Some Theatre Work

Scenic Painting Photos

1990 The Avalon Theater, Easton , Md. - A backdrop, 30' by 30', a painting of an apostle giving the illusion of stained glass. For the first production "The Lion in Winter".   Towsontowne Dinner Theatre - "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"     Mount Vernon Dance Studio - Coppelia - Baltimore Museum 1987-86 Mount Vernon Dance Center , Thomas Hanner was Director of these productions. (Ballet Productions of the "Nutcracker" and "Coppelia") Sizes 45' by 25'. Two drops were painted. Traveling productions of the "Nutcracker" were performed in the Baltimore and Washington Areas. I also made a few props. Larger props were always built with storage spaces for costumes and what have you and they had to be able to fit in the back of a Saab. One Snow Scene for the "Nutcracker" "Coppelia" was performed at the Baltimore Museum of Art. One Central European Town Scene for "Coppelia"   Vagabond Theatre - Fell's Point - "70 Girls 70"    1987 Center Stage, Baltimore , Md.   - Scenic Painter for the Hal Prince production of " Rosa ". A surrealistic set with painting simulating distressed doors, French floor tiles, marbleized floors, plus other painting designated within the designer's scale model and renderings of the set.  This was pretty interesting. I took my portfolio in for the interview (I, in suit and low heals, suitable for running, if need be, if you know where enter Stage is.) The set director hollered down to me. “Do you want to walk around to the front entrance or climb up this ladder (Ladder 15 Feet High). The other door was 2 blocks away. I opted for the ladder in suit, heals, and carrying a portfolio. I got the job. BUT my immediate painting supervisor happened to be COLOR BLIND, so it was a difficult job. The scenic designer was from Russia . He escaped with $5 in his pocket and of course he was meticulous in what he wanted. Exact colors counted. I would paint the exact colors and my immediate supervisor would make me paint it over in her colors. AND she couldn’t take a deadline. She started freezing up when it was getting close to opening night. All of a sudden new scenic painters started to arrive out of nowhere and she didn’t know what to do with them. I had painted all the floors stated above, part of the drop and all other props. The Russian designer was behind me rooting me on saying, “You only have one more floor to paint. The distressed linoleum floor. “I looked at him and said, “How about I just lay linoleum down there and distress it after instead of painting distressed linoleum.” I rested a few days after this production was finished. 1987-85 Towsontowne Dinner Theater, Towson, Md. For F. Scott Black, Fell's Point Dinner Theater, Act Two Dinner Theater, Gilman School, Dundalk Community College, Vagabond Community Theater, Fell's Point. Sizes of Paintings were roughly 24' by 14'. The Gilman School one was on the wall. I actually had scaffolding. That painting was a lot bigger and I had help. A series of Backdrops were painted for continuous use in the theaters. Subjects: Street lined with Victorian Houses Interior of a Library Interior of a Hat Shop Midwestern Town Scene Forest Scene, Plus two side front drops. Two New York City Scenes. Broadway Cityscape. Logo on Opening Curtain for "Annie" New York Conceptual Scene. A Colorful Curtain Painted on a Curtain I think there were more, but I forget. I just kept painting. You could say I painted the town. I was working as an architectural model maker while I was doing scenic painting. I worked on a couple of Baltimore Subway Stations, a very large development in Vermont (My own personal project), The Scarlet Building, a many storied building on Putuxent Highway with points on the top, a school, and of course built Plexiglas cases and wood bases to go along with them. Oh, I can’t remember all of the buildings I worked on. I was quite the carpenter. Most of the models were made of Plexiglas. I cut the pieces with a milling machine.