West Linn High School Performing Arts Dept.

Kiss Me, Kate

Set and Lighting Design by Jon Ares.

Fall 2012.

Directed and choreographed by Jessica Middleton Murray. Costume Design by Annie Kaiser.
Vocal Direction by Barbara Fontana, Orchestra Directed by Kevin Egan. Sound Design by Corbin Wescott.

This show has three major environments: the “backstage” of the theatre “Taming of the Shrew” is performing in; the dressing rooms of the two leads; and the actual “Shrew” production.

In a theatre with limited wing space (such as West Linn’s), it becomes a challenge to change over from the “backstage” to a blank stage, big enough for the cast/chorus of “Shrew” to do their production. The solution was to make the backstage area as far upstage as possible, make the two dressing rooms part of that set, and move it down stage for those scenes.

When we’re on stage for “Shrew,” all the “backstage” is behind a rented drop. (We chose to place our “Shrew” in Tuscany, because we love the colors associated with that region.)