THE MANDRAKE SKETCHES

It constantly amazes me how little archival material I possess related to my own design work (it still runs to trunks full, hence this blog...). I know some who meticlously document every stitch and paintstroke of their work, but I seem to have been either too busy ( most likely) or more interested in the next production to have spent the time and effort. I did do quite a bit of work in my head. My costume work and to some extent my puppetry work was accomplished this way. If I was the primary builder/fabricator then a detailed sketch or rendering wasn't needed.

I learned how to draft patterns in college and how to fit costumes by draping on the actor or dressform using a million pins, and that is how I worked.

DIANE SIMONS and I both worked on the "found item" model which meant endless hours scouring thrift stores and vintage clothing boutiques...or visiting the fabric wholesalers ( when we had a budget!) and "draping" the characters out on a table. She is a Master at this and I learned so much during the years we worked side by side.

Here at top is the only sketch i have of the groundplan and partial elevation for THE MANDRAKE. Our shows at the KIMBELL had to be completly broken down and stored between performances, as the recital hall there was in constant use by others. Building scenery that can withstand "travel" is about 4 times harder than doing it on site with staple gun and paint.

Also for THE MANDRAKE I built most of the ensembles' wardrobe from scratch, or spent extensive time actually painting or dying existing pieces to fit my needs, again without a dedicated crew.