Design for the theatre is a unique endeavour. A theatrical designer is tasked with not only creating an original expression of their understanding of other people's ideas, but must communicate these ideas within a team of artists all vying for their own voice. A willingness to set one's ego aside, or know when to push it, is essential, and risk taking achieves an entire new urgency when budgets and resources are tight and opening night looms large.
This podcast will talk to designers in Canada who, despite all the travails and trials, have stuck with their first instincts and worked hard to make Canadian Theatre what it is. It opens a window onto an obscure craft that is not readily appreciated by the theatre going public. It will allow the new student of theatre to learn from established designers and help them hone their craft. It will, finally, help capture a neglected part of Canadian theatre history: the lives of Canadian designers.
Chicago, Mayfield Hotel, 2011, Photo by Ed Ellis, Set and Costumes by Cory Laframboise, Lighting by Michael Kruse, centre is Sara-Jeane Hosie as Velma Kelly