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It began in Detroit, 1993...
Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, "What Fools These Mortals Be..."
An adaptation of "Midsummer Night's Dream," and my first scenic design.
Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, "What Fools These Mortals Be..."
I used scaffolding and painted cloth.
Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, "Crossing 8 Mile"
An adaptation of "Comedy of Errors" and my 2nd design.
Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, "Crossing 8 Mile"
We made character masks.
Welcome to Calarts, Juliana!
And I got to design with more toys! "Tom Thumb" c 1997
"Tom Thumb" directed by Roman Pashka
I was designing an avant-garde production using video and puppets.
"Don Juan" at Calarts
Working in their famous modular theater was amazing.
"The After-Dinner Joke"
...and blue screens with tons of live special FX.
"The After-Dinner Joke"
by Caryl Churchill
"Ghosts in the Cottonwood," was a new play...
by Adam Rapp, so I got to meet Anthony too!
"Ghosts in the Cottonwood" produced by Echo Theatre Co.
Parts of my design are now in the official version of the play's stage directions.
Then NYC called me, to design an opera!
"La Cenerentola" at the Juilliard School of Music.
Designing for opera was amazing.
Being in a rehearsal room with those voices!
Our next show was "Richard II"
Eve Shapiro was their eminent director and acting teacher.
"Richard II" Juilliard School, 2001
It starred soon to be in films, Lee Pace as Richard. Amazing to watch him.
Then came The Acting Company in 2002
and their touring production of "Puddin'head Wilson."
"Puddin'head Wilson" was directed by Walter Dallas
and I had the budget to create 3-dimensional tin-type photos.
They also had me design their "Taming of the Shrew,"
another touring show for The Acting Company.
"Taming of the Shrew," 2002
We got to use a confetti cannon.
Then a big shift...I left NYC and moved to the Berkshires in 2004.
A local community theatre company found me. "All My Sons" 2007
"On The Verge" at Main Street Stage
I kept designing little shows for them...
"The Baltimore Waltz" at Main Street Stage
I was definitely having fun again.
"The Seagull" my last show at Main Street Stage
And this little theatre company is how I was referred to Kristen van Ginhoven...
Juliana meets WAM Theatre, 2009
and Kristen van Ginhoven changed my life. "Melancholy Play" was our first collaboration.
And we took off from there..."The Old Mezzo"
I had found a fellow kindred spirit in theatrical storytelling style...
From Page to Stage..."Survival of the Unfit"
I get the script...
usually emailed to me
And Scenic Designers actually read the stage directions.
They're clues, messages in bottles from the playwright and the group that created the first version.
For "Survival of the Unfit," taking place in a family's home...
...it was important to highlight everything that was said in the play by the characters about the home, as well.
Matt Penn's sketch of a plan for the play...
...that he emailed to me ahead of our first meeting. I like getting a visual aid from directors. Let's me know what's important to them.
Then, once I know the people and the place from reading...
...it's research time! I look for images everywhere that resonate with me.
Especially installation artists are great for this...
their emotional layers within their environments often inspire me in creating spaces that communicate on stage.
And if I have an idea, like house posts...
...that I saw in Matt's original sketch, I look for examples of that.
It felt like some photos of her son would be important...
...and we actually had the actor who played him provide photos from his childhood. That kind of collaboration is fun.
Giving the director some options...
...I sometimes like to show versions to choose from. Helps zero in on what communicates best who the characters are.
Furniture was going to be a key component to this design...
...so I was getting a feel for what could look good
And these are made from photos...
...of what we could find in the Berkshires to rent. I used Photoshop to make this.
We looked at a lot of furniture...
And you take lots of photos...
Of lots of China Hutches
which turns out Recycle is the best resource for China Hutches in the Berkshires.
And finding just the right rug...
...which we splurged on and ordered from Wayfair.
So this is a "furniture map"...
It helps our crew locate each piece that we are using and where it comes from.
And I start drafting now...
...because we've figured out the furniture and the floor plan.
Drafting is all about communication...
You have to tell the scene shop exactly what your design should look like.
You show your ideas...
...from all directions and measure EVERYTHING.
You detail out the walls...
...how to build them and paint them and what goes on them even.
And this is for our props person...
...to help them install all the items we were using in the right place.
And now you build a scale model...
...testing the design ideas in space. It's like a mini version of what you hope the shop is building for you.
Because space is what our art occupies...
...and you have to see it before they spend all that money to build it.
And if you're lucky...it looks just like the model.
We have a good scene shop.
And the couch we spent extra time choosing...
...and I was worried was too large...
Actually was PERFECT.
And the actors used it so well.
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