The 39 Steps (Scenic Designer, 2016)

Director: Gerrett VanderMeer
Theatre Lab, Estero, FL.
 
Synopsis: The 39 Steps is a British parody adapted from the 1939 film by Alfred Hitchcock. The adventurous spy story involves an all-action hero with a stiff upper lip and a miraculous knack for getting himself out of sticky situations and romantic entanglements. The cast calls for only four actors, some of who play numerous characters.

Concept: The design references the Noir style with a ‘behind the scenes’ theatrical setting. Random stage props and found objects are re-purposed quickly as makeshift scenery for various locations ranging from a speeding train car and a police station to a foggy bridge near the moors. Gold leafed shell footlights and lavishly painted box seats in an “obvious” painterly style call attention to the theatricality of the piece.

Process: This design was communicated through preliminary pencil sketches, a color elevation, and drafted plans with sections, elevations, and shift plots. Computer images were created in AutoCAD and Photoshop.