them.  I'm glad I didn't totally botch it! Details were added onto the paintings with pencil crayons (also got gifted some sweet Prismacolours for my birthday!), and the labels were printed onto the finished renderings.  You know what's more stressful than running a finished piece of art through a printer? Nothing. That part sucked.  But damn, do they look fancy! 

See if you can spot the (many!) changes between the prelims and the finished renderings.  That's why I stressed that prelims are quick: they're a way for you to communicate your idea to the director, and you can bet that they are going to have ideas to communicate right back.  Depending on your time constraints, you may go back and forth quite a bit.  As we only had 1 week between prelims and finals (yeah, these renderings are brought to you by Oreos and red wine) I had to take that information and make compromises and hope that I hit the money.  I did.  Now I just have to find everything I drew, and that is an entirely different battle!

Butcher Scanner wrecks white balance to the extreme.  This is as close to the originals as I could get them! The paper is grey-blue :)

Max is played by the same actor as Richard (and is, in fact, Richard in disguise!)

I've already been hitting the thrift stores hard this week to make our tiny budget stretch as much as possible, and I am so excited to get this show put together!  There are going to be some really fun and challenging sewing projects in my (near) future, and I'll be sure to share them with you guys here!  

 

--Erin

Designing a Debaucherous Duo: Harold Pinter's The Lover (Part 3)

Oh boy, finally getting back into the swing of things, and all I'm doing is bombarding you with all this design bunk, huh? Well too bad, because this show is the only thing on my mind right now!! Also all my sketches are currently on my work computer, which is imminently being replaced, so I need to write these posts and empty out my personal files.

Today's topic: Prelim Designs, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Ugly Sketches.

So, you've talked to the director, you have some kind of psychologically driven concept for the show, you have this huge stack of research, and now what? Prelims.  Now it's time to take all that research and turn it into loose quick sketches for each costume.  Everyone's approach to this is a little different.  Some people may want to create sort of "mood boards" (oooo) of colours and textures for each character, to help keep a consistent thread and track the visual development of the character throughout the story.  Some people may do a similar thing with a giant list of words.  Other people still don't write any of this shit down, and just internalize it.  I'm more of the latter party.  "I've read this one act play 6 times, if I don't get it now, I am never going to".  

You know who the characters are, what their individual experience of the story is, and have some idea how that needs to translate to their "look" in the show.  Now, pick up a pencil, and draw.  The key to prelims is don't be too precious about them, and don't let them take a long time.  You may even draw multiple versions of one look, if you think you and your director have different visions, or you're still working some details out in your head.  Just draw a bunch, and then select the sketches you're going to show your director which you feel best represents your vision for the show.  Your sketches may eb beautiful, or they may look like (to borrow a beloved phrase) hammered-ass, like mine.  Doesn't matter, just as long as the ideas get out there, I mean the director is going to ask you to change things anyway!

Here are my prelims for The Lover.  Please, try to stifle your laughter.  I should not be putting these on the internet and claiming to have any artistic ability, but I promise you these sketches are a tool, and are as quick and dirty as I get.  Deadlines, y'all.

Sarah, look 1

Sarah, look 2

Sarah, look 3

Richard, look 1

Richard, look 2

Max

John, The Milkman

Next time, I'll be sharing my final designs for The Lover.  I promise, they are way prettier.  You won't believe all the things that changed!! Prelims really are a tool of communication, as all artwork for theatre is.  It may be beautiful, or it may be sloppy, it may be realistic or it may be abstract; the renderings a designer does need only do one thing really well: show the people responsible for making the show what it is that they want.  But more on that next time!

--Erin

Remnants of Thanksgiving

Readjusting to working life is hard after 3 weeks off, especially when you have photos like these to sort through and edit. 

In related work news, I really should stop beating myself up over how few books I've been reading - or rather, completing - lately.  I look at the 3' thick stack of A4 paper I've read in the past two weeks and my head reels with all the names of the characters.   10 plays.  Gotta count for something, right? 

--Erin

Life As Of Late: Working Holiday and Faking It Till You Make It

Ephraim has bought me more flowers than I've received my whole life over! And certainly they are the most beautiful bouquets

My vacation from work is slowly coming to a close, and I can hardly believe it.  Where have the weeks gone? For that matter, how am I going to finish reading these plays?! I'm going to have to turn to hypnopaedic methods to cram the last few in! Or, you know, lazy mornings while I'm in Quebec next weekend.  Ephraim tends to be a later riser than me, and sometimes I take this as a good excuse to stay in bed and snooze and cuddle, but other mornings I just want to GO GO GO.  Instead, I will READ READ READ and SIP SIP SIP some tea.

Actually that sounds pretty heavenly.  If I were a day timer kind of person, I would write that down in my daily itinerary. 

Congratulatory flowers to celebrate the opening of my first realized design for The Shaw Festival

I'm just finding it so difficult to believe that I'm about to begin my second season at The Shaw Festival.  I always hoped to be there for another season (or two!), but it doesn't quite feel like a reality yet.  None of my life feels that real right now, and maybe that's because things are running pretty smoothly for a change.  I've gotten pretty used to living from one disaster to the next, so this smooth sailing has got me on my toes; does something terrible lay in wait around the corner? Or did my hard work pay off (or did I just get really lucky??).  

I'm excited for the challenges and growth this next season will bring, and am particularly pumped to get started on model building straight away when I return.  Maquette building has been the area in which I grew the most in the last year, and I constantly surprised myself with my ability to achieve realistic and proportional model furniture and rooms at such a small scale (1/2" = 1').  There are so many skills I want to develop in my time at the Shaw, and the faith they have in me never ceases to both comfort and alarm me.  I'm faking my way through so much.  But maybe that's just what the whole game is.   

I've also been invited to my old University to talk to the first year theatre students about my life after York University, as part of a panel of alumni.  I remember idolizing Jeff Churchill of Jitterbug Boy Original Footwear (where I was lucky enough to work for a short time) from the instant he walked on stage when I attended the same lecture in first year.  I leaned over to my best friend and said "that guy.  I want to be that guy.  Look how cool his shoes are!".  Then we learned that he had hand crafted those shoes himself.  How can I possibly be as inspiring as him? How can the university hold my career path in the same ball park, let alone the same auditorium? I don't feel that I'm there yet, and I certainly have a long way to go till I "make it". But I really hope this is telling of the things to come.

The Directors Project: Production Photos

Senora Carrar's Rifles

Gray Powell as Pedro, Beau Dixon as Foley Artist, Ben Sanders as Jose

Sharry Flett as Old Mrs. Perez, Wendy Thatcher as Theresa Carrar

Alana Hibbert as Manuela

Benedict Campbell as Father Francisco

Ben Sanders as Jose

FourPlay

If Men Played Cards As Women Do

Peter Millard as John, Kevin Bundy as Bob, Neil Barclay as George, Martin Happer as Mark

Neil Barclay as George, Martin Happer as Mark, Peter Millard as John, Kevin Bundy as Bob

Overtones 

Julia Course as Harriet, Claire Jullien as Hetty

Kiera Sangster as Maggie, Ijeoma Emesowum as Margaret

Julia Course as Harriet, Kiera Sangster as Maggie, Claire Jullien as Hetty, Ijeoma Emesowum as Margaret

Claire Jullien as Hetty, Julia Course as Harriet, Ijeoma Emesowum as Margaret, Kiera Sangster as Maggie

Claire Jullien as Hetty, Kiera Sangster as Maggie

All photos by Mark Callan.

Set and Costume Designs by Erin Gerofsky.
Lighting Designs by Conor Moore.
Neil Munro Shaw Festival 2012 Intern Directors: Michael Wheeler and Krista Jackson.

If you want to read more about the costume designs, check out my post on the Praxis Theatre Blog HERE

To see more about the process of painting the floor cloth (yeah guys, that's not real wood!), check out my post HERE

--Erin

Life As Of Late: The Directors Project (and completely unrelated photos)

I know, that's a picture of a branch and some berries, not a photo of anything theatre related.  But, well, I don't have a release to share any of the photos from the show yet, so I'm sharing these instead!

At long last, yesterday morning, The Directors Project opened! 

Our first performance was for Shaw Festival company members only, and it was a really great show.  The environment of people coming to support their fellow company members is just awesome.  So warm, inviting, and downright fun.  It was pretty amazing to be a part of, even if I was hiding in the back of the theatre with the directors and the lighting designer (mingling is scary, and, in fact, for lame people. FACT.)

Today we perform again, for more assorted company members as well as Shaw Governors Council members, and some special invited guests.  It's strange being such a major part of a production which, though it is small in budget and size (and run, let's be honest), it is so chock full of incredibly talented and experienced individuals.  And then there's me.  My bio (which accompanies my head shot in the lobby) is roughly 3 lines long, only about 1/3 as long as everyone else's.

And I know that should freak me out.

But mostly I'm just grateful to have had such big opportunities so early into my career.

Here's hoping it's all up from here!

--Erin

I think this wall would make such a great backdrop for outfit posts! Too bad it's the side of someone's house...

My Weekend in Retro Specs v.9

Happy Monday, everybody!

Today's a busy one, as we're getting into Tech for the Directors Project.  Long days ahead, but opening (and the end) are in sight! 

I spent my Saturday at the festival, spending most of my time in the studio theatre as the lighting designer built lighting looks for the shows.  It's always magical to see a set under show lights for the first time.  The way you can create atmosphere and temperature with light has always fascinated me.  I think if I could I would be a triple threat designer and do lighting too.  I just want to do everything though, haha! I'd have 7 jobs if I could manage it all.

I had Sunday off, as a little surprise! I caught up with a good friend who recently returned from a trip to Japan, and worked on a little purse makeover I hope to finish and photograph later today.  It's a project I've had in the back of my mind for a long time, and it's nice to know I'm only hours away from having one of my favourite purses be usable again....but I've said too much.  You'll see later in the week!

I also made some new banners for this feature this weekend! I couldn't decide on one I liked best, so I made a couple.  Maybe I'll just circulate them, because I'm indecisive.  Hmm.

Well, I'm off to work.  It feels like a 3 cups of tea day.

--Erin

The Directors Project: Story of a Floor Cloth

Happy Sunday everybody!

I have today off as we can no longer run some tech elements at rehearsal today! It's a nice little surprise, and I can spend today working on some of my own things at home; and sleep.  Yeah.  Sleep and drink tea.  Mmm. 

Anyhow, while I'm waiting for my buddy Jamie to pick me up to head to IHOP for brunch deliciousness, I thought I'd compile all the progress shots of the floor cloth for the Directors Project into one post. 

The Directors Projects (or DP for short) operates, basically, kind of like Fringe theatre productions.  Basically, we have to stay as close to "neutral" with the physical space as possible, as both shows use the same theatre and only have a changeover time of about 20 minutes.  When we first began this project, we thought about using a black floor, but soon decided that a wooden floor would be appropriate for both shows, and would help us define a playing space (the studio theatre is huge this year, it's a lot of empty space to fill!), and warm things up a bit.  

It took a little while for the reality of this endeavor to really hit us, but it certainly hit us hard as we realized that our time was very tight, and we only had so many floor cloths or pieces of fabric large enough (38' across!! Huge!) to use for our floor treatment.  as you can see in the photos below, we ended up painting over the sky portion of a backdrop of the Manhattan skyline.  Waste not!

The floor cloth was painted over the course of about 4.5 days, and was painted by myself with some much appreciated volunteer help from the generous and understanding artistic team. Here are some progress photos and explanations of what we did. 

a patchy base coat / the chalked out angle of the edge of the floor boards

Floor boards drawn in Sharpie / cut up wide brushes and dark brown paint create wood grain. Some boards repainted cream for consistency.

We used a warm and cool brown in patches to achieve this look / all board lines drawn with "straight liners".  7' long 2"x4" with a handle.

Wood grain without and with brown wash.  Wood grain strokes ran 3' (the board length)

Dark brown lines added between board lengths for depth / waxy glaze added for durability and sheen.  Dries clear.

Cut down, installed and with the edges of the boards blacked out.  Work lights reflecting off the glaze, sorry!

This was the first time I have ever painted a wooden floor, and I would totally do it again, I am thrilled with the results! This could be a neat way to finish a concrete floor!

--Erin