Pippin
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Book by Roger O. Hirson
This production reimagined the story of Pippin through the lens of the modern media at the turn of the millennium. Through Scenery, we put the happening of the story in a live tv set. Except for Pippin, all of the characters know what “role” they are playing. The leading player breaks the fourth wall and pulls us into the fabricated 2000s era of glitz and glamour. Where the influence of media exposed so many young people to the realities surrounding war, sex, and corruption. Charlemagne’s war on religion resembles the violent conflicts of the era. Pippin’s struggles with self-discovery and purpose are shown through the idea of “celebrity” in the 2000s. here when the internet and social media were first emerging, one could get lost amidst the endless instant gratification and false information at our fingertips, as Pippin did in this story.
directed by Rebecca Murillo
scenic design by Me!
costume design by Elizabeth Clark
sound design by Jonathan Morrey
lighting design by Sin Reinhard
After speaking with the director and the rest of the creative team, we worked through the context of our time and place.
Through more research, I found some of the elements I wanted to incorporate. I was inspired by dance competition shows, talk shows, and music videos of the time.
I always start with a quick sketch to visually lay out my main elements. This is where I play with shapes and levels.
After those elements are decided we then go in and do a simple colored rendering. Drawing done by Karen Lau.
Drawing by Me
Photo by Jonathan Morrey
Before the deck was painted.
To make the deck look like a dance floor we used a high gloss to add the gloss.
On the platform and the step units we used multi-colored mylar flakes to add a sparkle to the platform.
For what we called the "ordinary life" we decided to create natural "grass" units that were modular and movable.
I found these wooden boxes that I arranged into 3 modular pieces that could be carried on and off by actors.
We created them using the same technique as you would to create a flower arrangement. We inserted pieces of foam to then attach the bunches of grass and wheat.
I wanted the base to look full so I created a soft pile of "dead grass" by layering different colored yarn.
photo by Emily Fujioka
photo by Emily Fujioka
We wanted the map to look as if Charlamagne drew it himself. It is also a reflection on the absurdity of the war he created.
This is what we came up with. Art done by Eliana Estevez
We needed a scenic piece that on one side was a map and it could be rolled around for the number War is a Science. Photo by Grayson DiNino
Our inspiration was initially the red string that tied all of it together.
This is the newspaper we created. It was an actual newspaper that we photoshopped. art done by Eliana Estevez
For the moment when Pippin is plotting to kill his father, on the other side of the peice the Director and I wanted to do a "murder board". Photo by Grayson DiNino
photos by Jonathan Morrey
photos by Jonathan Morrey
photos by Jonathan Morrey
photos by Jonathan Morrey
photos by Jonathan Morrey
photos by Jonathan Morrey