Hey guys! Just thought I’d chip in a little bit to the conversation. As a set painter, I’m not part of the cast (unfortunately my acting skills are negligible), but I’ve been working hard with the other set painters, designers, and builders to make the Reynolds stage ready for action. For the past week or so, we’ve been priming, painting, and moving each beam onto the set–much easier said than done! The set, although it isn’t meant to be the center of attention during the show (that’s your job!), nevertheless plays a huge role in really bringing the scenes to life and taking the audience back to the time in which Ragtime is set. Since the audience focuses mainly on the actors on stage during the show, it’s not until one actually works on the construction and design of the set that one realizes how much work goes into it, and how many little parts are individually involved! Painting one I-beam took Sonya and I a half an hour to paint and to get the coloring just right, and the fact that there are dozens upon dozens of square feet of set to be painted makes the task seem daunting. However, the image of the completed set remains in our minds (and on the walls) as we paint and look forward to the upcoming performance. In my opinion, the older-looking, worn, and faded appearance that we are trying to achieve of many parts of the set will really give the scenes some character, and help portray some of the worn-out and flawed, yet at the same time beautiful and full of character, aspects and themes present within society and the people in New Rochelle. Although our wrists, forearms, backs and necks ache from repeated scrubbing, rolling, and dabbing motions, we hope that the set will look as great to the actors and audience as it does right now in our minds and in bits and pieces within the design shop!