When a guy from Stratford-upon-Avon, England,
began writing plays in London, stages were little more than raised
platforms with no “sets” of decorative art conveying a
sense of time and place to stories performed by the actors.
“Early theater engaged audiences in the willing suspension of
disbelief,” explains Ed Smith, a 59-year-old multifaceted
thespian. “Clues to time and place were revealed through
their words and actions and suggestive scenery.”
Little changed between Shakespeare’s age
and the start of the 20th century. “Sets began to evolve,
starting in the early 1900s, as people in large cities demanded
more for their entertainment dollar,” Smith says. The trend
peaked 15 years ago with Sunset
Boulevard, which featured the raising of an entire
house as another piece was brought in beneath it. As technical
director and master builder for the Springfield Municipal Opera
Association’s Beauty and the
Beast, Smith is probably the most
experienced set-builder/painter in Sangamon County.
Since his first adult experience in theater,
during a stint in the U.S. Army, Smith has been interested in all
aspects of theater, not just acting: “To be a good actor or
director, I need to know how the set, lighting, and the rest work
with the acting. For me, that includes building and painting the
sets.”
The art element extends deeper than the
all-weather exterior house paint used in the sets. Smith says,
“I’m always looking for new materials that will hold
together through rehearsal and rehearsals [about a month], and I
want to stay within budget in acquiring those materials.” For
example, the 12-foot tower columns used in are actually tubes
used to pour concrete at construction sites. Smith purchased them
from Henry Nelch and Son. The tubes are placed over two-by-fours,
which provide structural integrity. The combined height of the
tower and castle is just under 18 feet, the highest the Muni stage
can accommodate. “We use different painting techniques to
make them look like marble,” Smith says. “I use
Styrofoam a lot more than I used to. We also use lauan, a thin,
lightweight, flexible plywood for covering wood frames.”
Though detailed scripts are sent by the four primary licensing organizations to
community-theater groups, no set-design manuals or other materials are
included. When Smith directs a production, he selects a set designer
from the local talent pool or, as was the case with Beauty, goes beyond his home
turf. “I’ll read a script probably a half-dozen times to
get an idea of what the set design needs to be; then I decide how I
want to achieve that: Do I want to take a minimalist approach? Go
realistic? What media can I use? With the Internet, you can gain access
to previous set designs and get ideas. In the past 40 years, I’ve
designed more than 100 sets, and I’ve never copied anybody. There
are people that do.” When Smith designs a set, he draws
front-elevation and perspective views, which are used in construction.
Smith designed and built the sets used in the
Muni’s production of The Sound
of Music. “I am big on
detail,” he says. “For that show, I had to be sure that
the villa looked rich and elaborate. I considered different
painting techniques, using sponges, even using a feather duster to
achieve the textures I wanted. There’s a big movement in
modern house design called faux art painting. It fools the eyes by
giving false impressions. For years, we have used faux art in the
theater.”
The Beauty and
the Beast set was designed by A.J.
Dewey. “We’ve met a couple of times personally and
communicated a lot over the Internet and long-distance,”
Smith says.
Smith does not paint every brush stroke on his
sets; instead, he recruits volunteers. “People who come here
have artistic ability, and they learn quickly,” he says.
“We have people who just like to paint, and they are
essential talent. People who are interested only in the art are
welcome here.” Many Muni volunteers have gone on to work in
regional theaters. Technical people, Muni “graduates,”
are working on Broadway and off-Broadway. As a learning opportunity
for artists with a taste for the Big Apple, the Muni is always
attracting new volunteer talent. As a bonus, there’s no
tuition for this summer school!
Beauty and the Beast runs at the Muni, 815 E. Lake Dr., Aug. 5-7, 10-14,
and 18-20. For more information, call 217-793-6864 or go to www.themuni.org.
This article appears in Jul 28 – Aug 3, 2005.
