Photo shoot!

I normally loathe doing promotional photos but this last week I had a good time. We're doing a Wrestlelmania style show and needed a get up for the photo shoot... this is what I came up with.

Makes me wish I were designing the show too, but alas, another day.

Promo Photos

I hate promo photos. They always look contrived. The actors usually don't have the proper hair or make up, the costumes have typically been thrown together at the last minute.  Often the designer doesn't even get the chance to put the costumes together and the actor or director does the 'styling' of it. The actors are often whoever is available and they create scenes that don't really exist in the play... what I really hate is when the someone says "I want it to be organic", yea like we're hiring Pirkle Jones to come and document this event that will just be happening.

That said... I did these. I pulled the costumes, I took the photos, I posed the actors... I chose the two actors with the best hair, and actually I don't think they are ever in the same scene on stage.

I guess they look at least as good as the normal last minute stuff I see.

Girl in a Box

We are all of three days into rehearsals with Cymbeline and we just did our publicity photo shoot... Looking at the image I realized that although I don't think I've ever put a leading lady in cream before, this is the second show in a row that I am doing it for. See below; Eurydice in a suitcase wearing a champagne colored cocktail style wedding gown and here... Innogen wearing a pale gold silk ensemble in a trunk. I suppose these themes are to be expected when you design one show on top of another...

On a side note, I've started a website/online portfolio check it out at http://www.alexaedesigns.com

Ok... now back to work!

Comedy Promo (SF Shakes)

Here's the fantastic promo video SF Shakes made for Comedy of Errors... I love it because it's practically a video portfolio for me!

Jack behind the scenes

Everyone in this photo went to school and got a degree to do this.

The fellow in the swim cap can recite Shakespeare on command. The Man holding the mirror underwater for the light effect can make a palace out of plywood and foam, and the woman in the foreground has all of the major papers in the SF Bay area on speed dial... and yet here we are doing a publicity photo shoot. The Shakespearean actor must act goofy, hold his head up and "make bug eyes" under goggles for a camera 6 inches from his face, while the scenic artisan splashes water to make ripples in the water that the journalist will assess for its artistic merit.

Jack Goes Boating; Opening at The Aurora Theatre soon...

War Music

... the new piece at ACT in San Francisco, War Music, had this promo video. I know many of the actors in this piece and they seem excited about it. Hope to attend and follow up with a review...