BROADWAY ASSOCIATE DESIGN
The role of the associate designer for a Broadway production is to take the conceptual vision of the lead designer, and make sure that that idea carries through the entire show, from scenery to paint to props. Associates are in charge of making models and drawings, and leading the studio teams. They work with the stage management team to make sure the scenery is working for the action onstage, and oversee the scenic shops that build the design. They are trusted to make decisions quickly as if they are the lead designer and are often the person in the room that directors and producers turn to first with questions about the set. When shows go on tour, associate designers help adapt the scenery to fit into trucks, and oversee the first stops of the production.
I was the associate designer for the musicals: Amelie and The SpongeBob Squarepants Musical (lead designer David Zinn), Hadestown (lead designer Rachel Hauck), and the national tours of Six (lead designer Emma Bailey)
The SpongeBob Squarepants Musical
Directed by Tina Landau, Set and Costumes by David Zinn
I was the associate on this project from the very first workshops, where we developed how to take the world of SpongeBob, which is a surrealist cartoon, into 3-dimensional space. We created a dada-esque aesthetic using found objects and sculptural elements. We had functioning rube goldberg machines, a show curtain made of sponges, a mountain made of cardboard boxes and a proscenium made from a giant crazy straw. The end result was a wild and innovative piece of theater that won the Tony award for best scenic design.
HADESTOWN
Directed by Rachel Chavkin, Set by Rachel Hauck
Hadestown, based on a concept album by Anais Mitchell, tells the story of Orpehus and Eurydice, situating in it a mythical American setting. The set is deceptively simple: its shape is curved and tiered like an ancient greek theater, but the textures feel like a run down bar in New Orleans, complete with a honky tonk band.
Over the course of the show, however, the set moves and changes: the floor has 3 turntables, and the center one can rise up or lower down. Lights hidden in the floors and walls change the colors of the space.
At a pivotal moment, as Orpheus journeys to Hell, light fixtures swing out over the audience and the set breaks apart into pieces, revealing what feels like the inside of a rusted out tower. This moment is simple to watch and very complex to build, and it anchors the emotional center of the show.
Hadestown is still running on Broadway, the West End and in Korea, as well as a National Tour. It won a Tony award for Best Set Design.
