Rock ‘n’ Roll Train Set a Rollin’ Written by Elsa Marie Moeller for the Sherwood paper this week. One of the most pivotal aspects of any stage production is the set. With the ability to articulate a mood and atmosphere that engages the audience as well as portrays the show as a whole, Courtney Miller Bellairs, the set designer and painting crew director, faced the challenge of making a creative and thoughtful set that revealed this year’s Rock ‘n’ Roll theme: Friendship Train. Bellairs, who is a 1987 Sherwood student and former Rock ‘n’ Roll dancer and vocalist, combined her skills as an architect and artist in her second year of designing Rock ‘n’ Roll sets. Bellairs sought to adapt the song, “Friendship Train” by Gladys Night and the Pips, the basis of the theme, into a visual representation through its lyrics. “The song is about peace, justice, love, getting along. How do you draw that?” Bellairs asked herself in the early stages of generating ideas for the set. For the answer, Bellairs consulted a vintage book of 70s patterns and designs that inspired most of the artwork seen on stage. Much of the infrastructure of the set has remained the same, once again including vertical flats and the same riser layout. However, an innovative design in addition to a couple special features have helped pull the piece together for an entirely new and unique look. “It is as if you are looking out a big window to see a train just outside,” explained Bellairs. “The middle of the set is a series of ‘over the top’ 70s living rooms. You are in the living rooms with your friends hangin’ out or in a night club with this luxurious ‘crazy’ wallpaper and you look out your window to see the train going by … The designs of the wallpaper mimic a tunnel on the left and indicate that the train is traveling into nature on the right.” The train, a more abstract version of a retro trolley, rests behind the highest platform where backup vocalists sing. A light box underneath brings the train to life, presenting the illusion of a train either speeding through the station or merely floating on the platform. The retro, psychedelic color scheme and patterns featured on the vertical flats extend onto the platforms. Two of the vertical flats stand in front of the curtains which depict 70s-inspired faces in black and white with a bold pop of color, juxtaposing with the rest of the set while still providing an inquisitive piece to draw upon before the curtains open to reveal the “crazy and fun” set. While there were plans to paint the stage with this year’s Rock ‘n’ Roll logo of a colorful peace sign, this was not possible due to time constraints. “I like giving people something they have to think a little about … They may not understand the ‘big window idea’ but I think they will enjoy the playfulness of the living rooms and color schemes in any case,” shared Bellairs. “The whole thing needs to work together to inspire and to make an environment right for the performers and the music being represented.”
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 22:01:55 +0000