Folger Library's Macbeth

So there was this great production of Macbeth which scared the daylights out of me up in Washington DC at the Folger Library, and the set was just gorgeous so I wanted to share a picture of the gate which was center throughout the whole thing. Anyone who can go really should.



Taken from: http://www.pennandteller.com/03/coolstuff/tellerspeaks/gate.jpg

Five Shows, Whoa!

I was just looking at ibdb.com (great site by the way) and John Lee Beatty did designs for five Broadway shows in 2006. Five Broadway shows! I just thought it was really fascinating and wanted to share my fascination.

Sketches of Cabaret

Taken from: http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/wp-content/a/cabaret3sm.jpg
http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/wp-content/a/cabaret1sm.jpg

Boris Aronson

While researching for the two previous designers, I found this guy whose stuff I really love, but never knew it was the same guy! Some of his work was in Company, A Little Night Music, Follies, Cabaret, Fiddler on the Roof, and A View From the Bridge.
Here's a picture of the set of A Little Night Music:



Taken from: http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/wp-content/a/ar2a.jpg

Rabbit Hole, Beatty

Here's a couple pictures from Rabbit Hole, a great set divided into two sides that rotated to reveal three different rooms, very advanced periaktoi feel to it











Taken from: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/02/03/arts/rabbit.1583.jpg
http://www.theatermania.com/news/images/7604a.jpg

Beatty - A philosophy

I found an interesting article online which picks apart Beatty's set design and in each explanation he seemed to have a definite idea of where each choice stemmed from in regards to the period in which the play was set and it's relation to each character. It's truly a fascinating article and I encourage anyone to read it. It's on the production of Major Barbara at the Roundabout Theatre in 2001. The link is here:

http://livedesignonline.com/news/show_business_classical_barbara/

Dr. Seuss' How the.... Beatty

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas








Taken from: http://www.playbill.com/images/photos/grinch2007opening460.jpg

The Rivals, Beatty

The Rivals, Lincoln Center

Taken from: http://www.scenicartstudios.com/Bway%20Files/BW%20GIFS/The-Rivals.gif

Cat on a Hot.... Beatty

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof









Taken from: http://images.broadwayworld.com/columnpic/Beatty_CatOnaHotTinRoof.jpg

Complete Female... Beatty

Complete Female Stage Beauty,
Philadelphia Theatre Company







Taken from: http://www.sceneryfirst.com/images/stage-cfb-6.jpg

John Lee Beatty, A Biography

In 2004 the Indiana University Department of Theatre and Drama welcomed famed scenic designer John Lee Beatty to campus, where he engaged students in a lecture and discussion about his career in the theatre.

John Lee Beatty began to establish himself as force on Broadway by the age of 32 with his uncomplicated yet visually stimulating designs. Beatty has worked on numerous Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theatre productions. Jules Feiffers Knock Knock (1976), Lanford Wilsons Talleys Folly (1980), Beth Henleys Crimes of the Heart (1981), the current revival of Chicago (1996) and David Auburns Proof (2000) are just a few of the wonderful Broadway productions Beatty has designed over the years. He designed the scenery for two current Broadway shows, Wonderful Town and Twentieth Century. In addition to his outstanding sets for theatre, Beatty has also created scenic designs for opera and television productions.

Beatty has created sophisticated yet simple scenery for numerous productions at various theatres, including Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Shakespeare Festival, The Acting Company and Indiana Repertory Theatre. Since 1994, he has also served as scenic consultant for the acclaimed New York City Centers Encores! Series, which stages concert productions of classic musicals. His ingenious designs have earned him numerous awards include a Tony, an Obie, two Maharam Awards and three Los Angeles Drama Critics Awards.

India University: Department of Theatre and Drama. 2008. 21 March 2008. <http://www.indiana.edu/~thtr/guests/bio/beatty.html>.

Pipe Dream, Mielziner

Pipe Dream (1955)

Taken from: http://www.wfu.edu/theatre/resources/mielzinerf/miel43.jpg

Mielziner -A Philosophy

Mielziner seems to be a proponent of a technique known as "implied scenery," in which anything that detracts from the actors is eliminated. This technique is best exemplified by Mielziner's minimalist set Our Town.

Henderson, Mary C. Mielziner: Master of Modern Stage Design. New York: Watson-Guptill, 2001.

A Tree Grows... Jo Mielziner

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1951)





Taken from: http://www.wfu.edu/theatre/resources/mielzinerf/miel34.jpg

Possibilities, Jo Mielziner

Possibilities (1968), by Arthur Pittman

Taken from: http://www.wfu.edu/theatre/resources/mielzinerf/miel51a.jpg

The Madwoman of Chaillot, Jo Mielziner

The Madwoman of Chaillot (1964)










Taken from: http://www.wfu.edu/theatre/resources/mielzinerf/miel49.jpg

The Milk Train... Mielziner

The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore (1963), by Tennessee Williams

Taken from: http://www.wfu.edu/theatre/resources/mielzinerf/miel47.jpg

Jo Mielziner, A Biography

Set and theatre designer, born in Paris, France. In the course of his career, he designed the sets for over 400 Broadway plays, most of the major productions during the 1930s–1950s. Turning his back on the earlier tradition of theatrical realism, he often employed mere suggestions of settings, using scrims and isolated scenic units to create further effects. His use of lighting to change the dramatic focus from one scene to another has been described as ‘cinematic’. Among his works are The Guardsman (1924, with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne), Strange Interlude (1928), Romeo and Juliet (1934, with Katharine Cornell), Hamlet (1936, with Sir John Gielgud), The Glass Menagerie (1945), Death of a Salesman (1949), Guys and Dolls (1950), and The King and I (1951). He was the designer of the Washington Square Theatre and (with Eero Saarinen) the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center.

Bio. 2008. 7 March 2008. <http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9407914>.