I was quite surprised to see someone run in from the shop with a sledgehammer and start smashing up wooden blocks on the set about twenty minutes after the final performance ended. The complete discord and chaos of striking the set provided a stark contrast to Sonya’s usual quiet and controlled procedure within the shop. Construction generally necessitates an intricate plan of action, organized control, and a refinement of sorts. Conversely, destruction can usually be achieved with the brute application of force. Working on the set made me reflect on this law of an expanding universe, of order/chaos and entropy.

Another neat thing about Sonya’s work is her ability to take props and make them look old – to throw on a few layers of rustic paint and thereby furnish them with a unique antiquity. I remember her taking out the lanterns from the prop closet at the end of rehearsal one evening and bringing them back the next day looking like a year’s worth of rust had organically collected upon them. This contributed to the intricacy and detail of the set as a whole. The attention to detail from the production side was admirable.

I have some minimal experience with construction and woodwork, but the notion of building a set with multiple levels goes way over my head. David and the shop workers were skilled in this regard and worked really well with their hands, and I’d like to learn more from them in the future about how to build stuff in general. I believe that helping in the shop goes beyond being able to say that “I helped build that,” or “I painted that.” I think it imparts upon the cast a sense of ownership and responsibility, and creates a more collaborative atmosphere for everyone to work and perform in.

From,

Reddy
#teamsonya