What a glorious summer! Somehow, I have to be thinking about cold, hungry, howling winter in the midst of the long awaited warmth we are presently enjoying. I am working on the posters for the 2010-2011 Eugene Opera season, and that involves not only the sparkling blue snow of La Boheme, but also the delicate cherry blossom spring of the comic The Mikado. Both of these two posters have to be discussed, researched, designed, models photographed and painted by August 23rd.
So let us begin at the beginning. There are no beautiful photos for this blog, because we haven’t reached that stage yet. First, I have to consult with the Artistic Director, Mark Beudert, This is the most important step because I need to know his impression of the productions, what he is trying to convey, what time period he intends, and if I can, what kind of set he is using. The set can be very useful if I have to put in an environment. Up to this point, we haven’t used an environment, but for reasons you will see later, La Boheme needs this added element for the poster. I have come to the meeting with some ideas and impressions as well, and because we work very well together, I can either match up the two ideas, or brainstorm on the spot for a new direction.
We are fortunate to have a very knowledgeable costume designer in Jonna Hayden, and so she also became indispensable for these meetings. Added to this group is Steven Asbury, who is the captain of advertising. His request was to feature the Eiffel Tower somewhere in the advertising. This made some boundaries. The show must take place after March 1889, and an environment must be used in the poster. It really helps to have some restrictions, and to work within them, otherwise all the designers have too large a field of choices from which to draw. And so we were all agreed on the concept and the time setting of 1893. This harmonious state isn’t always the case. There are other design projects I have worked on in which the Artistic Director, the advertising executive, the costume or make-up designer and at least one member of the board, cannot agree on the course the production will take, especially this early in the planning, but the posters must be done this far in advance. Sometimes the company will change directors or advertising while I’m completing the poster, and they will decide to change the direction completely. This makes the finished work universally disappointing.
I must also switch gears to settle the concept for The Mikado at the same time. This production is a little easier because it is a revival, and since I know the set intimately, it is just a matter of everyone discussing the changes. There are costume, and in this case, more importantly for me, make-up/wig changes. I came in with a concept that both Mark and Steven liked, so I can go straight to researching, and an inquiry to the make-up designer, Sara Clifford, for the facts I need before hiring the models.
I am so grateful that the Eugene Opera has such a cohesive company, one that works together, so that the audience sees, from start to finish, the beautiful, professional, artistic work that it deserves. Next week I will talk about the research for the costumes, (that is where Jonna comes in handy!) color requests, style and historic significance, to come up with the color roughs before hiring models. Lots to do still, and in the meantime, August 23rd is looming fast! See you next week.
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