Tech Direction Productions

Click The Photo To Be Taken To The Shows Page

Since starting building for scenic productions my freshmen year of high school, I have had years of practice constructing both local and professional grade theatrical sets. For certain productions I was given the honor of being the Technical Director. Blending well with my Scenic Design focus, it has always been enlightening to be aware of how my designs could be brought to reality.

A theatrical stage with five actors, one woman in a red dress lying on the stage, four standing actors dressed in vintage suits, and colorful abstract backdrop with a purple lotus-like decoration

The Great Gatsby

The largest challenge of this production was hands down the stained glass wings that stood at 16’ tall and 6’ wide. Inspired by both Art Nouveau and Deco, I was wanting a stained glass backing to the set that the lighting designer could change as needed. A six millimeter plastic sheet was used to lend transparency, and the orange section was a mix of yellow and orange paint applied with a hand broom. The challenging part came from the green sections, as the green itself was too dark of a hue for light to pass through. In order to keep the grain, a clear coat polyurethane was used to lighten up the green and keep the grain together. The Lotus’ were created with PVC Sheeting and gauze, the platforms were arranged to by stylized as an art deco emblem, and a clear coat polyurethane was used over the set to grant a sheen to the sylized world

Two men performing on stage with a colorful backdrop featuring a chevron pattern and three doors. The man on the left is kneeling, wearing underwear and a tank top, with laundry in his hand. The man on the right is standing on a box, raising his hands and holding an ironing board, wearing a sweater vest and dress pants.

One Man, Two Guvnors

Approaching One Man, Two Guvnors was an interesting experience that became more fun the further we got along. Lending itself to the zany world that many depictions of England in the 60’s used, we did not hesitate when it came to bright and fun colors. Four revolving circles were used so we could change scenic dressing while another scene was going on. Hollywood flats and mobile set units were incorporated into the show to keep the world moving and streamline scene changes when necessary.

Group of actors performing on stage, engaged in a theatrical scene with some expressing surprise, some smiling, and one standing inside a trash bin, in a black box theater with stacked chairs in the background.

The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals

Faced with a minimal budget and a minimal set, I couldn’t allow myself as the Designer or Tech Director to go simple on a musical production. Having saved money from the previous show, five 7’ tall meteors were created. Using a Luan skeleton, a foam sheeting layer to carve and give shape, then finally a muslin cover on top to be painted and finalized. Each meteor was hung over a vom in the theater, serving as a living piece of the show. Designed to move up and down, the meteors were meant to be a living part of the set that helped tell the story alongside the actors.

A woman on stage holding a small wooden chair and smiling, with two wooden chairs on either side, a string of numbered papers or cards hanging in the background, and a dark backdrop with a partial circular light fixture at the top.

Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind

Working alongside the Director of this production, we came to the conclusion that a minimal set served the fast paced nature of the show best. However I still wished to give myself a challenge with this show so I created an antique 4’x8’ picture frame in AutoCad to learn to ins and outs of our school’s CNC machine. Serving as the backdrop for the timer throughout the show I knew that if any piece of set dressing had to be intricate it was the picture frame.

Theater scene with nine actors on a stage with a black backdrop and green lighting, seated on colorful blocks, suggesting a play or performance.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

As my first show serving as Tech Director in college, I naturally wanted to do as much as I could. Playing into the main characters mental challenges, I crafted the set to resemble how he would view the world. Stage blocks were an essential part of the process, be used to both measure out the grid and serve as the scenic dressing. The largest part of the show is what the name suggests, the Dog. Using an outline of a cartoon dog lying down, I used scrap lumber and spray foam to give him his shape. After a bit of carving, a layer of golden brown velvet fabric and some accessories, the dog came to “life”.