Good Evening.
Time for some catch up. I know I said last time I would add a sewing project, it will have to wait.
The plate has been full the last month, I opened two shows and closed one.
The first show was Guys and Dolls at Berkeley Playhouse. It runs through the 30th and tickets are available here for the remainder of the run. It’s a fun show, and especially great for families. Not much in the way of props, though I did get to design a replica ribbon mic, and it looks pretty great, pics to come soon.
The second was a re-mount of The Sound of Music for Napa Valley College. You can purchase tickets here.
Two great all-ages shows.
So here’s the news, tomorrow (technically today) I’m going to an event for women in theatre in SF called “Yeah I Said Feminist,” A Theatre Salon. It’s a speed-dating networking event to bring together female theater makers.
Super cool, right? So because it’s on my mind, I’m going to give my thoughts on why I make theatre, and what excites me as an artist. So here’s my top five. It contains what I love and what I would love to do. So here goes.
1) Collaboration.
When I teach I work mostly with my long-time collaborator Marilet Martinez. (She is a fantastic actress who is currently on tour in France!) When we teach, Marilet works to improve the kids’ acting skills and characters. I teach them how to make props or costume pieces. We both direct. The amazing thing is that both of our sensibilities are so different, and yet, because of these differences our students get a better grasp on what it’s like to work in a professional collaborative environment, how to support your artistic team, how to respectfully disagree, and how to build on the ideas of your partner.
2) Creative Challenges
Wether it’s procuring a late 19th century hair curler or creating an artificial limb, each production has it’s own creative challenges. Sometimes finishing a project means learning a new skill, carpentry, mold-making, soldering, crochet, ect. Or sometimes a creative project involves using materials in different ways, like making rubber worms from mold material or converting gutter covers into a dummy microphone. I love looking at materials in new and different ways, which sometimes gets me a perplexed look and then nods from shop owners, but it’s so fun.
3) Work With Friends
Do you know how working with someone a long time sometimes makes them become in-tune with you? That familiarity that allows you to see their strengths, or skills that maybe they don’t use every day? I recently assisted my friend Yuko Takeda who was translating a Japanese manuscript into English. The first thing to know is that I don’t speak Japanese. What I did was proofread and work with her on the flow of the language, to make it more accessible to native English speakers. It was not something I had ever imagined doing, but working with my friend made this project great,
4) Teaching
My ideal class would be: bringing a bunch of art materials into a room, giving my students a problem and having them solve it through creating a visual piece of art. Examples: create a sculpture that would prevent your cereal from getting soggy, or a costume piece that can fold up into a small bag, or a mask that you can hide on your person… and see what they come up with on their own. I would be there to help with technique questions but sometimes just feeling the material and seeing how it moves or how it joins with other materials is a great way to learn.
I teach a summer camp with second graders where we listen to music, move around, create our own planets and make the creatures that live on those planets. The kids then bring their parents on a journey through the universe. What’s great about it is that I give them materials and they make everything, it’s a completely kid-generated play.
5) My Wish For the Future
I have been a Props Artisan for several years now and I love it. As I continue to develop as a visual artist, I am learning that the community I am a part of sees me this way. That’s awesome! I am thankful for every opportunity that comes my way.
I hope that in the future I can collaborate with members of my community in many different ways be it as a Props Artisan, Dramaturg, Teacher, Writer or any role where my energies fit the collaboration.
And finally, since this is my props blog… I recently got some business cards printed. Take a look!
Mad Props,
-Devon
Give Her Props 