From the Directors
Letter from Producing Director John Kingsbury
ATC has always had the privilege of working with some of
the country’s finest scenic designers and such is the
case this season and in particular with the three shows in
progress, Jitney, Ella and Souvenir.
Vicki Smith who has designed many productions for ATC (Master
Class, Dirty Blonde and Hank Williams: Lost Highway, among
others) executed a tour de force for Jitney. The setting represents
the office of a car service located in a ghetto of Pittsburgh
in the 1970’s and Vicki brought that representation
into every square inch of her design – super realism.
The “slice of life” given to us so completely
by the playwright August Wilson and the actors is fleshed
out in the details of the world Vicki created on stage. The
minutia of the character’s physical world: a dart board,
stacks of newspapers strewn about, an old ceiling heater,
floor planking and floor grates, a soda machine, and pay phone,
all give substance to the story and the day-to-day realities
of the individuals involved. The finest perspective, perhaps,
is the audience’s ability to look out the storefront
window into the street beyond and to see the boarded up buildings,
the pot-holed street and the abandoned old Falcon, left to
rust outside. Not only do we see the immediate surroundings
of the players but we also get a glimpse into the greater
reality of their environment.
Ella designer Michael Schweikardt is joining ATC for the
first time. The setting for the production is the stage of
a theatre located in the south of France. It was in this theatre
during rehearsals for a concert performance that Ella Fitzgerald
is purported to have heard of the untimely death of her sister.
Michael’s challenge was to imagine and design what this
place would look like both during rehearsals for Ms. Fitzgerald’s
concert but also (in Act Two) how it would transform into
a flashy stage setting for the concert, itself. Add to this
the challenge of accommodating four musicians (bass, trumpet,
drums and piano) who must not only actually accompany the
actress portraying Ella, but who must also interact with her
as characters from her past. The creative team for Ella worked
together on the production in over three incarnations prior
to Arizona. ATC will be presenting the largest scale production
which will then travel to Cleveland Playhouse, Asolo Repertory
Theatre and San Jose Repertory Theatre. Michael’s creation
of rehearsal hall intimacy is cleverly offset by the elegance
of the Act Two concert design.
ATC is very happy to welcome back Michael Miller, set designer
for Souvenir. Michael previously designed settings for Fires
in the Mirror, Oklahoma and Dancing at Lughnasa, among others.
For the production of Souvenir, Michael had to create the
parlor/music room of a wealthy New York socialite and a representation
of a Carnegie Hall setting for an opera singer’s recital.
The combination of these two locales must also allow for rapid
scene changes and easy access for a series of very quick costume
changes for actress Judy Kaye. Michael adapted his original
New York design for our venues and presented a wonderful blend
of the formal and the practical.
ATC and our staff are very proud to be a part of these talented
designers’ creations and to assemble and build their
stage worlds for our audience’s enjoyment. We look forward
to having you share these productions with us as well.
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