Cross Pollination

Set design is something I am completely new to. Theatre is something I'm completely new to.  It has been so inspiring for me, as a visual artist, to work alongside actors who these things are so basic to.  The directors and staff of Annie have been so gracious to welcome in some of my ideas while teaching me through example what makes for a quality set.  I have to also point out that the cast of Annie has been hugely helpful in set design decisions.  On our set build day a bunch of the kids made set sketches for what they thought the shop windows should look like.  Details such as shop window sale signs that include the support strings attached to the top of them is something that seemed so obvious once it was put into the sketches.  

As always with the creation process, some things just don't work out and new plans are born out of that.  The above sketch of the city sky line is something that the cast brought to fruition in a large painting.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to use the painting because the surface we were working on warped which made it impossible to erect them the original way we planned.  We decided to instead focus on the shop windows, that had such solid brainstorming from the cast, and attach them to some easels that fully support the board on which they were painted.

Here are two of the three shop windows

 I am so grateful to work in an arts center where I get the opportunity to cross pollinate with the vast opportunities the arts have.  Thank you so much to all of the staff, cast, and family members who helped with this process, it has been a great experience. If you are coming to see Annie this week, be sure to check out more of the set design sketches we have hanging in the hallway as well as the third window panel that is not shown here.