Set Designer's Statement, Written as Rydell Fellowship Contestant

The design of sets and properties creates kinetic sculpture. I like to salvage materials with poignant textures and patinas. Building from scratch adds authenticity.

The design for Of Mice and Men employed hay bales tightly woven from burlap. The bales represented the tragic bond between George and Lenny. In A Doll's House, I prepared for Nora's breakdown by using surfaces of white steel, Plexiglas and mirrors–sanitary, uncluttered and breakable. And in Incorruptible, the audience was eased into the medieval church humor by actors made comfortable on a set of  recycled "fabric" stones and "lived in" funiture made of old dump wood.

Building theatrical jungle gyms is driven by the characters' needs. The use of literal or figurative surroundings helps to visually push the players' toward the defining crisis and resolution.

The connecting theme in all my work, regardless of medium, is the exploration of character.

2009



© Donald Grube, 2010