Painting for Fiddler

I got to help out with the painting for the multi-stake production of Fiddler on the Roof. This one was more minimalistic, set wise, but there was still plenty to do! This time we only had about a week and a half to lock up the gym.



Anne Marie and Tracy Del Toro both helped me out. (Anne Marie also did a lot of sewing for the costumes and played the piano for rehearsal--she was super busy!)



I got to use my mad dry-brushing skills, getting that weathered wood effect. (I got lots of practice doing this for Threepenny Opera.)



Sign for the train station, in Cyrillic. (Only two characters don't match up with the English, and those two look like other English letters, so it just ends up looking like it's spelled wrong. Hopefully this was not too confusing!)



Some fun detail on the stove.



I spent the last two days working on this along the front of the stage.  (I guess it came out more or less like I was picturing--it was supposed to be kind of understated, to not draw too much attention.  As it was I don't know if anyone past the first row really saw it at all.  Heh.)



I took Kate and Tavah to the matinee performance on Saturday. We got there early to get a seat (JoLee had asked me if I could take some pictures), so I took the time to explain the plot to the girls so they would understand what was going on with the dream scene.



The papas.



The daughters.



"...And one even longer coming down!" Tevye was perfect.



Fruma Sara was fabulously creepy. (Seriously--this was the coolest part!)



At the train station.



JoLee Watson as Golde, at curtain call. The whole thing was just really well done. Great show.



There are four more shows this week! And it's free!

Fiddler is a family favorite because my brother Peter played Tevye in a high school production.  The fun thing is that his wife Karen was Golde at her high school.  (Clearly, it was meant to be!)

After we got back from Ohio it took me about a week to start feeling somewhat functional again. You know when you're too tired to do anything and then you just feel all bleah from not doing anything? Then I started painting and realized I was still tired. Toward the end I was feeling better, but I had some rough days there!  Laura Call in our ward does personal training--I'm thinking I should do a couple months with her before we go to Korea next year, to keep my energy level up.  The spirit is willing but the flesh is wimpy.

Sound of Music sets

I've been painting for The Sound of Music--this year's production of the Tacoma Multi-Stake Cultural Arts Committee.  We've been excited about this since it was announced last year.  The powers that be agreed to roll in the budget from two other productions (A Christmas Carol did not happen this last December) so they could pay for the rights, and they really pulled out all the stops.



All the planning and preparation takes quite a while, of course, but they only get two weeks before opening night to lock up the gym and keep everybody else out. During those two weeks the place is a madhouse.



Patrick came and talked to me about sets a few weeks ahead of time, so I was able to start putting together some ideas.  This is the sketch I came up with for the rear of the house. 



I took a couple of days to draft the design onto the panels (lots of measuring and marking), and then started painting. Patrick came up with this really cool system where he had some tracks on the stage and then panels that slid into the tracks. The panels were wood frames with canvas drop cloths stretched over them, which was not an ideal surface for painting, but we made it work.



I had a lot of help with filling in areas of color, so I could focus on details and shading. And Anne Marie painted a lot of the window bars for me, which was a huge help. (So nice to have a friend with a steady hand... I don't think I would have trusted anyone else to do those!)



Anne Marie touching up abbey windows. (The windows were based on this photo, simplified a bit). The abbey walls and the house background color were both mistints that Patrick got for free. Can't beat that!



I was thinking of how I got a glowy effect on some of the windows in the Hogwarts mural, so I tried going for a similar look. I think it worked--it did look pretty cool from the audience!



Anne Marie on stage (she was painting the top track to blend in with the black curtains).   You can see one of the house panels in the background.



Patrick built this mountain over the orchestra. (This was one of the first things he told me about--"I'm going to make a mountain!"--but he didn't get to actually put it together until a few days before the play.)



Mixing up mountain color (we use what we have!)



Patrick put on the base coat.



I painted the mountain in less than two hours, the morning of opening night. It was a rush job. Not what I would have liked, but I got it done!



Kate and I went to the Saturday matinee. I gave her a little bit of background while we were waiting for it to start--"Okay, do you know what a nazi is, and do you know what a nun is?"  She said she enjoyed it.  I'd never seen the stage version before--it is a bit different from the movie.  (The orchestra was a little rocky, but everyone did a really great job.)



The nuns' music was really gorgeous! The whole thing was just lovely.  It's so cool to put in all those hours and then see it all come together.

I was a little bummed about not getting picked for the Tacoma Murals Project (I made the initial selection process and got onto their artist roster, but wasn't chosen for one of the six mural sites)--but honestly, I don't think there's any way I could have done both at the same time. And a few days before opening night I got an email from the Tacoma Opera, asking me to come back and paint for their February and April productions this next year. I was walking around with a big grin all evening. It's just so fun.

There's still time to catch the show! Two more weekends!

Painting for Penzance

The Tacoma Multi Stake Cultural Arts Committee presents:  The Pirates of Penzance.  I got to do some of the set painting.  (Yay!)



My contribution was the big scenic backdrop, and these plywood rocks.    (That's Fiona's library in the background, which was not part of the production--they just hadn't moved it off the stage yet.)



Anne Marie helped out a couple of times.  That green grassy stuff in the background was done by another girl that came to help one day, but it just wasn't working so we ended up changing the whole thing.



This was during the time that my camera died, but Anne Marie got a couple of pictures for me on her phone.   "This is my brush!"



I was still working on the rocks right up until the day of the first performance. You can see the rocks on the backdrop, too. The whole thing was very rocky. (And that backdrop was crazy... it ended up being way more complicated than it should have been, and cost Anne Marie some late night sewing hours.  My part with the painting was relatively straightforward!)



They had seven performances over two weekends, and it was just fabulous.  The house was packed (I heard from many people who enjoyed it so much they went back and saw it a second time).  Patrick Watson as the pirate king really stole the show, but the whole cast was amazing. There was a brief incident during opening night when the Major General's mustache fell off in the middle of the song, but they handled it with panache and some hilarious ad-libbing.  There's a video clip here.  The funny part starts about halfway through. 

Working on stuff like this is always fun.  It's just so cool to see it all coming together and then see it in the performance.  

"All Over the World" (multi-stake Broadway Revue)

We took the kids to the matinee on Saturday. Originally I was thinking I would just take Kate, but Andy had an early nap so we decided to make it a family outing and all go together. They both did really well.  Kate was not quite as engaged with some numbers, and Andy seemed a bit freaked out by the Phantom of the Opera, but they were both very good.  It was cute to see Andy clapping after every song.



My backdrop!  This is a really cute number.




"Trouble" from The Music Man.  I was impressed with Harold Hill.  He just nailed it.  (And it's not an easy song!)



"Shy" from Once Upon a Mattress.  I loved this number too.  Very well done!



Doug had a contribution as well--he made this doublet and hose for his SCA fencing.  That's Patrick Watson (the director) wearing them as Don Quixote, singing "The Impossible Dream." 



"There is Nothing Like a Dame"



The final number--"One Day More" from Les Mis.



I really enjoyed all the full-cast numbers. Powerful sound!

The whole thing was over two hours long, with more than twenty songs.  Everyone did such a great job.  The kids' favorite part was the "All Over the World" number (from Xanadu) at the end of the first act.  The cast ran out and made a circle around the audience, singing and tossing inflatable-globe beach balls. Kate and Andy each got to throw the balls back a couple of times.  (Audience participation!)

There are four more performances this next weekend!  I'm going to try to go again and get some video of Fiona's song and maybe a couple others.  If I do I'll add them here.