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Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Transforming Open Space into a Stage - The Lehman Trilogy at Park Avenue Armory
blog.rosebrand.com: It’s no easy task to transform a wide open, cavernous space into a captivating, all engrossing theatrical environment. With a little help from Rose Brand, the magicians at Park Avenue Armory did it for the critically acclaimed production of “The Lehman Trilogy.”
4 comments:
Elena Keogh
said...
I think that this is an extremely captivating design and something that I have never seen before. Through the use of the “box set” surrounded by a projection of a landscape, the audience members and actors truly feel encapsulated in the world of the play. I noticed that the projections on the stage also shift to create a world that is being inhabited. I also really like the use of the earthier tones along the black base. This is supported through the use of the black costumes wore by the characters. This set, however, poses the challenge of lighting units (such as lamps and ceiling lighting) on stage, which from a design perspective can be harder to work with. However, I find that the white florescent lighting sets the tone of the workspace that is being created. Overall, I find this set incredibly beautiful and very new approach to design.
Though it sounds complicated to create a found space, it allows you to create the space you want. I would be interested to know why they chose a proscenium configuration and how it served the play. Since they could pick any configuration, I’m surprised that they picked a traditional set up. I wonder what other configurations the Armory has been in for theatrical productions. That being said, they have a curved back drop which is complicated in traditional theaters because it takes many line sets and can be hard for lighting, sound, and media. This article was fun because of the process and final product photos. I also thought the last line was a good tag line: “Come to us early in the process so that we can insure development of designs that are practical as they are esthetic.” Including production early in the process can ensure that the project stays within budget, both time and money.
When I saw the trailers and marketing content for this show, I had no idea that it wasn’t in a traditional theater. Found space theater is a beast of its own, because you simultaneously have so much freedom with the space you are in, but you are also tightly confined by its limitations as well. It is surprising to me that the wouldn’t choose to stage this in a more unconventional format, given the form of the set- you would almost expect that set to be placed in the round, given its rotation and transparency. But the projection screen that lines the stage adds another dimension to the production and gives it context within a world, so I do understand why that choice was made. I almost wish the article had given us a timelapse video of the load in into the space and more of a perspective on the space itself and the stage’s situation within the space.
First of all, I believe this set is absolutely gorgeous and very artfully executed. When I first saw the images, I thought it was either a painted or printed backdrop, but was surprised to read that they were all actually projections on a really long, seamless screen. I believe staging a show in such a location is a major challenge, but the production team really rose to the occasion. Having the backdrop be round as opposed to three or more flat panels really completed the illusion for me. In addition, the overall diameter of the screen as compared to the size of the room gave a really nice dimension of depth for me. It does an excellent job of creating an element of depth, making it seem as if the room in the middle of all of it is actually an office on the high floors of a tall building. Another challenge the production team would’ve had to deal with is the lighting, since the room has a solid ceiling. All lights would have to come in from the sides creating harsh shadows. The fluorescent tubes in the ceiling, then, must have been practical and not just decorative lighting. This set, overall, shows amazing attention to detail and some very creative problem solving.
4 comments:
I think that this is an extremely captivating design and something that I have never seen before. Through the use of the “box set” surrounded by a projection of a landscape, the audience members and actors truly feel encapsulated in the world of the play. I noticed that the projections on the stage also shift to create a world that is being inhabited. I also really like the use of the earthier tones along the black base. This is supported through the use of the black costumes wore by the characters. This set, however, poses the challenge of lighting units (such as lamps and ceiling lighting) on stage, which from a design perspective can be harder to work with. However, I find that the white florescent lighting sets the tone of the workspace that is being created. Overall, I find this set incredibly beautiful and very new approach to design.
Though it sounds complicated to create a found space, it allows you to create the space you want. I would be interested to know why they chose a proscenium configuration and how it served the play. Since they could pick any configuration, I’m surprised that they picked a traditional set up. I wonder what other configurations the Armory has been in for theatrical productions. That being said, they have a curved back drop which is complicated in traditional theaters because it takes many line sets and can be hard for lighting, sound, and media. This article was fun because of the process and final product photos. I also thought the last line was a good tag line: “Come to us early in the process so that we can insure development of designs that are practical as they are esthetic.” Including production early in the process can ensure that the project stays within budget, both time and money.
When I saw the trailers and marketing content for this show, I had no idea that it wasn’t in a traditional theater. Found space theater is a beast of its own, because you simultaneously have so much freedom with the space you are in, but you are also tightly confined by its limitations as well. It is surprising to me that the wouldn’t choose to stage this in a more unconventional format, given the form of the set- you would almost expect that set to be placed in the round, given its rotation and transparency. But the projection screen that lines the stage adds another dimension to the production and gives it context within a world, so I do understand why that choice was made. I almost wish the article had given us a timelapse video of the load in into the space and more of a perspective on the space itself and the stage’s situation within the space.
First of all, I believe this set is absolutely gorgeous and very artfully executed. When I first saw the images, I thought it was either a painted or printed backdrop, but was surprised to read that they were all actually projections on a really long, seamless screen. I believe staging a show in such a location is a major challenge, but the production team really rose to the occasion. Having the backdrop be round as opposed to three or more flat panels really completed the illusion for me. In addition, the overall diameter of the screen as compared to the size of the room gave a really nice dimension of depth for me. It does an excellent job of creating an element of depth, making it seem as if the room in the middle of all of it is actually an office on the high floors of a tall building. Another challenge the production team would’ve had to deal with is the lighting, since the room has a solid ceiling. All lights would have to come in from the sides creating harsh shadows. The fluorescent tubes in the ceiling, then, must have been practical and not just decorative lighting. This set, overall, shows amazing attention to detail and some very creative problem solving.
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