Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1500164
One set gave us intense headaches: Margaret and grandma Sylvia visit the open-air Delacorte Theater in Central Park for a performance of The Pirates of Penzance. Yay!—designing a classic operetta set is what I was always trained for! Art Director Angela Stauffer wrangled the complicated bleacher seating in a parking lot to serve as a pie slice of the semi-circular Delacorte that VFX would multiply in post. Graphics ace Steven Samanen created the faux-Victorian engravings for a toy- theater proscenium outlined in bulbs carrying a swag curtain made of Union Jacks. The semi- circular stage was backed with etchings of storm- tossed Cornwall seascapes. The Delacorte has no orchestra pit, so I placed musicians on raised walkways left and right to provide live music for the number. The divine Ann Roth costumed the ensemble in cream, ochre and black with tomato parasols to perfectly match the set colors. Cue the playback! Cue the lightbulbs that chased in time to the music! Cue the entrance of the Modern Major General, those seven dancing pirates, and his seven pretty wards twirling their parasols in sync, and one little Production Designer was beaming with pure pride for what his team had pulled off. Sometimes a panicky phone call can lead to a blessed job that comes with a benediction from on high. ADG Steve Saklad, Production Designer Angela Stauffer, Art Director Christina Phensy, Assistant Art Director Alanna Dempewolff-Barrett, Set Designer Tiffany Apple, Steven Samanen, Graphic Artists Selina van den Brink, Set Decorator F G H I J