Meet Your Designers

Scotto Moore and Opal Peachy in the midst of very important design discussions.

The designers of 14/48 make the sets, props and costumes if they don't beg, borrow or steal them from someone else's theater storage. What they pull together in one day's time is amazing, especially if you hear some of what directors can request. And they need it NOW. Ahem.. please. Sometimes their set pieces looks like they could've taken a week to make. Sometimes all it takes is just a hint to give you the needed impression of the locale so you know where the play is set. And it all works. They really have one of the hardest jobs.

The Kamikaze team is made up of Samie Detzer, Paul Mullin, Opal Peachy, and Scotto Moore. Their veteran design advisors are Michael Mowery and Gary Menendez, both of whom are formidable in what they can create in a short amount of time.

I ask the crew how they're doing. Opal responds, "We're using a lot of gaff tape. This is what you get when you have actors on the design team." I think everyone was prepared for that.

Samie submitted the winning theme of the night, For the Love of the Game. This is her third 14/48. First time as a designer. She tells me there's two of them on each team trying to help each other do everything and each team has three or four plays. Paul is mostly doing the sets and props on his team. He comes over. "Although I'm here for you now. I'm helpful! If the blogger's here, I'm helpful!" he says jokingly.

Currently Samie's working on costumes for Ben McFadden's play, One-Second Rule. She's making colored felt circles and I can't tell at all what they'll be for, but I can't wait to find out.

Opal is working on play #7 written by David-Anthony Lewis. She likes the play a lot. "He did a great job." She's making mock parachutes and asks if the one she's modeling looks like one. I ask how the day's gone for them all and it sounds positive. Opal says, "Although Paul is the closet larper because he was the only one who knows what 'boffing' is." They don't explain and I don't ask. I mean, really, do I want to know? He says, "I thought I knew what it was. Apparently, I've been doing it wrong all these years." She adds, "And it's too bad Truman wasn't around to see the short shorts Basil had on. I still think they should've gone with those."

Oh that is too bad. Everyone would've like to have seen that picture. 

There's only one runner for these guys getting materials from the outside world. Another volunteer had car troubles and has to go on for another actor in another show tonight. Eesh. Tough day.

Scotto has been helping Opal on the three shows they've been teaming up on. He points out that Gary is making the best thing ever. Mik Kuhlman will be chained to a gate door of sorts. This thing is kind of enormous and clearly there was a saw involved and everything. You don't want actors using saws. That's just an accident waiting to happen.

Ok.. I've missed most of tech and for now, that might have to be ok. This is post 12 for the day and this solo blogger requires chocolate.. and maybe some caffeine. Props to Truman for his great pics! I have more and will post soon!