B R I G H T S T A R
- musical by steve martin and edie brickell -
Director: Alison Wilks Cruz
Scenic Design: Kristina Swearingen
This was an original concept design intended for a collegiate production of Bright Star. It is designed for a theatre where there is little to no wing space, so in order to limit the amount of set pieces that is going on and off the stage, we created simple flat units to re-arrange around the stage. The orchestra would be upstage left. There are a total of 17 locations in this production, but I have selected only a few to show the most variety.
Opening Scene - five flats, each built with a frame that a scrim unit can pop into.
Margo's Bookstore - Flats have been turned around and placed in a different place. The boxes and containers on the back of the units are there to give a "rustic" feel. However, they are used as weights to keep the flats from falling over when being moved. There is also an addition of a door unit (also made with scrim pop-ins) and a counter unit. The counter unit has a side that can been removed to reveal a bookshelf.
Asheville Southern Journal (ASJ) - The counter unit bookcase is covered back up and it's placed in the "lobby" of the ASJ. The flats are adjusted to create the "lobby" and "office" of the Asheville Southern Journal. Two additional desks are added to the stage.
Icebox - The furniture is removed from the stage and the flats are arranged in a confined manner so that all of the action is centralized. The flats have been arranged behind the front two for an easy transition into the next scene.
Doctor's Office - In this scene the director wanted the space to feel cramped and uncomfortable, so we decided to use a larger desk and limit the space for the actors with the flats we had on stage.
Shack in the Woods - I just really like the arrangement of flats for this scene. We're not sure yet if we want to put a bed on stage for this, but we shall see.
Train Car - This scene is such an iconic moment in the show, so I figured I'd include it.
Penny Cafe and Bar - This scene has a lot of potential choreography, so we tried to spread the flats out to create plenty of space. The counter opens up on the side (opposite of the bookstore) and its a bookcase but filled with glasses and bottles of alcohol. This bar is also on wheels, so it will be able to move around for whatever the choreography needs.
