The Ladies of the Camellias images
A miscellany of views, beginning with some of the crew (left to right: Steve, Julie, Kelly).
Allen has put his heart into this set. It's a fine picture, too. The construction project has had good cast participation, always a big factor in these things; I've worked on otherwise good shows where you couldn't get cast members to help out even by offering free donuts. I've noted in these little commentaries which people took responsibility for which pieces.
At right is one of my contributions, a sandbag. (No, I'm not in the cast, just a hanger-on. Urf urf.) Remember the audience will see an intricate and highly finished set that isn't quite performance-ready; some of the rigging is still evident, fly lines and such. I assure you that we have good reasons for filling this sandbag with eight pounds of dried pinto beans instead of sand.
At left, take a peek through the Upstage Right door. In the sandbag photo, the new valance box sort of framed the shadow of the bag; the curtains that frame this view are the ones that hang from the valance. You can see the fireplace and the portrait of Sarah Bernhardt. The lighting for this picture was the nearly complete show lighting. Sure enough, many audience members won't be able to identify Madame B. with her face up in the grid.
As soon as I packed up my camera I realized I'd failed to get a photo of the chaise longue that Allen designed. What a lot of people involved themselves in that one piece of furniture: Allen started it, then Brad and Ken framed it, Jennifer worked on the head cushion, Janet did faux wood details on the frame, Dina helped create the padding, Amy sewed the cover, Kelly added the color-coordinated pillows. A sort of mass movement. I should be able to add the chaise to these pages next week.
We are all just fit to bust, we're so proud of the fireplace. It's all painted and installed, with the excellent "summer screen" that Jennifer made (showing the fleurs-de-lis). In the "peek" image above, if you look very closely, you can see that the Upstage sides of the buttresses have no backs. That isn't any kind of secret spaces, just a preference of mine in scenery; the audience pays to see the front but the invisible parts are just that, invisible, so why build them at all?
Kelly's portrait of Sarah is finished and in place. The medium is pastel and latex paint on canvas, not a classical selection, but the effect onstage is quite satisfying. We think the picture is one of Bernhardt's efforts to put Duse off her rhythm.
Once the cast and crew finish dressing the set I'll get an overall view. It's been a fascinating and fulfilling job, and the company should be proud of it. No doubt the show will live up to the set design and execution. Don't miss it!
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