Design Focus: Makeup

We have a lofty visual design goal: we want our characters to look like statues that have come to life to tell this story. Our makeup designer, Sam Brandys, has some creative ideas on how to make this happen.

Each character will get a coating of adhesive and oatmeal (at this point, most likely) to frame the face and outline major features - cheek bones, eyebrows, jaw lines, etc. We will simulate age by adding "age lines" with the stone effect, highlighting smile lines, eyebrow furrows, and the like. Each character will also have a specific color of shadow around the eye to simulate a kind of marble, gem, or stone. Because of the Chorus's unique position in the show, we plan to have the Chorus in full stone face.

Antigone

Antigone's makeup will be shades of blue. This will probably be closest in color to the set, and represents Tragedy.













Ismene

Ismene's color will be green. Antigone starts the show wearing Ismene's beautiful green dress. Green also represents purity and innocence.











Eurydice

Eurydice will have dark colors around her eyes, probably similar in color to the stone work. She is one of the oldest characters, and will have stone work around the eyes, mouth, and forehead to represent age.











Nurse

The Nurse is Antigone and Ismene's primary caregiver. Her makeup will be motherly and natural - reds and browns, and possibly gold.













Page

The Page, Creon's servant, is the youngest character in the play. Makeup will reflect flesh tones in the midst of very minimal stone work.













Chorus

The Chorus, our trusty narrator and guide through the world of the play, will closely represent an antique statue. She will have full stone face, with highlights and low lights in the stone work as to avoid washing out features.









Stone Work Template - Age

Older characters, like Creon, Eurydice, and the Nurse, will have more "intricate" stone work, as if the stone from whence they came is taking over the body.












Stone Work Template - Youth

Younger characters, like Antigone, the Page, Ismene, and the Messenger, will have less stone work, and brighter colors around the eyes.

Production Meeting: Set Design

I met with my Art Director Monica Verdouw, Technical Director Craig Burton, and Makeup Designer Sam Brandys at the Garfield Park Arts Center to walk through the space and get a feel for the size and shape of the set for the production. I would have to say the meeting was a great success! We have a pretty clear idea of how the set will sit, and an idea of the construction materials necessary.

The stage will sit unevenly with a large platform either far upstage right or far upstage left. Shorter platforms of about the same dimensions will fan outward to form a shallow spiral. Since the characters will be presented as living statues, we have an initial idea of having pedestals on which they can stand at various points in the show. The podiums will also become other set pieces - chairs, stools, a table, etc. - as necessary. There will be three entrances onto the stage - up stage center onto the largest platform, and stage right and stage left through thin veils supported in arches. The back of the stage will be masked with standard flats reaching from the farthest outside entrances. The plan now is to depict through images the story of the previous two plays (Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus) on the back masking flats on either side of the up stage center entrance.

The company has most of the lumber materials to build the platforms, and the flats were previously used for our production of The Matchmaker. They will be easy to modify to fit the needs of Antigone.

Below are some of Monica's sketches concerning the design of the set - a page of images reflecting a Classical style, a page of images reflecting a Modern style, and a sketch of a first draft of the stage described above.

 

Visual Update: Audition Flier

Behold! A flier for our auditions! Artwork by Monica Verdouw.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me at BurtonChristopherA@gmail.com.

Announcement: Audition Dates

Hello all!

We have recieved confirmation for our audition dates. We will hold auditions on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 7th and 8th, from 6pm - 8:45pm in the main gallery at the Garfield Park Arts Center. There will be a tentative callback on an as-needed basis on Thursday, January 9th from 6pm - 8:45pm at the same location.

Interested actors do not need to prepare a monologue, but should be prepared to read scenes from the script in a group setting. The Garfield Shakespeare Company seeks to emphasize the importance of developing an ensemble, and a open and engaged audition is the first step in that process. Be prepared to move, experiement with the text, and try new things.

Our Art Director is working on some pretty gorgeous fliers to announce the auditions which I will upload soon.