artisan work – Dyan Burlingame

Ideal Upholstery

About to assemble these slipcovers for An Ideal Husband at ICTC. Who thought two sets of 6’0 diameter reversible curved cushions cut into quarters and halves was a good idea? Oh right, it was me. Save

Chim Chim Cheroo

So many iconic songs in Mary Poppins, it’s hard to choose just one for a blog title. Plenty of singing. Plenty of props. Plenty of spotlights. Practically Perfect as we opened last Thursday night in beautiful Lewiston. Following the celebratory opening night reception, this weekend was hit the ground running for Deathtrap. Flea Markets, thriftContinue reading “Chim Chim Cheroo”

What color is your liquor, part 2

Faux prop whiskey, round 2. The first batch of faux whiskey was looking rather green under the stage lights, so I’ve mixed up a new recipe using burnt sugar as the base. The actor drinking the concoction on stage is open to trying the sweet water, so I got to cooking. I used Eric HartContinue reading “What color is your liquor, part 2”

What color is your liquor?

Whiskey on stage: No tea. No coffee. No powdered ice tea. No flat soda. No caramel-burnt sugar base. And no burnt toast (what?). This was the challenge: water and food coloring. Not a bad outcome I think.

Summer stock wrap up

As the end of July draws near, so to does my own little version of summer stock. Sound of Music has opened and closed. The props have been safely bubble wrapped and loaded into shipping containers for their journey to Jordon. New Phoenix design has been approved, set construction underway next month. And I justContinue reading “Summer stock wrap up”

Do-Ray-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do

The hills [of Lewiston] are alive, with The Sound of Music. . Summer [stock] is in full swing up here along the Niagara gorge and we are full swing into Sixteen, Going on Seventeen hours of tech. Halfway thru and all I can simply remember are A Few of my Favorite [spot cues] Things. We’reContinue reading “Do-Ray-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do”

Towel ring to microphone

A vintage 1930’s suspended transducer microphone, in working order, would cost the equivalent to the entire props budget for this show. Salvaged [less-vintage] microphone pieces, wire, springs, some foil tape and a bathroom towel ring can be crafted to give the same look, and cost a fraction of an actual vintage model. Taking into accountContinue reading “Towel ring to microphone”

Charming cottages & Epic trees

One week, eight paint calls. I was hired as the Scenic Artist for the production of Giselle with Neglia Ballet Artists that I was also the lighting designer for. Our paint space was in a converted barn in the rolling hills of Boston, NY. Less picturesque on some of these frigid days we’ve been having,Continue reading “Charming cottages & Epic trees”

Foam, Foliage, and Paint Cans

This past weekend I was hired as a crafts person to create an evocative patch of wheat grass for a production of Dancing at Lughnasa. The morning began by rescuing some paint cans from the dumpster to use as the base. We weighted the cans with wood blocks and scavenged some packing foam that alsoContinue reading “Foam, Foliage, and Paint Cans”

Baking for the theatre

Today is the final dress for Cinderella. There have been many a prop added and a few were cut. I’m fairly certain my favorite crafting moment from the last three weeks are the pies below. I got the “recipe” from a rather talented student’s blog: here. A few modifications of my own and I proudlyContinue reading “Baking for the theatre”