In the final week before the show, everything takes on a sense of urgency. There’s emails detailing last minute additions, corrections, or repairs. There’s visits from the student stage manager with set needs.

One of those last minute needs was a set of ladders in the back of the set in order to reach the first floor landing. We had originally planned to have stairs in the back. However, when we slide the set back four feet to maximize stage space for the actors the area behind the set had grown narrow. Too narrow for stairs hence the need for the ladders.

Posters

In a previous post, I commented that the set needed hallways flyers just like you see around L-S. Unfortunately while 8.5 x 11 posters were technically accurate to what you would see around the school, from the audience’s perspective they turned into tiny unreadable white rectangles.

Everyone really liked the idea of posters for the set. We just needed them larger. I was able to enlarger them to 11 x 17 on the copier which was a good start.

The director thought that a variety of sizes from an aesthetic perspective would be best.

To accomplish this I also enlisted Scott Cantrell’s art students to paint 24 x 36 spirit posters. Their instructions were simple. Make them just like the ones we have at L-S but instead of blue do red and instead of Pioneers write Wildcats.

The director also needed 20 x 30 posters that the actors hold up during the show. Those posters were three basketball players from back in the day, a “young” photo of Erik Welchans playing basketball, Logan “Troy” Emmert, Harriot Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Madame Curie.

Banners

Meanwhile off site at Dutch Apple, Meg Lau was painting banners for gymnasium scenes of the show. I’m lucky to be on a team of such talenedt people with access to such great facilities.

Tying the Audience to the Stage

There are two flights of stairs so the actors can move from the auditorium to the stage. The director wanted them painted Wildcat red and white to tie them into the overall set design. There are also two stands for lights (I’m sure they have a fancy name) that also needed to be build and branded with the East High School “E.”

Either way my role in things end on Thursday. Until Monday, March 6 at least when we strike the set. 😜