SLEUTH - WCT - 1982

The first "Main Stage" production I was hired to design for the WICHITA COMMUNITY THEATRE was MY THREE ANGELS in 1981. I've posted my pictures and memories of that production earlier, August 2013 on this blog  to be exact.

The Main Stage was at that time the "Little Theatre", part of a complex known as CENTURY II which had been constucted  in the late 1960's on the bank of the Arkansas River
 ( pronounced "ARKansas" for you Non-Kansans) in the heart of downtown Wichita. This massive venue sported 2 Theatres and 2 convention arenas, all back to back and sharing a common scene dock and dressing rooms.

The Little Theatre, now named the "Mary Jane Teall Theatre" in honor of our Artistic Director and quite fittingly so, had no fly system, so scenery could not be hung on battons and flown up and down as in the "Concert Hall" just across the dock where the summer musicals were staged.

 This worked fine for one set shows such as SLEUTH by Anthony Shaffer which I designed for WCT back in 1982. When the curtain parted for this production my set received applause on every performance. This flash photograph really doesn't do it justice as MICHAEL HOSTETLER'S lighting really set the atmosphere to the physical space I had invisioned.

Mary Jane Teall insisted on calling me "JIM" and Michael " MIKE" even though we both preferred our full names. He and I worked so closely together over these seasons that my work and his were inseparable, both on the main Stage and in the Workshop.

SLEUTH is and was a Designer's Nightmare. In upcoming posts I will tell you exactly WHY!