Saturday, September 21, 2013
LA ProPoint Carries Out Zeus’ (and Designer’s) Will on Prometheus Bound
Stage Directions: For a story as epic as Prometheus Bound, Travis Preston, the artistic director of CalArts’ Center for New Performance and Trans Arts, wanted to make an big visual statement. Working with scenic designer Efren Delgadillo, Jr., they came up with a 23-foot-tall steel wheel that Prometheus could be bound to, and would also rotate, taking Promethues around its face like a clock. When it came time to build the behemoth, they turned to LA ProPoint, who engineered, fabricated and installed the wheel in the Outdoor Theater at the Getty Villa in Malibu. I’m working on a long story about the production for a future issue and saw the production this past weekend—it’s a beautiful show, and the wheel truly is something to behold.
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3 comments:
Wow! What an undertaking. I was very curious from the beginning of the video as to how they were going to install the outer curved pieces. Ratchet straps. Genius. The bearings on this behemoth would also be a sight to see.
What I am still curious to learn is what the relation is of the actor to the wheel. Is he strapped to the wheel perpendicular of the circumference? If so, then at some point he must be upside down. I'd be interested to know what sort of considerations the production team had to take in mind. Physical therapy seems like a logical guess but what exercises could you do to counteract such a strain on the human body?
I once read a series of books when I was younger (Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom) that had a character called the Old One who was based loosely on the myth of Prometheus -- interestingly enough he too was strapped to a wheel, though in this case it was meant specifically to be a clock face. In the books, when the clock struck twelve, the Old One would be set upon by clockwork creatures. I'd be curious to know if in this version of Prometheus Bound the possibility of using the the wheel as a clock would be explored -- if the orientation of the wheel itself had anything to do with the story. Also, i wonder if the sheer size of the wheel and its location as the central piece would be at all distracting, and how difficult it is to keep quiet while turning.
This is quite an interesting set piece! had I not watched this video and been an audience member, I would definitely be intrigued as to how they actually got the piece in the space as well as constructed it. Having seen it however, I have a better understanding towards that but not so much towards the actor's involvement with the wheel. Is he on top of it as they were sating he was in rehearsal? Is he strapped on to it? Does the wheel spin in the play as well or just in construction?
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