2004-2005 Season: Enchanted April
A Note from the Director
ONE OF THE REAL PLEASURES IN DIRECTING is the opportunity to collaborate with so many artists to produce the show. From our casting director, Bruce Elsperger, to our production staff, headed by Nick Nichols, we work to find the best actors and designers for each individual production.
Enchanted April , which opens in January 2005, has been no exception. Bruce and I started casting here in the Bay Area, as we always do, and are delighted to bring back a number of familiar faces to the Rep. Returning to our stage will be the incomparable
Dan Hiatt , who you’ll remember from Noises Off! and A Flea in Her Ear, as well as Carol Mayo Jenkins, who has appeared in By the Bog of Cats…, Amy’s View, and Las Meninas. We then went out of town (in this case, to New York) and are excited to introduce some wonderful new actors who will be making their Rep debuts.
My design team and I have worked on a number of productions together. This enables us all to have a verbal shorthand as well as a shared perspective in dealing with design decisions. Scott Weldin (set designer for A Flea in Her Ear and Rounding Third, among others) always comes up with incredibly creative solutions to complex problems during the process. In Enchanted April, the first act takes place in damp, dreary London. Then we are off—figuratively and literally—to the sunny climes of Italy and its beautifully restorative vistas. There is much involved in having two very distinct sets (see accompanying sketch of Act II set); where does one live when the other is on stage? There’s a wonderful surprise in store for you when you come to see the play. Suffice to say, the play is about transformation…and our set will certainly reflect that!
Costumer Shigeru Yaji and I have also done a number of shows together. He’s a delight to work with and his clothes are stunning. The preliminary sketches included here were starting points after numerous discussions, and the resulting color renderings are works of art in their own right. Again, each design element should reinforce the concept of the play, so restoration and romance will be in evidence here as well.
Lap-Chi Chu (lights) and Steve Schoenbeck (sound) will also bring their unique talents in crafting Enchanted April for you. Rehearsals start in January and I can’t wait to bring the finished product to you!
- John McCluggage
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