Circle Mirror Transformation

Location
The Underground
Summer '17
Timeline
1 Month
Design/Production Team
Director: Stephanie Stoiko
Scenic Design: Angela Zhang
Paint Charge: Angela Zhang
Props Master: Angela Zhang
Lighting Design: Andrew Cora & Joshua Rusinov
Sound Design: Andrew Cora & Joshua Rusinov​
Role
Scenic Designer, Paint Charge, Property Master, Lead Carpenter
a white set consisting of 4 cube boxes, ballet bar and with 4 panels of mirrors
Synopsis

Circle Mirror Transformation
Written by Annie Baker

In the small town of Shirly, Vermont, five strangers gather in a dance studio to embark on a unique journey together in a creative drama class for adults. Taught by Marty, their free-spirited and supportive leader, the group -- Schultz, a recently divorced, emotionally vulnerable carpenter, Tersea, an earnest and vibrant former actress, James, Marty's quiet and genial husband, and Lauren, a reserved and self-conscious high schooler -- move through a series of acting exercises, ranging from the heartbreaking to the ridiculous. In this one small room, through these few seemingly trivial games, quiet wars are waged, emotional wounds are nursed, and healing is finally , slowly, able to begin.

SYNOPSIS CREDIT: stageagent.com
problem

Budget - $500

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the brightest of them all.

This is the very first scenic design that was turned into a live production. Well...as much as I enjoyed the process from end-to-end I sure created a endless amount of hurdles for myself. That being white set, furniture that I personally built and decided to use a HEAVY GLOSS white, and MIRRORS.
a girl holding a dreamcatcher
Solution

Colors of Life through textures, properties, actors and costumes

This is the very first scenic design that was turned into a live production. Well...as much as I enjoyed the process from end-to-end I sure created a endless amount of hurdles for myself. That being white set, furniture that I personally built and decided to use a HEAVY GLOSS white, and MIRRORS.
a white set consisting of 4 cube boxes, ballet bar, with 4 panels of mirrors, and scattered around are misc. items.
Prototype
a white set consisting of 4 cube boxes, ballet bar and with 4 panels of mirrors
Process

Working with Mylar Shrink Mirror - Glassless Mirror

Before Load-In: Multiple mirrors not only expensive but also troublesome to work with under stage lighting. The solution I used to combat the expense of glass mirrors was to use the Rose Brand - Mylar Shrink Mirror. A glassless mirror. Going through the process of stretching the film over flat frames and using a heat gun to shrink the mirror to the frame.

After Load-In: Loading into space was exhilarating however, I soon realized it was a nightmare.

Mirrors: Immediately I realized the mirrors were causing blinding glares and I needed to mute them quickly. My creative solution to combat this was to spray the mirrors with a matte clear coat which relieved the extreme glares and instead of mounting the mirrors to the all I had them lean against the wall at an angle.

Lack of Color: In my original design, I didn't think through enough which ended in a result of a lack of personality in the design. To solve this, I brought it up to the Director and together we collaborated to create a floor design - which was a combination of faux textures techniques and sprays making a galaxy effect. The design choice behind this design was to symbolize metaphoric transformation of the characters lives in the play.
learning
Mirrors & A White Set
This production was a challenge for me as I wore many hats, make cuts, and implement changes to the design. The results of my work in my opinion were stunning and fun as first scenic design. Of course, the design isn't perfect but as a first I'd say it's a feat.

Be more experimental
The opportunity to collaborate with a incredible cross-functional team of like-minded passionate designers, directors, leadership, and actors is incredibly satisfying. As everyone is open-minded and being daringly experimental in their designs -- from this I learned to be more open about my ideas and become not afraid to share these thoughts about my design choices.

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