Daisy Journal: Props - God is in the Details
When it comes to props and set dressing, God can be found in the details and so can Alycia Bauch-Cantor.
During The Emperor's New Clothes, which she directed for Maurer Productions OnStage, Alycia exhibited a wonderful eye for detail when it came to all aspects of the production, but especially props and set dressing. You can see what I mean by visiting the Emperor page on our website and viewing the picture gallery of the production. You'll need to sift through all the pics of people having fun at rehearsal and backstage, but look closely at the images of the set and you'll get the idea. After seeing this, I asked her to bring that same skill to the props and set dressing for Driving Miss Daisy, and was thrilled when she agreed.
Daisy is a deceptive show when it comes to props (and given the way we're producing it, dressing as well). You'd think a production with three actors wouldn't call for much, but it does. The show covers 25 years. That passage of time is expressed not only in the make-up and the performances of the actor, but Alycia also reflects it subtly in the props as well. If you look closely, you'll see how some of the set dressing changes slightly as time passes. Just two examples you might look for are the phones and the flowers.
The telephones are period to the best of our ability. As the story progresses, the phones change to reflect the time period of the scene. Also, there are the flowers. Flowers are a big theme in our production. In our interpretation, Daisy is a gardener. (We've even blocked several scenes to take place in her garden, a setting that didn't exist in the original play. ) Daisy's home is full of flowers that she has cultivated in her own garden. They represent her strength, her independence and her spirit. As time passes, Daisy ages, and she loses her independence and her spirit dwindles, the flowers slowly disappear from the stage. By the end of the show, the garden has withered (because Daisy has grown too old to tend it) and the flowers in the house are all gone. Only a portrait of a bouquet of Daisy's above the fireplace remain.
Alycia had the portrait commissioned especially for this production by local artist Jason Tribble. Each of the flowers in the show were carefully chosen and arranged by her. Both the garden and the cemetery (where Daisy plants flowers on her husband's grave) are designed with a mix of real soil/mulch and artificial flowers and such to lend texture and realism to the moments Daisy works the soil. These are examples of things that only happen for a brief moment on stage, but for which hours and weeks have been spent in preparation.
These are just a few ways that details, expressed in props and set dressing, are helping to bring Daisy to life. They are an example of the elements of a production that audiences may not see and consciously recognize. But the mind processes them in the background and as a result, the audience gets a feeling from them that helps set a tone for the scene.
As you watch our production of Driving Miss Daisy, perhaps for the second or third time (hey, tickets are only $12), look closely for the details. They are there, and they are rich.
During The Emperor's New Clothes, which she directed for Maurer Productions OnStage, Alycia exhibited a wonderful eye for detail when it came to all aspects of the production, but especially props and set dressing. You can see what I mean by visiting the Emperor page on our website and viewing the picture gallery of the production. You'll need to sift through all the pics of people having fun at rehearsal and backstage, but look closely at the images of the set and you'll get the idea. After seeing this, I asked her to bring that same skill to the props and set dressing for Driving Miss Daisy, and was thrilled when she agreed.
Daisy is a deceptive show when it comes to props (and given the way we're producing it, dressing as well). You'd think a production with three actors wouldn't call for much, but it does. The show covers 25 years. That passage of time is expressed not only in the make-up and the performances of the actor, but Alycia also reflects it subtly in the props as well. If you look closely, you'll see how some of the set dressing changes slightly as time passes. Just two examples you might look for are the phones and the flowers.
The telephones are period to the best of our ability. As the story progresses, the phones change to reflect the time period of the scene. Also, there are the flowers. Flowers are a big theme in our production. In our interpretation, Daisy is a gardener. (We've even blocked several scenes to take place in her garden, a setting that didn't exist in the original play. ) Daisy's home is full of flowers that she has cultivated in her own garden. They represent her strength, her independence and her spirit. As time passes, Daisy ages, and she loses her independence and her spirit dwindles, the flowers slowly disappear from the stage. By the end of the show, the garden has withered (because Daisy has grown too old to tend it) and the flowers in the house are all gone. Only a portrait of a bouquet of Daisy's above the fireplace remain.
Alycia had the portrait commissioned especially for this production by local artist Jason Tribble. Each of the flowers in the show were carefully chosen and arranged by her. Both the garden and the cemetery (where Daisy plants flowers on her husband's grave) are designed with a mix of real soil/mulch and artificial flowers and such to lend texture and realism to the moments Daisy works the soil. These are examples of things that only happen for a brief moment on stage, but for which hours and weeks have been spent in preparation.
These are just a few ways that details, expressed in props and set dressing, are helping to bring Daisy to life. They are an example of the elements of a production that audiences may not see and consciously recognize. But the mind processes them in the background and as a result, the audience gets a feeling from them that helps set a tone for the scene.
As you watch our production of Driving Miss Daisy, perhaps for the second or third time (hey, tickets are only $12), look closely for the details. They are there, and they are rich.
Labels: Alycia Bauch-Cantor, Daisy Journal, Driving Miss Daisy, Props, Set Dressing
posted by Dan Maurer at
6:32 AM
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