THEATRE AND SET DESIGN
Images: Stage production of Catch Me If You Can.
Photography by Paul Warchol
for the Broadway stage revival of The Rocky Horror Show. As an architect, the experience of theatre has impacted all of my work. Prior to Rocky Horror, I had designed several shows for different directors but those shows never materialised. So when director Chris Ashley and producer Jordan Roth asked me to design the sets for Rocky Horror, it was an amazing opportunity. It was a great experience and I’ve remained friends with the creative team. I’m currently working with Jordan on Kinky Boots.
How did you get in to designing sets and stages? Theatre has been an enormous influence in my life and work, since I was very young. It started when I was 6 or 7 years-old, my family lived in
Deal, New Jersey and my mother ran a community theatre there. These
productions really opened my eyes to the power of design to create compelling narratives and emotional connections between people and their environment. The magic of a live theatrical experience has manifested itself in our projects, including, obviously, set design! For each project, we place emphasis on choreographing movement through a space, investigating the poetry of lighting and how it can affect environment, and understanding the all- encompassing power of a shared real-time experience.
You designed the set and stage for the Oscars on several occasions, how did
this come about and, as a presentation stage, how did your designs change to fit the purpose?
The Oscars are truly a thrill, especially because we designed the Dolby Theatre (formerly known as Kodak Theatre) itself in 2000. Designing the sets for the 2009 and 2010 Oscars were both such incredible experiences! In 2009, the design concept was “How Movies Are Made.” We treated the space like a “raw” sound stage, a dark canvas on which the story of movie-making could unfold. The set had a nostalgic ambiance inspired by supper clubs and Busby Berkeley. We created a Swarovski crystal curtain to illuminate the grand arch of the Dolby Theatre, reflect the high-profile fashion
associated with this event, and evoke an elegant party atmosphere rather than a formal performance. We also removed the existing
orchestra seating and replaced it with tiered seating to enable more interaction between the presenters and the audience. The theme for the 2010 set design was “Why We Love Movies.” The stage was a clean white environment inspired by the architecture and design of movie making’s home town, Hollywood and Los Angeles, especially in its modernist heyday. Light and movement, the most basic components of movie making, were integrated into the sets to create an immersive, transformative environment inspired by being immersed in the movies. In addition to the Swarovski
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