An artistic licence to thrill

Phil Somerville explains the set he designed for Centre Stage Taupō's production of Rent. Photo / Milly Fullick

Phil Somerville has been a busy man over the last few weeks.

Alongside his work at Sign Lab on Runanga Street and raising his young family, Phil has been called on to design the set for Centre Stage Taupō's new production of Rent.

"Normally I'm on the stage, because I'm a performer as well," says Phil.

Having designed the set for the production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Great Lakes Centre in 2018 - for which he was also in the ensemble - he was a natural choice to call upon again.

This time, the design allowed for some more artistic licence.

"I got to go a bit nuts on this one ... a lot more flair".

Audiences will notice that the set both establishes the location and gives clues about the time period that the piece is set in.

"As soon as you see it, you know when it is."

Anyone who appreciates the cleverness of Phil's work will soon have another chance to see him in action as he gears up for Graffiato.

The street art festival is returning for its 12th instalment this Labour Weekend, with artists from across the North Island converging to create murals across the Taupō CBD.

This will be the first Graffiato for the local artist, as well as his first mural, so naturally, he's carefully planned his artwork.

Deciding what to do was really hard.

"When I have so much possibility in front of me, I often can't decide."

He settled on something "quite simple" for his debut piece, but has considered factors like the location and aspect of his assigned wall.

The intention is to create something that "hopefully people will get a kick out of as they drive past".

Phil will be in good company; the lineup of 13 artists includes fellow Taupō resident Tāne Lawless, who is returning for an amazing seventh Graffiato.

The artists will transform 10 locations around town.

Alice Thompson, project co-ordinator at Towncentre Taupō, says that as well as making Taupō more visually appealing, it's "a really great opportunity for young artists to learn".

As a local, Graffiato holds a special place in Phil's heart.

"The whole reason I got involved with Graffiato is because I had to. I looked around and I saw all this amazing art just beautifying the place."

Alice agrees that Graffiato has a transformative effect on the town.

"I walk around town with very different eyes - I'm always looking for dirty old walls!"