Live Design caught up with him to discuss designing Fun Home, based on the 2006 graphic memoir by American writer Alison Bechdel, Anne Washburn’s play 10 Out Of 12, and more.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Q&A With Scenic Designer David Zinn | Fun Home, 10 Out Of 12, & More
Live Design caught up with him to discuss designing Fun Home, based on the 2006 graphic memoir by American writer Alison Bechdel, Anne Washburn’s play 10 Out Of 12, and more.
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3 comments:
I really enjoyed reading this article as someone who saw Fun Home in NYC recently. At first I wasn’t sure what to expect; as someone mostly interested in the technical aspects of theater, I knew that this show wasn’t one known for it’s crazy technical feats or massive set pieces. However, I still wanted to go when I had the opportunity, because what I had heard of the story was that it was boundary breaking and really amazing. Even though I had a standing room spot in the last row, because it was a relatively small in-the-round I could still see everything perfectly, and you could tell that a lot of work had gone into making the furniture so detailed and so accurately- period. I was super impressed with how the furniture moved in and around the circle that was Allison’s head and her memories, either through entering and exiting through the multiple trap doors or being pushed around by the actors. Even though it was difficult in the round, I was surprisingly impressed by how well- defined and diverse the different spaces in the show were (the fun home, Allison’s college dorm, her drawing table, etc), without moving everything on or off for every change (I think this was also very well aided with clever lighting design). The turntable scene in the non-mobile car they talk about in the interview was one of my favorite scenes, as it perfectly illustrated how Allison felt as she was getting nowhere with her father. And the scene towards the end with Alison's dad’s suicide was heartbreaking and genius; the whole time I remember thinking “Please don’t fall in!”, until I realized that that was exactly the point. As someone who hopes to be a professional scenic designer, I hope one day I can achieve this level of balancing artistry, simplicity, and aesthetic in a scenic design.
I get really excited when I read an article like this one. There is something about getting into the mind of a designer, and understanding what they are going for that is interesting and more captivating than it probably should be. I also think it’s beneficial on my end as a technical director to understand where the designer is coming from when he makes choices for a show. For example, when Zinn was talking about having to find the lower profile furniture for Fun Home, as a TD I understand that’s it for sightlines but more importantly I realize that it has to fit a certain artistic and stylistic look. If I were working in a theatre in which we constantly performed in the round, quite a few of my decisions as TD would be heavily influenced by the space. The shop would probably be doing a lot more furniture construction than most shops, and some things which would normally be props would be probably be relegated to me or at the very least be joint ventures. There are also huge technical demands of a space with seven (7) traps in the floor, that get used continuously throughout a show. That’s not something that would be necessary fro most shows, or even shows that normally play in proscenium or thrust spaces. It was telling to see how significantly Zinn’s design for the same exact show changed based solely on the venue.
When I saw Fun Home I was very impressed with the set even though it was very minimal. I think that is why I liked it because all of the furniture was used in such a smart way. I loved the use of the traps and that the furniture pieces popped up in different places throughout the show. I really wanted to shadow the stage management team on Fun Home to see what it was like under the traps. I am sure it is very well choreographed because there is probably not that much space and there is a lot of furniture. It is interesting to know that the show was a proscenium set up when it was at The Public. I feel like the show would seem very different and have a different flow because the furniture placement and movement were very integral to the story. I really liked at the end when the traps were brought down and there were holes left on the stage that were outlined. Fun Home proved that you can have a very interesting set with just furniture in the round.
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