| A production like Pippin, having been modified with each rendition to remain socially relevant, poses a challenge as a show assignment for a Masters Thesis Scenic Design. Multiple Broadway budgets provided former Scenic Designers of Pippin with opportunities that the collegiate level can't compete with. Dreaming up big ideas on a modest budget and timeline would be one of the many hurdles faced in designing Pippin at The George Washington University. Pippin was to be directed by a guest artist, Roberta Gasbarre, in the fall of 2016. The scenic design for Pippin would serve as the thesis show for my Masters in Fine Arts focusing in production design. Fellow Designers on this production were Professor Carl Gudenius (Lighting), Professor Sigrid Johannesdottir (Costumes), and Aria Nawab (Sound). Upon meeting with the Director, I learned that the additional challenges I would face would be finding a common language among the Design Team, interpreting directorial requests, and determining how the design elements would function, while keeping the production attainable. With all of this in mind, how do you create a theatrical environment that can support the Director's vision for a coalesced production of the original and remounted versions of Pippin?... |
