Set Design for Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play
by Tara Lyman-Dobson
B.A. in Film Studies, May 2012, University of North Carolina Wilmington
A Thesis submitted to
The Faculty of The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts
May 19, 2019
Thesis directed by
Carl Gudenius Professor of Production Design Special Assistant for Productions & Performance
© Copyright 2019 by Tara Lyman-Dobson. All rights reserved
Abstract
Set Design for Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play
This thesis serves as a record for the process of designing and delivering the set for the production of Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, produced by the George
Washington University at the Dorothy Betts Theater, 800 21st NW, Washington D.C., opening on November 1st, 2018 and closing on November 4th, 2018. It was directed by
Shirley Serotsky, costume designs were done by Sigridur Johannesdottir, lighting designer was Carl Gudenius, properties master was Pancharee Sangkaeo, sound design was by Zachary Aivazov and stage manager was Jolien Louis. This document traces the steps of the design process through the lens of interpreting creative vision in all stages of production, including: research, collaboration, fabrication and delivering a final product.
ii Table of Contents
Abstract ...... ii
List of Figures ...... iv
Chapter 1 - Introduction ...... 1
Chapter 2 - Synopsis ...... 5
Chapter 3 - The Vision ...... 7
Chapter 4 - In Practice ...... 13
Chapter 5 - Interpretation ...... 17
Chapter 6 - Construction ...... 28
Chapter 7 - Evaluation ...... 35
Appendix A - Research Images ...... 41
Appendix B - Renderings...... 64
Appendix C - Process Images ...... 74
Appendix D - Final Production Images ...... 101
iii List of Figures
Figure 1. Research Image for religious reference...... 41
Figure 2. Research Image for Post-Apocalyptic reference...... 42
Figure 3 Research Image for Post-Apocalyptic reference...... 43
Figure 4 Research Image for Post-Apocalyptic reference...... 44
Figure 5 Research Image for Post-Apocalyptic reference ...... 45
Figure 6 Research Image for Act II...... 46
Figure 7 Research Image for Act II ...... 47
Figure 8 Research Image for proscenium ...... 48
Figure 9 Research Image for proscenium ...... 49
Figure 10 Research Image for proscenium ...... 50
Figure 11 Research Image for proscenium ...... 51
Figure 12 Research Image for proscenium ...... 52
Figure 13 Research Image for proscenium ...... 53
Figure 14 Research Image for wagon design ...... 54
Figure 15 Research Image for wagon design ...... 55
Figure 16 Research Image for wagon design ...... 56
Figure 17 Research Image for wagon design ...... 57
Figure 18 Research Image for cyclorama ...... 58
Figure 19 Research Image for floor detail ...... 59
Figure 20 Research Image for floor detail ...... 60
Figure 21 Research Image for car design ...... 61
Figure 22 Research Image for car design ...... 62
iv Figure 23 Research Image for car design ...... 63
Figure 24 Act I Rendering First Draft...... 64
Figure 25 Act I Rendering Sight Line...... 65
Figure 26 Act I Rendering Final ...... 66
Figure 27 Act II Rendering First Draft ...... 67
Figure 28 Act II Rendering Final Draft ...... 68
Figure 29 Act III Rendering First Draft ...... 69
Figure 30 Act III Rendering Final Draft ...... 70
Figure 31 Act III Texture Board ...... 71
Figure 32 Proscenium Rendering...... 72
Figure 33 Floor detail rendering ...... 73
Figure 34 Proscenium Base Paint ...... 74
Figure 35 Proscenium Detail Paint ...... 75
Figure 36 Wagon Construction ...... 76
Figure 37 Wagon Construction ...... 77
Figure 38 Wagon Paint Base...... 78
Figure 39 Wagon Paint Detail...... 79
Figure 40 Door Construction ...... 80
Figure 41 Door Paint ...... 81
Figure 42 Door Paint Detail ...... 82
Figure 43 Brick Paint Sample ...... 83
Figure 44 Door Paint Sample ...... 84
Figure 45 Proscenium Paint Sample ...... 85
v Figure 46 Wagon Paint Sample ...... 86
Figure 47 Floor Detail Paint Sample ...... 87
Figure 48 Blue Metal Paint Sample ...... 88
Figure 49 Pink Wood Paint Sample ...... 89
Figure 50 Floor Detail Paint ...... 90
Figure 51 Prop Chalkboard Map ...... 91
Figure 52 Prop FBI Board...... 92
Figure 53 Prop Buoys ...... 93
Figure 54 Prop Microphone ...... 94
Figure 55 Prop Megaphone ...... 95
Figure 56 Prop Couch ...... 96
Figure 57 Prop Barrel...... 97
Figure 58 Prop Tent Construction...... 98
Figure 59 Prop Car Mock Up ...... 99
Figure 60 Prop Car Construction ...... 100
Figure 61 Act I Photo ...... 101
Figure 62 Act I Photo ...... 102
Figure 63 Act I Photo ...... 103
Figure 64 Act II Photo ...... 104
Figure 65 Act II Photo ...... 105
Figure 66 Act II Photo ...... 106
Figure 67 Act II Photo ...... 107
Figure 68 Act II Photo ...... 108
vi Figure 69 Act III Photo ...... 109
Figure 70 Act III Photo ...... 110
Figure 71 Act III Photo ...... 111
vii Chapter 1 - Introduction
Mr. Burns: a post-electric play asks the question “what will endure when the cataclysm arrives—when the grid fails, society crumbles, and we’re faced with the task of rebuilding?” The premise asks what is needed in society after modern life is interrupted, what is left? In the script, the answer is an episode of The Simpsons. What endures is a part of pop culture that becomes a cornerstone for society, it becomes a nearly religious script which is used as a method of retelling history. For me, the question of telling this story is similar- given the limitations of a university production, what do we need to tell this story effectively? How did my design address the needs of the story and where did it fall short?
Personal vision
In fulfilling my personal creative goals and vision, I was attracted to designing the set for Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play. What struck me first about it was what it was not: a strict, well-established period drama with time-tested concrete design needs. My intention as a designer for this thesis was to use my personal design process to interpret and deduct the needs of a play that was relatively new and rarely tested.
Most of my experience at George Washington University has been working on period pieces, including: Translations, King Lear, The Workroom, Pippin and All My
Sons. Throughout my experience, either working as an assistant designer, a carpenter or a props master on these pieces, I found that while the designs were beautiful and detailed, they were also tied to a strict, research-based aesthetic with little room for interpretation.
Mr. Burns takes place in an alternate version of present day, one that is open to the
1 designer’s and director’s interpretation. Thus, my reason for choosing Mr. Burns was this
opportunity for world building.
Why does this show need a set?
In the beginning of the design process, one has a script, a crew, a cast, and a
venue. Many theatrical productions could be accomplished with only these essential
elements.
As a set designer, my primary role is to provide visual and physical context for a
story to take place in. In the artistic world, the production designer has the limitations of
their art always having to fill a need, working both as a designer and an artist. Assheton
Gordon, a prolific production designer for film and television, said “aesthetics became a
question of whether it was usable as information, visual information to set the mood”.1
As I work through a play’s requirements, I am constantly asking myself “is this in the service of telling a story?” In other words, does this fulfill the vision that we set out to create?
This play is immensely complicated, divided into three acts, each with a distinct location and time-period. Act I takes place in the near future at a campsite, Act II takes
place seven years after that in a makeshift rehearsal space, and Act III is set 75 years after
that on a theatrical set. If there had been no change of scene, how could the audience
understand this change in location and time period? If the audience did not have a new
visual context introduced for each scene change, I do not believe that they would have
understood the play.
1 Tuson, Elizabeth-Marie. 2007. “Creating Space: Production Designer Assheton Gorton.” Journal of British Cinema & Television 4 (2): 361–69. doi:10.3366/jbctv.2007.4.2.361.
2 To me, a play’s most vital function is to transfer a message to the audience.
Therefore, the audience’s needs should be a primary driving force when designing a set.
After all, a set’s main function is to serve the visual narrative of a story. While a set may
not always be an absolute necessity, when designed effectively, a set transmits vital information to the audience in ways that dialogue and action alone may not.
What makes an effective set design?
Set design is at its most effective when it communicates the synthesis of the
director’s vision with the intended message of the playwright to the audience. Whether or
not it is aesthetically eye-catching is a secondary goal. In the case of Mr. Burns, the
information being transmitted is complex, thus an effective design had to help the
audience focus, understand and organize what they needed to know.
Interpreting need
In Howard Garner’s Theory of Intelligences, he defined interpersonal intelligence
as the ability to understand other people, and that this type of intelligence “can be used to
understand artistic works, to work with artistic symbol systems and to create artistic
meanings”.2 This is the type of intelligence I mean to access when working as a set
designer: to use interpersonal communication to understand the artistic vision of the
playwright, the director and the artistic input of the team. To then interpret that vision
into artistic symbol systems and hopefully imbue them with clear meaning.
Throughout this text, I will be discussing artistic requirements laid out by the
director and the script or the playwright. These sources are explicit, and the word “need”
2 Fowler, Charles. "Recognizing the Role of Artistic Intelligences." Music Educators Journal 77, no. 1 (1990): 24-27. http://www.jstor.org.proxygw.wrlc.org/stable/3397791.
3 here is meant as shorthand for their expressed desires for the production in question. I
define them as needs, not because their existence stems from an absolute necessity of
being, but because I see them as imperatives that must be fulfilled, and this is a key
driving factor in my design process.
A source of need that is not spoken explicitly to me throughout the process, but which I believe is important is that of the audience. After defining the sources of need for a theatrical production, I had to then interpret those ideas into a deliverable design. As a designer, we are tasked with understanding another’s vision through research, examples, and insights gained through open communication and illustration. This is a primary part of my personal design process.
4 Chapter 2 - Synopsis
Act I
The first act takes place in the near future, after a mysterious disaster has taken place in the United States, destroying the country and its electrical grid. A group of survivors gather around a campfire and attempt to recall from memory the episode “Cape
Feare” from the popular cartoon sitcom The Simpsons.
The episode itself is a parodied version of the 1991 Martin Scorsese film entitled
Cape Fear. In the Simpsons episode, Bart is stalked by the escaped convict and murderous Sideshow Bob, leading his family to be taken into the witness protection program and relocated to Terror River. They are followed there, and Bart is confronted by Sideshow Bob.
The survivors attempt to piece together the episode scene by scene, finding that their collective memories are varied and sometimes unreliable. They are interrupted by another survivor, Gibson, who comes in out of the wilderness. This causes them to draw their weapons and show how vulnerable and frightened the survivors are. When it is determined that Gibson is not a threat, they welcome him into their encampment and exchange information about the state of the world. They take part in a ritual of sharing the names of their loved ones and checking their journals to see if they have met any of each other’s friends or family along the road. The scene ends with Gibson sharing a vital scene from the episode and singing the Gilbert and Sullivan song “Three Little Maids from School Are We”.
5 Act II
The second act begins 7 years later, with the same group of survivors having formalized their performance of various Simpsons episodes into a traveling theatrical troupe. We learn through their dialogue that lines from the show have become a form of currency, and that there are many competing theatre troupes who perform the Simpsons as well. In the midst of rehearsal, the group argues about the growing threat of their competition. They are interrupted by an unseen intruder and several members are shot, injured or killed.
Act III
Seventy-five years after Act II , a completely new cast of characters enacts the
“Cape Feare” episode in an operatic style. The episode has taken on a mythical quality, and it is combined with pop culture hits, tales of the nuclear disaster, and dialogue that was spoken around the campfire in Act I.
6 Chapter 3 - Sources of Need
In determining the scenic needs of a play, there are many sources which must be
mined and interrogated. For the purposes of this thesis, I will define these as: the playwright’s vision, the director’s vision, the designer’s vision and the audience’s needs.
Throughout my design process, I discovered that some of these needs would be in
contrast with each other, and compromises would need to be made to fully realize my
design. In this chapter, I will discuss the playwright’s vision, the director’s vision, and
my goals for Mr. Burns.
The Playwright’s vision
Anne Washburn is an American playwright who got her creative start at the
A.C.T. Young Conservatory program. Her works have ranged from an adaptation of a
Greek tragedy, The Internationalist, to a gothic horror vignette, Apparition, to a feminist epic, The Ladies. Her interest in reinventing genre pieces and retelling stories in a modern and provocative light is apparent throughout Mr. Burns.3 In a review of the first
production of Mr. Burns, Ben Brantley of the New York Times praised it as an
“intoxicating and sobering vision of an American future, set during a day-after-tomorrow apocalypse” he went on to say “It has depths of feeling to match its breadth of imagination” and that at the end “you’re likely to feel both exhausted and exhilarated from all the layers of time and thought you’ve traveled through”.4
3 Anne Washburn." New Dramatists. Accessed February 30, 2019. https://newdramatists.org/anne- washburn. 4 Brantley, Ben. "Stand Up, Survivors; Homer Is With You." The New York Times. September 16, 2013. Accessed April 30, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/theater/reviews/mr-burns-a-post-electric- play-at-playwrights-horizons.html.
7 The primary source from which I determine the playwright’s vision is the script, which provides the designer with information on geographical locations, time-period, context, style, blocking, thematic elements, and mood.
The script provided at the beginning a summation of each setting and what it should look like. The first note is that “all illumination is from ostensibly non-electric sources,” which helps to set the stage for this post-electric play, and a thematic element that should be maintained throughout. The description for the first act is that it takes place by firelight, outdoors. The stage direction includes that the time of year is early October and the geographical location is near a stream. Other scenic elements are provided as well, there should be five people seated on a motley assortment of chairs and outdoor furniture, and it should include an expensive outdoor couch. There are also references to this being a wooded outdoor area, and context tells us that we are in the northeast region of the United States of America. Some references to mood are contained in the dialogue and action of the characters: this is an intimate setting between people who have just met, they are uneasy and uncomfortable and in a new, unpredictable and unknown situation.
For the second act, she prescribes an interior under a skylight in the afternoon.
The stage direction calls it “a cozy living room” with a couch and a TV. They also mention that there is a backstage area, effectively suggesting a studio/rehearsal type space. Dialogue suggests that this is not a wealthy studio, and that the characters have undertaken a DIY approach to putting on their shows, this ties into the theme of scarcity, an element that is present throughout the show. The characters discuss this being a space they have just found and that they are dissatisfied with the location. The setting changes with the progress of their rehearsal, it changes from a living room to an FBI office, within
8 the context of the script we understand that this is a Simpsons style office, and not
necessarily a realistic one.
Another important scenic element that comes out in Act II is the “car,” it is described as the front half of a convertible with Oklahoma license plates. The car is first used as a part of a “commercial,” which within the context of the script means a live performance of an advertisement that would have been typical of television in the 1990’s-
2010’s. This follows with the theme of recreating and reinterpreting the past through
memory, and displays a distortion in the recreation, as these “commercials” show the
character’s difficulties in recalling exact details of the past and how subjective their
memories of luxury are.
Finally, the third act takes place after nightfall, in an interior stage, “lit with non-
electric instrumentation: candles and oil lamps, probably, or gas.” Washburn describes a
proscenium arch as a part of this set within a set. We also understand that the play the
characters are performing is a musical, thanks to the dialogue. The stage directions also
mention an important prop that first appeared in Act I, a notebook. The reuse of props
from previous acts ties into the theme of recycling the past, which is present throughout
the script. The stage directions then suggest the parting of a curtain and a scene change
into a houseboat, reminiscent of the setting of the final scenes of the “Cape Feare”
episode of The Simpsons. The only detail included to describe the houseboat is that there
is a cabin at the center of it, though Bart describes standing on a deck, and a ladder is
mentioned in the stage directions later. She also describes a painted backdrop
“reminiscent of the Terror River map from Act II”. The description of the characters as a
blurred similarity to their past selves, the distortion in the original music and the
9 evolution of the story being told bring the abstraction of the original Simpsons episode full circle. The action of the characters – lots of fighting and death- help to set the mood for this Act, it is a somber and epic play.
Anne Washburn goes into more detail about the lighting for the third act, which in this case describes a scenic element. She writes “the third act finale does use a motley assortment of electrical instruments, a few traditional theatrical lighting instruments but maybe also other old jury-rigged pieces of electrical lighting – Christmas tree lights, practicals, etc., adapted with care and cunning. It should be impressive.” This is a note for both the lighting designer and in this case a heavily prescriptive visual for the scenic designer.
The director’s vision
Each director for the theater is different, using their understanding of the text and fusing it with their own vision and goals for the production. For this design I had the pleasure of working with guest director Shirley Serotsky. Shirley is a professional director, dramaturg, educator and artistic leader in the Washington, DC community and has worked as such for 17 years. Throughout her time, she has produced many timely and often politically-charged new plays and revivals5.
The first correspondence I had with Shirley was her sending the company a document with inspiration images. The first image was an engraved image of Horus harpooning the hippopotamus of Seth in the Edfu drama: The Triumph of Horus (Fig. 1).
She includes several more examples of Egyptian paintings and sculptures that depict
5 "About." Mysite-3. Accessed March 21, 2019. https://www.shirleyserotsky.com/about.
10 similar images and of a similar period. During our first production meeting, Shirley
explained that she was inspired by the Triumphs of Horace, the Ptolemies and the
concept of story as a ritual and as a form of teaching.
Another topic we spoke of at length was the post-electric aspect of the play. It takes place after the electrical grid has gone down, in the near-apocalyptic aftermath of an unnamed tragedy. The script is explicit about there not being any electrical light sources. Some non-electric light sources that were suggested to me included: candle lights, non-logical light sources, some explainable, some not.
For inspiration for post-apocalyptic worlds, we spoke of films such as The
Postman (1997), A Boy and his Dog (1975) and The Road (2009) and the television series The Walking Dead (2010-). See Figures 2-5 for inspiration images I pulled from these sources as research.
In terms of mood and tone, Shirley explained that the play was a comedy. Though the characters are living in fear of an apocalyptic world, the tone should not be completely bleak.
Shirley also provided images of a campground for Act I. She explained that the campground should be a part of the real world, and the design of it should be a familiar image of woods and camping. She included a similar note for Act II, providing images of sitcom sets as can be seen in Figures 6-7. Overall, these two acts should look somewhat realistic and familiar to the audience as what they are described as.
The Audience
As discussed earlier, I believe that the audience’s needs are of the utmost
importance. For a play with many layers of meaning embedded in its script, the cohesion
11 of visual language should be a primary source for relaying meaning. Throughout my design process, a major motivation for my choices was to signal meaning to the audience, explicitly or implicitly.
For Mr. Burns, I believe the primary needs of the audience which can be fulfilled through scene design are: understanding the context of each scene, understanding the time shifts between scenes, and understanding the symbolic meaning of abstracted elements. Throughout my process, my design choices were intended to aid the audience’s comprehension of the script and the director’s vision.
12 Chapter 4 - In Practice
The Proscenium
In this chapter, I will discuss the fulfilment of these sources of need using one scenic element as an example: the false proscenium. When the playwright set out to tell this story, she had a visual narrative in mind. This is supported by the extensive and detailed foreword Anne Washburn wrote and attached to her script in which she describes a proscenium arch, carved with Simpsons characters for the third act alone. As a designer, I had to question the necessity of this potentially expensive and time-consuming set element.
Generally, a script includes a brief set description at the beginning of each new scene. The proscenium is described as “a proscenium arch, weathered and aged, with
Simpson’s characters carved into the side of it.”6 The geographical location is not specified, except to suggest that the act takes place in a theatrical setting. The period is described as 75 years after the second act.
This script goes into more detail than usual with an introductory letter from the playwright which describes the playwright’s intentions for the proscenium.
“Set: The script describes a proscenium in Act 3 carved with reasonably intact but not exact Simpsons characters (kind of in the manner of a totem pole) which were at one time gaudily and carefully painted, and which are now rather chipped and weathered. This strikes me as expensive and difficult to realize thoroughly and you shouldn’t consider yourself bound to it but please consider a design equivalent which can impart the same information which is: that there is a fixed theater (implies a more stable society) devoted entirely to The Simpsons plays which have been running for a while and are also probably not the very latest in cultural experience.”7
6 Washburn, Anne. Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play. Oberon Books, 2012. 7 Washburn, 6.
13 This serves as an example of a source of need made explicitly clear by the
playwright. The proscenium provides necessary context, it describes the way in which
society has glorified The Simpsons in Act III. It also suggests a passage of time between its conception and its display. Though some visual aspects of this proscenium were made clear, the style of this proscenium was left to interpretation. I decided early on that this proscenium would need to be incorporated, but designing it so that it would match the aesthetic qualities of the rest of my design proved to be a challenge.
The next source of need for Mr. Burns came from the director’s vision. Boris
Leven said of the relationship between the set designer and the director that the rapport between them is “the major factor on which the success of their effort depends.”8 As previously mentioned, Shirley provided research images to the company. To be concise, I will discuss here only the images that were directly involved in my design decisions for the proscenium. In Figures 8-10 you will find images that Shirley shared of 18th century
theaters. What they have in common are their elaborately detailed prosceniums.
The shape of the proscenium, though it did not align with the shape presented in
Shirley’s research images, was inspired by the introductory sequence in the “Cape Feare”
episode of the Simpsons in Figure 11, and by its parallelism to the School of Athens
painting by Raphael in Figure 12. I hypothesized that the combination of pop cultural
references with religious symbolic imagery fulfilled both the playwright’s intention and
the director’s vision. I presented these research images with my first design for the
proscenium, which was simply the shape in Figure 24.
8 Leven, Boris. "What Is a Production Designer?" Film Comment 14, no. 3 (1978): 36. http://www.jstor.org.proxygw.wrlc.org/stable/43452505.
14 In addition to the research images of elaborate theaters, Shirley emphasized in a meeting that she wanted to incorporate the chalkboard seen in every Simpsons opening as a design element in the play, see Figure 13 for an example. This led me to my paint treatment for the false proscenium, as if the painter of the proscenium within the story was also referencing the Simpsons imagery, and decided to incorporate that idea into his or her design.
To sum up, at this point the proscenium must fulfill the needs of the playwright: to establish a time-period and religious context of the Simpsons in the period. For the script: the shape should be an arch, should be weathered and have Simpsons characters on it. For the director, it should resemble an elaborate traditional proscenium and the designer must incorporate a chalkboard element into the overall design. As the designer, it was my job to determine how to interpret and bring all these elements together into a cohesive design that meets all the previously mentioned needs.
As a result, I designed the proscenium using a combination of Catholic imagery and Simpsons characters and used a chalkboard texture and paint treatment to incorporate the chalkboard symbol.
To present my design, I used a variety of digital media programs. I started with drawing the shape in AutoCAD in the scale I thought was appropriate. Then, I took the general outline and brought it into Adobe Photoshop. I used reference images of
Simpsons characters and angelic imagery from religious paintings. Around the edge of the proscenium I included a quote from the iconic opening sequence in every Simpsons episode in which Bart repeats a line on a chalkboard. Shirley and I discussed at length
15 which quote would be most appropriate to the play, and we finally settled on “I will not instigate a revolution.” See Figure 32 for the final digital design of the proscenium.
16 Chapter 5 - Interpretation
In this section I will break down the design process of the scenic elements I chose to include in my design based on the needs of this production.
The walls and wagons:
The largest and most essential elements of my design were the two large wagons.
Their necessity was determined by the script, the director’s vision and my vision as a designer. I wanted to limit the amount of building that three separate sets would require, and my solution was to use two large set elements that could change meaning based on their orientation to the audience.
My design process for these elements started with determining a dynamic shape that could change and represent different given circumstances. I started by conceiving the shape I wanted them to end with, the distorted Simpsons character face combined with a houseboat that was a part of a designed theatrical set. Most Simpsons character’s faces have a simple geometrical shape, see Figure 14 of Bart Simpson, his head is a vertical rectangle with scalloped angular hair. Next, see Lisa and Maggie Simpson in Figure 15, whose heads are essentially starbursts, again with the repeating triangular pattern as hair.
I considered the hair shape as one of the most recognizable elements of their character design and kept this in mind when researching shapes for the design of my wagons.
In researching the shape for the wagons, I wanted them to be reminiscent of a religious sculpture. I found an image of a Candi bentar, or split gateway. This shape is a classical Javanese and Balinese gateway entrance commonly found at the entrance of
17 religious compounds, kraton palaces, or cemeteries.9 They resemble a triangular structure
split perfectly in two to create a passage in the center for people to walk through. The
center passage is usually elevated with a flight of stairs to reach it (Fig. 16-17).
This shape was especially dynamic to me, it offered an entry way through the middle, as well as a climbable staircase on either side which fulfilled the dramatic needs of this musical section of the play. It was easy to imagine a Simpsons face placed over this shape, the stairsteps representing the hair shapes.
The wagons were present throughout all three acts, with a different context and meaning in each act. In the first act, they are meant to represent the remains of a destroyed home. I placed them as far upstage as the cyc would allow and used a tent to cover the gap between their platforms. See Figure 25 for a rendering of this sight line and
Figure 61 for the final production image of this design. Their paint treatment was determined by their act I context, as deteriorated brick structures, for a detailed paint sample see Figure 43.
In Act II, the wagons were shifted 180 degrees and brought further downstage and are meant to depict the walls of a studio in which the performers rehearse. This scene change was extremely important to the play, as we had only a 2-minute window to complete it. For this reason, and with the advice of our Technical Director John Traub, we purchased triple swivel neoprene rubber casters. These casters were rated for up to
330lbs of weight, and helped these large elements to move easily, quietly and quickly.
The orientation of the walls created a corner of a space, an impression of a room rather
9 "Candi Bentar." Wikipedia. March 22, 2019. Accessed April 30, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candi_bentar.
18 than a concrete representation of one. See Figure 28 for a rendering of this concept and
Figure 64 for a final production image of this configuration.
In Act III the wagons shifted 180 degrees again to reveal the backside. The back was designed to combine both the abstract image of a Simpsons character’s face and to imply a theatrical interpretation of a houseboat. A center wagon was added in this act, it was longer and included a staircase on either side to act as entrances and exits for the actors.
The challenging aspect of this design was incorporating elements of a houseboat and balancing the abstract Simpsons face with the concrete representation of a houseboat.
At first, as seen in Figure 29, my design was flatter and more abstract. To incorporate the houseboat, I decided to use primarily textures: rusted texture over the original yellow, an extension of the base that was painted as deck wood, and a rusted blue on the face of the base to represent the bottom of the boat. See Figure 31 for a texture board of Act III. In addition, I added several scenic details to the “houseboat” face, such as windows that could also represent eyes, railing that could also be interpreted as teeth, and buoys that were painted to resemble donuts. The middle piece was also adjusted to include a door, creating a more dynamic space and fulfilling the needs of the story, in which Mr. Burns took the family to the interior of the boat. The center wagon was painted red, in order to symbolize a mouth piece, and the door was painted in a pink wood texture, which could also be representative of a tongue. In Figure 30 you will find a rendered concept of Act
III and in Figure 69, a final production photo.
19 The cyclorama:
A cyclorama is defined as a panoramic image on the inside of a platform, designed to give viewers standing in the middle of the cylinder a 360° view.10 The cyclorama was integral to my design because I wanted to create a distinct playing space and visual world without building walls. I wanted my design to be encapsulating for the performers and for the audience.
In my original design, I wanted to include a large painted cyclorama to encircle the entire playing area, as can be seen in Figure 24. The colors and shapes were inspired by a Rick & Morty post-apocalyptic episode, itself a riff on a Mad Max world, see Figure
18 for this research image. This inclusion of pop cultural inspirations seemed to me to be in line with the playwright’s original thematic intention for this play. However, due to budget and time limitations this was not a possibility.
Carl Gudenius, the lighting designer, proposed using three separate cyc pieces, which were available to us, and using lights to replicate the design I presented. Using
LED lights, he was able to change the colors throughout the play, suggesting new moods and atmospheres unique to each setting. In the end, this fulfilled both my vision as a designer and served the story in the most efficient and practical way possible. See Figure
63 for the final production photo of the lighted cyclorama.
Floor image:
The floor design came from a need to evoke a shape that was recognizable enough in the context of each act, but vague enough to be adaptable to three distinct locations.
10 "Cyclorama." Wikipedia. February 17, 2019. Accessed April 05, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclorama.
20 My first design for this was two overlapping starburst shapes, see Figure 24. I chose these shapes because they resembled a cartoonish explosion, and I wanted my floor detail to be reminiscent of a place where a disaster had taken place. I presented this to Shirley, and she noted that it was too abstract for acts I and II, and thus did not meet the needs of the play, the audience, or her vision.
In Figure 19, one of my research images, I presented the reference to a cartoon explosion that had caught Shirley’s eye. It was more naturalistic, as it included several earth tones. This suggested more of a natural ground, which fulfilled the needs of the exterior in act I. For the overall shape, I wanted to incorporate an abstracted Simpsons element, both for the cohesion of my design and to fulfill the more theatrical and abstract needs of the playwright’s vision for the third act. I landed on using an outline of
Sideshow Bob’s hair, an image that is referenced directly in the script, and that stood out to me in my research. In the “Cape Feare” episode of the Simpsons, Sideshow Bob stands over Bart’s bed, casting a large ominous shadow over his room, as seen in Figure 20.
This is the silhouette I decided to mimic in my final design for the floor detail.
I completed the final design in Photoshop, modifying the original research image until it fit into the Sideshow Bob silhouette I wanted (Fig. 33). I used cartooning to transfer the overall shape to the floor of the Betts and used many overlapping layers of paint to achieve the final effect seen in Figure 50.
The utility poles:
Another important element of the play was its post-electric theme. In my research images in Figures 3-5 you will find several different iterations of the fallen utility pole.
To me, this appeared as the perfect symbol of a fallen electricity grid, one that would
21 keep this theme in the mind of the audience and also add to the post-apocalyptic atmosphere that the play suggests.
A scenic element that was necessary to the play was the impression of a forest or outdoor space, especially in Act I. However, with the limits of a small crew for scene changes, I wanted to limit the amount of scenery that had to be shifted to the large wagons. The solution to this problem was to make the utility poles function as both the forest and fallen utility poles in a post-apocalyptic setting. In order to combine the forest with the utility poles, I added large tree branches to the poles. I wanted to make their orientation and placement suggest chaos, so I oriented each of them at an angle in different directions. Then I added ropes to function as their wires, adding to their chaotic aesthetic. In the end, the utility poles ended up pulling double-duty, fulfilling the need of the scripts to set up the forest of the first act, but also functioning as a symbol of post- electricity, a large part of the playwright’s vision for her play.
The lanterns:
Another scenic element that went along with the post-electric theme was the lanterns. They were necessary to suggest the new source of light in a post-electric society, a throwback to the days before the electrical grid.
While I had originally imagined an assemblage of found object lanterns and steampunk reminiscent lanterns, this was not a realistic goal considering the time each custom design would take to bring to fruition.
As a compromise, I used a motley collection of lantern cases I found in props storage, my own home and in the lighting section of IKEA. Their layout within the space was meant to add to the sense of chaos, all of them hanging at different heights and on
22 different pipes throughout the theater’s grid system. In order to suggest that they were not electrically powered, we used plastic candles and placed them inside the lantern shells.
Furniture:
This play required a lot of different furniture to be used in Acts I and II.
Typically, the task of designing and selecting the furniture falls to the scenic designer and locating and preparing the furniture falls to the properties master. As a scenic designer, I like to take a hands-on approach to furniture in my designs, especially in cases in which furniture plays a considerable role in the overall look from scene to scene.
In Act I the script and director required four chairs and one sofa that could seat at least two people. The post-apocalyptic atmosphere combined with the realistic setting of
Act I led me to choosing a motley of indoor and outdoor seating. I chose a heavily distressed camping style chair and an assortment of rusty folding metal chairs. For the couch, I wanted to reference the classic Simpsons style sofa. I found the perfect love seat style sofa in red, with a strong geometric silhouette that looked almost cartoonish. To make it appear as though it had been outdoors for a considerable amount of time, I added a white paint wash to mimic sun bleaching. I found all of the furniture for Act I at a local reuse store called Community Forklift.
For Act II, I chose to reuse much of the furniture from Act I, both to create a visual link between to the Acts, but also to suggest that in a society without mass production afforded to an electrical society, reuse is a necessity. The couch was reused for the living room scene and the chairs were reused for the FBI scene. Additional furniture used included a desk and television stand. I decided to use a writing table that could be used for both, depending on how the top was folded or unfolded.
23 Props:
Much like the furniture, many props were integral to the overall look of the set and I designed many of them and directed the properties master towards their final product.
The car:
The most fun and interesting prop for Mr. Burns was the “car.” In act II, the players rehearse with a car, which is described as the front half of a convertible. In my research, I found that other productions of Mr. Burns had interpreted this in different ways: some literally used the front half of a car, some used cardboard cutouts and cartoonish representations of cars, for examples see Figures 21-23. For my design, I wanted to incorporate the theme of re-use and resourcefulness in a post-electric society.
This led me to the found-object makeshift car.
I started by looking at objects that matched the shape of car parts that one would find in a junkyard or abandoned home. The first piece I found was an old A/C unit, the front filter of which looked like the grill of a car to me. The top of the car was a plastic storage bin lid, the headlights were small drums, the bottom part of the grill were deconstructed computer keyboards. Other pieces that made up the body of the car were hard shelled suitcases, wooden framing, a purchased go-kart steering wheel, and a handle bar from a push-dolly. An initial mock-up and construction images can be found in
Figures 59-60.
One of the challenging aspects of the car was making it structurally sound. The solution I decided on was to use ¾ ply as the body of the car and build on top of it. The suitcases were filled with boxes, and the skeleton of the car was made entirely out of
24 plywood. The base of the car was a stock 4x8 platform. In the end, the car was structurally sound enough to be used in a theatrical setting, safe enough for an actor to crawl under, and fulfilled my vision for the design and the needs of the script. A final production image of the makeshift car can be found in Figure 68.
Set props:
This show required a wide variety of props, some of which were straightforward and realistic, but particularly for Acts II and III there were many custom props which needed to be designed. For this design process, I took notes from the director and worked with Pancharee Sangkaeo, the properties master, to come up with a final product.
The main props that needed to be designed were the tent, the fire pit, the FBI board, the chalkboard, the buoys, and the hand props in Act III. The tent and the fire pit were used in Act I and were meant to represent somewhat realistic versions of both a tent and a fire pit. However, in keeping with the sense of abstraction present throughout the set, I used a somewhat cartoonish representation of a tent for its design. It is a simple triangular shape, built with 2”x2” lumber and covered in painted distressed muslin. See
Figure 58 for a construction image of the tent. Its purpose is primarily to signal to the audience that the characters are in an outdoor survival state and that their style of living has been reduced to the bare necessities.
The fire pit fulfills the same purpose, though its design was also slightly stylized.
I used a simple metal barrel and cut it down to 2’ 6”, I distressed the outside of it with black and green paint to symbolize the hazardous waste and nuclear explosions referenced by characters in Act I. I also drilled many small holes all across the surface of
25 the barrel to let small pins of light leak out of it. An in-process image of the barrel can be found in Figure 57 and a final image of the barrel can be found in Figure 61.
For the chalkboard, I discussed with Shirley the intentions of the characters within the scene. The chalkboard was a solution to the need for a map of Terror River and made a nice connection to the false proscenium. Shirley told me that the design should be
“scary” but also cartoonish, like an Itchy & Scratchy bit in a Simpsons episode. For the design, I used several references to maps within the Simpsons canon and adjusted them to the needs of the story. I used a simple luaun board with a 1”x1” frame as the base and painted it with the same techniques used in the proscenium paint treatment, which will be covered in detail in the next chapter. Find a final image of this chalkboard in Figure 51.
The FBI board was on the opposite side of the Terror River chalkboard map and was designed based on a loose interpretation of an FBI red-ribbon investigative map (Fig
52). I presented Pancharee with my research images, helped her find materials, and let her finish the fabrication. Her contributions were an invaluable part of my design and it was a pleasure to have someone who worked so collaboratively with me in bringing my designs to life.
The buoys, as can be found in Figure 53, were an integral set dressing prop that were used to help signal to the audience that the final act took place on a houseboat. I found that their shape could also function symbolically, and they could therefore represent donuts as well as buoys. This slight abstraction of a straightforward object helped my design reach both of my design goals for Act III; that the set be both representational (of a houseboat) and abstract (as a Simpsons reference). For their
26 execution, I delivered my reference materials and paint instructions to work study students and allowed them to complete their fabrication.
For the Act III hand props, there were a few guidelines provided by Shirley, but for the most part their design was left to my own interpretation of the scene. The characters in Act III were putting on a theatrical opera-style rendition of the Cape Feare episode discussed in Act I, as they sung their lines they also presented everyday objects that were symbolic to the Simpsons characters they represented. These objects included a bucket, a microphone, a rake, a cross and a candy bar. Every object was gilded in gold paint and bejeweled with small plastic jewels. The microphone was built out of found objects and painted silver. These everyday objects were slightly abstracted and painted in a way that was meant to suggest their gravitas in this future society that regards the
Simpsons in a religious light (Fig. 54-55).
27 Chapter 6 - Construction
Throughout the construction process for Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, I was more of an observer than a builder. The technical director and producer, John Traub and
Carl Gudenius respectively, hired professional carpenters who were responsible for the bulk of the physical production of the set. I provided the design and drafting, which were fine-tuned and made into shop documents by John Traub and then delivered to the shop manager, William Woodard. My role in the construction was less hands-on than previous shows, but my role in the painting process was fully hands-on. Although there was an over hire painter brought in daily, I was there to manage and help her every step of the way. In this chapter, I will discuss the construction process and methods and the painting and finishing process.
Proscenium Construction
When it came to the actual production of the proscenium, Carl Gudenius and John
Traub and I discussed the best way to build it using the least amount of built materials;
i.e. Using as many stock flats as possible. We had to adjust the general shape to include
stock flats and to make the hanging height tall enough to walk under, landing at 8’ to
incorporate 2 stock 4’x8’ flats.
The proscenium was built to the specifications of a stock flat, using 5/4 ply cut
down to 3” as the frame, and covered with luaun that was cut to shape. The pieces were
bolted together at every joint, and a reveal thickness of 6” Masonite was added.
Wagon Construction
The wagon bases were built using 5/4” framing with ¾ plywood facing. They
were built to a platform height of 8” for a standard step height. Their overall width was
28 5’8” and their length was 10’. The casters were bolted into them with a 1/8” clearance
from the ground to insure their free movement over the uneven floor of the Betts theater.
The walls of the wagons were built in two separate pieces, so they could be fit in the
truck and be transported from the scene shop to the theater. They were built with ¾” ply
and left hollow on the inside so that they could be bolted together in space. Every visible
face of the walls and wagons was covered with Masonite.
Center Unit Construction
The center unit was constructed with 5/4” ply with a single step on either side.
Just like the other two wagons the center unit required casters and clearance from the
floor. The center section of the unit was constructed separately out of ¾” plywood. The
pieces were then screwed together using drywall screws. The finished width of the unit
had to be 4’ so that it could clear the space between the upstage cyc and the stage left cyc.
The total length was 12’. During Acts I and II the center unit was stored behind the stage left cyc.
Door Construction
The door frame was built using 3/4” ply construction for the base, and the curved
arch at the top was built with Masonite that was manipulated into a curved shape. The
door itself was cut out of ¾” ply and hinged using spring loaded hinges onto the frame.
The door handles were made out of repurposed and comically oversized metal fridge
handles.
Utility pole Construction
The utility poles were made from recycled 4”x4” lumber from a previous
production. They were cut to size at various heights, from 7’ 9 ½” to 8’ 11”. They were
29 cut at angles at the bottom and they had pipes inserted into their base which were then welded to floor plates. This was because they were all standing at a canted angle. The cross braces were made out of 2”x 2” distressed wood. To make them look more like trees, we ordered a variety of sizes of Manzanita branches from Blooms & Branches. To attach them, we drilled 3” deep holes with approximately 1 ½” diameter. Then we placed the branches in the holes and used drywall screws to secure them.
Paint Treatment
There were a total of 8 paint treatments used for this set, labeled as; Brick,
Deck Wood, Yellow Metal, Blue Metal, Proscenium, Floor Detail, Door Red and
Door Pink. I used Rosco’s Off-Broadway line of paints to mix these paint treatments. In addition, I used Rust-Oleum brand spray paint and MinWax
Sealer. Below are the paint recipes:
Brick
Step 1: Brick Stencil
Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Purple Spray Paint
Step 2: Grout
Lemon Yellow : White : Purple 1 : 1 : 1/8
Step 3: Brick
Purple : Orange 2 : 1
Deck Wood
Step 1: Base
Burnt Umber : Burnt Sienna : White 2 : 2: 1/4
Step 2: Wood Grain 1
30 Purple : Burnt Umber 1 : 1
Step 3: Wood Grain 2
Raw Sienna : Water 1 : 8
Step 4: Wood Lines
Purple : Orange 2 : 1
Step 5: Seal with Satin MinWax Polycrylic
Yellow Metal
Step 1: Base
White : Lemon Yellow 1 : 1/4
Step 2: Layer 1
Lemon Yellow
Step 3: Repeat Step 2
Step 4: Detail and distressing
Burnt Umber : Pthalo Blue 4 : 1
Step 5: Seal with Gloss MinWax Polycrylic
Blue Metal
Step 1: Base
Pthalo Blue : Pthalo Green : White 5 : 2 : 3
Step 2: Spray Detail 1
Pthalo Blue : Fire Red : Water 1 : ¼ : 2
Step 3: Spray Detail 2
Base : White : Water 1 : 2 : 2
Step 4: Spray Detail 3
31 Lemon Yellow : Fire Red : Burnt Umber : Water 3 : 1 : ½ : 2
Step 5: Spray Final Details
Base : Spray Detail 1 1 : 1
Proscenium
Step 1: Base
Pthalo Green : Burnt Umber : Chrome Oxide Green : Grout 1 : ½ : ½
Step 2: White Wash
Base : White 1 : 15
Step 3: Detail
White
Floor Detail
Step 1: Base
White
Step 2: Green Layer 1
Pthalo Green : White : Golden Yellow : Burnt Umber 2 : 4 : ½ : ½
Step 3: Blue Layer 2
Pthalo Blue : Burnt Umber : Pthalo Green 4 : 2 : 1
Step 4: Yellow Layer 3
Lemon Yellow : Burnt Sienna : White 1 : 2 : 3
Step 5: Brown Layer 4
Burnt Umber : Pthalo Blue 4 : 1
Step 6: Green Layer 5
Chrome Oxide Green : Pthalo Green : Lemon Yellow 1 : 1 : 1/4
32 Step 7: Sealer
MinWax Satin
Door Red
Step 1: Base
White
Step 2: Layer 1
Fire Red
Step 3: Layer 2
Repeat Step 2
Step 3: Sealer
MinWax Satin
Door Pink
Step 1: Base
White
Step 2: Wood Grain Base
White : Fire Red 10 : 1/8
Step 3: Wood Grain 1
Wood Grain Base : Burnt Umber 1 : 1/8
Step 4: Wood Grain 2
Burnt Umber : Water 1 : 8
Step 5: Wood Grain 3
Raw Sienna : Water 1 : 8
Step 6: Wood Lines
33 Purple : Orange 2 : 1
Step 7: Sealer
MinWax Satin
34 Chapter 7 - Evaluation
In the end, I was satisfied that I delivered my best possible design for Mr. Burns. I
worked endlessly on planning, rendering and executing my design. If I were to redesign
this show, with a new set of restraints and a different director’s vision, it would look
entirely different, but in the end, I feel like I met the needs of the director, my personal
design goals, and the needs of the story.
One of the faults in my design of Mr. Burns was ignoring one of the main
principles and design challenges of the theater: that a setting should provide meaningful
acting positions, allow expressive movements and reveal character. As I have explained, I
focused heavily on the concepts, moods and theme of Mr. Burns rather than the action of the play.
The most obvious way this was demonstrated to me was in the third act’s climactic fight scene. When discussing early on with the fight choreographer, Matt
Wilson, he mentioned that the deck of the houseboat was shallow for a fight scene. This was also a concern mentioned by the director and producer. My design, though I felt it was appropriate visually, was not allowing the actors to make bold movement choices and was limiting their range of action. This was obvious to me in rehearsals, and though the fight choreographer, cast and director collaborated on making the fight run as smoothly as possible, was clearly a result of designing a setting first and then having actor’s movements conform around it. As Wade Curry, a veteran of directing for the theater, put it “the setting can undermine or reinforce the impact of a performance.
35 Design it for action”.11 As an artist from a background in two-dimensional design, this is not a mode of design that was immediately familiar to me, and through my mistakes I hope to have learned enough to improve in the future.
One of the best compliments I received on the show was from Shirley Serotsky, she said to the production team and myself during the post-mortem that as a team,
Pancharee Sangkaeo and I took direction extremely well. She used the FBI scene as an example. In the beginning, the back of the chalkboard used for this scene was just a flat brown board. She gave me and Pancharee the note that we should “make it better.” I adjusted the design to resemble an image that I had seen in the television series Always
Sunny in Philadelphia in which Charlie goes overboard and makes a childish version of an FBI investigation board. I used this as a guide, and Pancharee and I put together the new design in a couple of hours. Shirley said that in terms of taking vague instruction and coming up with solutions quickly, we were “some of the best she had ever worked with.”
To me, this spoke to my ability to interpret need and is what helped to inspire my thesis writing process.
When speaking to audience members, I noticed that there was still a lot of confusion about the play’s meaning. As a designer, I had hoped that my set would provide enough context to help the audience navigate the story. In this way, I feel that I could have provided a design element that announced the time lapse between acts. This was suggested in the script as a projection, but projections would have been too expensive for this particular production. I believe that I could have found an alternative
11 Curry, Wade. "Play Directing: Planning the Production." The Clearing House 39, no. 6 (1965): 344-48. http://www.jstor.org.proxygw.wrlc.org/stable/30182766.
36 that would have clarified this for the audience. This time lapse was noted in the booklet provided to the audience, though this solution depends on the audience reading before watching the play. In this way, I did not fulfill the needs of the playwright or the audience.
Throughout this process, I found that my design process was guided by what I interpreted as need, but that I was not always fully clear on how to cater to the needs of the audience to understand the play, or on the needs of the actors to be able to navigate the scenery with ease. I believe that I was able to meet the minimum needs of each setting, but that more context would have been ideal for the audience to fully grasp the story.
37 Bibliography
90's Living Room Set. Accessed August 13, 2019. http://nostalgiarush.blogspot.com/2018/09/20-notable-sitcom-living-rooms.html.
"About." Mysite-3. Accessed March 21, 2019. https://www.shirleyserotsky.com/about.
A Boy and His Dog. Directed by L. Q. Jones. Accessed August 13, 2019.
“Anne Washburn." New Dramatists. Accessed February 30, 2019. https://newdramatists.org/anne-washburn.
"Architecture of Indonesia." Wikipedia. April 29, 2019. Accessed August 4, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Indonesia#/media/File:Indonesia_ Museum_Balinese_Split_Gate.jpg.
“Bart Simpson .” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Jan. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_Simpson#/media/File:Bart_Simpson_200px.png.
Brantley, Ben. "Stand Up, Survivors; Homer Is With You." The New York Times. September 16, 2013. Accessed April 30, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/theater/reviews/mr-burns-a-post-electric- play-at-playwrights-horizons.html.
"Candi Bentar." Wikipedia. March 22, 2019. Accessed April 30, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candi_bentar.
"Cape Feare." In The Simpsons. October 7, 1993. Accessed August 13, 2019.
"Chalkboard Gags." Wikisimpsons. Accessed September 15, 2019. https://simpsonswiki.com/w/index.php?title=Category:Images_- _Chalkboard_gags&useformat=mobile&filefrom=ChalkboardGag7F13.png.
Curry, Wade. "Play Directing: Planning the Production." The Clearing House 39, no. 6 (1965): 344-48. http://www.jstor.org.proxygw.wrlc.org/stable/30182766.
"Cyclorama." Wikipedia. February 17, 2019. Accessed May 07, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclorama.
Fowler, Charles. "Recognizing the Role of Artistic Intelligences." Music Educators Journal 77, no. 1 (1990): 24-27. http://www.jstor.org.proxygw.wrlc.org/stable/3397791.
“Illustration of Drury Lane Theater.” Microcosm of London, 1808-1810. Accessed August 13, 2019. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/illustration-of-drury-lane- theatre.
38 Jack, Lee. "Mr. Burns Act II Car." Mr Burns: A Post Electric Play at Wesleyan University. Accessed September 4, 2019. http://www.summerleejack.com/design- portfolio/theater/mr-burns-a-post-electric/.
Krulwich, Sara. Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play, at Playwrights Horizons. August 23, 2013. In The New York Times. Accessed August 6, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/theater/reviews/mr-burns-a-post-electric- play-at-playwrights-horizons.html.
Leven, Boris. "What Is a Production Designer?" Film Comment 14, no. 3 (1978): 36. http://www.jstor.org.proxygw.wrlc.org/stable/43452505.
“Maggie & Lisa Angels.” Pinterest. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://in.pinterest.com/pin/258605203589747384/?lp=true.
"Mom." 2019. Accessed August 13, 2019.
"Post-Apocalyptic Dimension." Rick and Morty Wiki. Accessed August 30, 2019. https://rickandmorty.fandom.com/wiki/Post-Apocalyptic_Dimension.
Raphael’s School of Athens. 1511. In Wikimedia Commons. Accessed September 1, 2019. https://sh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datoteka:Raphael_School_of_Athens.jpg.
Royce, Graydon. "The Cast of "Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play" at the Guthrie." Star Tribune. April 02, 2015. Accessed September 9, 2019. http://www.startribune.com/guthrie-play-mr-burns-turns-bart-into-dramatic- art/298473751/.
"Swing Dancing Is Coming to Portlaoise!" VaudevilleDance.com. April 08, 2017. Accessed August 13, 2019. https://vaudevilledance.com/2017/04/08/swing- dancing-is-coming-to-portlaoise/.
"The Abyss." Made in Abyss Wiki. Accessed August 30, 2019. https://madeinabyss.fandom.com/wiki/1st_Layer.
"Theatre Events." Langdon Down Centre. Accessed August 13, 2019. https://langdondowncentre.org.uk/heritage-lottery-funding-normansfield- protecting.
“The Majapahit style candi bentar of Menara Kudus Mosque.” Wikipedia. March 22, 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candi_bentar#/media/File:Masjid_Menara_Kudus_ Tampak_Depan.jpg.
The Postman. Directed by Kevin Costner. Accessed August 13, 2019.
The Road. Directed by John Hillcoat. Accessed August 13, 2019.
39 "The Triumph of Horus". In Http://www.pixhd.me/horus-and-seth.html. Accessed August 24, 2019.
Tuson, Elizabeth-Marie. 2007. “Creating Space: Production Designer Assheton Gorton.” Journal of British Cinema & Television 4 (2): 361–69. doi:10.3366/jbctv.2007.4.2.361.
Washburn, Anne. Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play. Oberon Books, 2012.
40 Appendix A - Research Images
Figure 1. Research Image for religious reference.12
12 "The Triumph of Horus". In Http://www.pixhd.me/horus-and-seth.html. Accessed August 24, 2019.
41
Figure 2. Research Image for Post-Apocalyptic reference.13
13 A Boy and His Dog. Directed by L. Q. Jones. Accessed August 13, 2019.
42
Figure 3 Research Image for Post-Apocalyptic reference.14
14 A Boy and His Dog. Directed by L. Q. Jones. Accessed August 13, 2019.
43
` Figure 4 Research Image for Post-Apocalyptic reference.15
15 The Postman. Directed by Kevin Costner. Accessed August 13, 2019.
44
Figure 5 Research Image for Post-Apocalyptic reference.16
16 The Road. Directed by John Hillcoat. Accessed August 13, 2019.
45
Figure 6 Research Image for Act II.17
17 90's Living Room Set. Accessed August 13, 2019. http://nostalgiarush.blogspot.com/2018/09/20-notable- sitcom-living-rooms.html.
46
Figure 7 Research Image for Act II18
18 "Mom." 2019. Accessed August 13, 2019.
47
Figure 8 Research Image for proscenium19
19 "Swing Dancing Is Coming to Portlaoise!" VaudevilleDance.com. April 08, 2017. Accessed August 13, 2019. https://vaudevilledance.com/2017/04/08/swing-dancing-is-coming-to-portlaoise/.
48
Figure 9 Research Image for proscenium20
20 “Illustration of Drury Lane Theater.” Microcosm of London, 1808-1810.Accessed August 13, 2019. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/illustration-of-drury-lane-theatre.
49
Figure 10 Research Image for proscenium21
21 "Theatre Events." Langdon Down Centre. Accessed August 13, 2019. https://langdondowncentre.org.uk/heritage-lottery-funding-normansfield-protecting.
50
Figure 11 Research Image for proscenium22
22 "Cape Feare." In The Simpsons. October 7, 1993. Accessed August 13, 2019.
51
Figure 12 Research Image for proscenium23
23 Raphael’s School of Athens. 1511. In Wikimedia Commons. Accessed September 1, 2019. https://sh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datoteka:Raphael_School_of_Athens.jpg.
52
Figure 13 Research Image for proscenium24
24 "Chalkboard Gags." Wikisimpsons. Accessed September 15, 2019. https://simpsonswiki.com/w/index.php?title=Category:Images_- _Chalkboard_gags&useformat=mobile&filefrom=ChalkboardGag7F13.png.
53
Figure 14 Research Image for wagon design25
25 “Bart Simpson .” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Jan. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_Simpson#/media/File:Bart_Simpson_200px.png.
54
Figure 15 Research Image for wagon design26
26 “Maggie & Lisa Angels.” Pinterest. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://in.pinterest.com/pin/258605203589747384/?lp=true.
55
Figure 16 Research Image for wagon design27
27 “The Majapahit style candi bentar of Menara Kudus Mosque.” Wikipedia. March 22, 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candi_bentar#/media/File:Masjid_Menara_Kudus_Tampak_Depan.jpg.
56
Figure 17 Research Image for wagon design28
28 "Architecture of Indonesia." Wikipedia. April 29, 2019. Accessed August 4, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Indonesia#/media/File:Indonesia_Museum_Balinese_Split_ Gate.jpg.
57
Figure 18 Research Image for cyclorama29
29 "Post-Apocalyptic Dimension." Rick and Morty Wiki. Accessed August 30, 2019. https://rickandmorty.fandom.com/wiki/Post-Apocalyptic_Dimension.
58
Figure 19 Research Image for floor detail30
30 "The Abyss." Made in Abyss Wiki. Accessed August 30, 2019. https://madeinabyss.fandom.com/wiki/1st_Layer.
59
Figure 20 Research Image for floor detail31
31 "Cape Feare." Wikipedia. April 28, 2019. Accessed August 12, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Feare.
60
Figure 21 Research Image for car design32
32 Krulwich, Sara. Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play, at Playwrights Horizons. August 23, 2013. In The New York Times. Accessed August 6, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/theater/reviews/mr-burns-a- post-electric-play-at-playwrights-horizons.html.
61
Figure 22 Research Image for car design33
33 Jack, Lee. "Mr. Burns Act II Car." Mr Burns: A Post Electric Play at Wesleyan University. Accessed September 4, 2019. http://www.summerleejack.com/design-portfolio/theater/mr-burns-a-post-electric/.
62
Figure 23 Research Image for car design34
34 Royce, Graydon. "The Cast of "Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play" at the Guthrie." Star Tribune. April 02, 2015. Accessed September 9, 2019. http://www.startribune.com/guthrie-play-mr-burns-turns-bart-into- dramatic-art/298473751/.
63 Appendix B - Renderings
Figure 24 Act I Rendering First Draft
64 Figure 25 Act I Rendering Sight Line
65
Figure 26 Act I Rendering Final
66
Figure 27 Act II Rendering First Draft
67
Figure 28 Act II Rendering Final Draft
68
Figure 29 Act III Rendering First Draft
69
Figure 30 Act III Rendering Final Draft
70
Figure 31 Act III Texture Board
71
Figure 32 Proscenium Rendering
72
Figure 33 Floor detail rendering
73 Appendix C - Process Images
Figure 34 Proscenium Base Paint
74
Figure 35 Proscenium Detail Paint
75
Figure 36 Wagon Construction
76
Figure 37 Wagon Construction
77
Figure 38 Wagon Paint Base
78
Figure 39 Wagon Paint Detail
79
Figure 40 Door Construction
80
Figure 41 Door Paint
81
Figure 42 Door Paint Detail
82
Figure 43 Brick Paint Sample
83
Figure 44 Door Paint Sample
84
Figure 45 Proscenium Paint Sample
85
Figure 46 Wagon Paint Sample
86
Figure 47 Floor Detail Paint Sample
87
Figure 48 Blue Metal Paint Sample
88
Figure 49 Pink Wood Paint Sample
89
Figure 50 Floor Detail Paint
90
Figure 51 Prop Chalkboard Map
91
Figure 52 Prop FBI Board
92
Figure 53 Prop Buoys
93
Figure 54 Prop Microphone
94
Figure 55 Prop Megaphone
95
Figure 56 Prop Couch
96
Figure 57 Prop Barrel
97
Figure 58 Prop Tent Construction
98
Figure 59 Prop Car Mock Up
99
Figure 60 Prop Car Construction
100 Appendix D - Final Production Images
Figure 61 Act I Photo
101
Figure 62 Act I Photo
102
Figure 63 Act I Photo
103
Figure 64 Act II Photo
104
Figure 65 Act II Photo
105
Figure 66 Act II Photo
106
Figure 67 Act II Photo
107
Figure 68 Act II Photo
108
Figure 69 Act III Photo
109
Figure 70 Act III Photo
110
Figure 71 Act III Photo
111