Hansel and Gretel.
An Opera presented by the Western Australian Academy of Performing Art
Director: Thomas De Mallet Burges
Venue: Geoff Gibbs Theatre
Stages of Gluttony…
The concept for this production was a modern representation of gluttony. The design idea came from a junkyard or tip being the ultimate image of waste, excess and want over need.
We decided to have only set pieces move on the spot with nothing going on and off stage so the space could be filled with junk and the characters could journey through the space with different sections having specific requirements.
Set design
This set consisted of many detailed elements and moving parts including 8 large light boxes, five spinning “carwash” poles, a catwalk platform made up of a mishmash of shapes, steps and slopes, a trap door in the platform and a BBQ that could have a person pushed into, fridges with TVs and LED light strips inside to light up coloured bottles, multiple working lamps on stage and an animatronic bird.
This put to test all of my design, set dressing, technical and communication skills. It was a very hands on process as I was involved with individually picking junk items off verge collections, from junkyards and from the tip. I also positioned these items on stage myself and ensure all was secured so it was safe for the performers.
