A Christmas Carol Scenic Design Preview

Projects

A Christmas Carol
Scenic Design Preview

Quick Description

During the UMass Amherst Theater Department's 2006 production of A Christmas Carol (Directed & adapted from Charles Dickens by Maryann Lombardi), I was part of a simulated design team working to design the sets. One of the larger points that the director wanted to get across, was the idea of connection. Being that the play takes place in & around the streets of England, one thought had been to connect the cast to the set through a series of lanterns. As each member came out another lantern would light up, and as they left it would extinguish. In designing this effect, I turned to SketchUp, where I was able to easily choose the various sizes and locations for each lantern. Below, you can see (& download) a version of the SketchUp model. It uses an early version of the Rand Theater Model, with both floor pieces and a background cutout that are highly similar to what was actually used for the production. You will also see hand draftings of the Lantern Plot used for determining where to hang the lanterns, and a Lantern Model Draft used by the Scene Shop to build the lanterns themselves. Though the lanterns were eventually cut from the show due to artistic and practical reasons, I feel that the concept and follow through stand valid.

SketchUp Model Sample Images

Center View

House Left View

House Right View

High House Right View

Lantern Design Drafting

Lantern Plot Hand Drafting

Lantern Design

Lantern Implementation

Cell Phone Picture

UMass Theater Site Promos
(which include lanterns)

These are the only image of the Lanterns in action. Until recently I only knew of the Cell Phone Picture which was taken by a friend during the brief testing period before they were cut from the show. It just so happens that the same night of testing was the night that promo pictures were taken for the show. It is worth noting that even though the lanterns were never actually used, the set shop liked the design so much that they kept the lanterns and hung them around the shop as decoration, inspiration, and for possible use in the future.

Download

Click Here To Download:
A Christmas Carol
Scenic Design Preview
289KB ZIP File (.skp inside)

Please Note:

You will need a copy of Google SketchUp to view the file. A FREE version of the program can be found HERE at the official SketchUp site. You will definitely want to check the system requirements before installing. Although the free version of the program should be able to view 99% of the file, because I am using the Pro Version, there may be parts unavailable to you. Let me know if you have any questions or problems.