Lifestyle: Setting the scene key to theatre magic

MONSTER: Geoff Campbell being made up, complete with shaved head for the part - but it does grow back. Photo/Supplied

My work involves creating spaces for people to reflect their personalities and enhance their lifestyles.

I don't generally work with the trends but the era of the house to create something my clients will love for a long time and not feel the need to change as fashion changes. Sometimes it is about creating an illusion of visually warming a room on the colder side of the house or drawing a wall with colour to manipulate the shape of a room without shifting walls. It can be achieved with colour, texture, placement of furniture and so on.

Recently I have become involved in helping backstage with the local Wanganui Amdram Theatre production The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein, now playing in our grand old Royal Wanganui Opera House. It is based on the 1974 movie Young Frankenstein, which was written by Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder and directed by Brooks. The musical is a spoof of Universal Pictures horror films in the early 1930s, especially Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Son of Frankenstein in 1939. Jonathon Greenwell is musical director and the show is packed with some of my old favourite dance tunes from the Sunday movies I watched as a kid.

The scene is set mainly in Transylvania in 1934, so that alone sets the tone for dungeons, dark passages, stormy nights, dark shadowy figures and creepy sounds.

Intrigued? Imagine brightly coloured traditional costumes for the girls and guys to dance in, then classic styles from the 1930s for the leading lady Elizabeth (Shelley Walls), Dr Frankenstein (James Cockle) and other cast members, with a mix of black-and-white fabrics for high contrast - with a dash of red and of course green and white face paint adding colour to a subdued backdrop. The dialogue is witty, over the top at times and sometimes subtle, but very funny and I can't help but laugh from the wings, and that is without seeing the facial expressions from the key players especially Igor (Tim Davies).

Young Frankenstein has only a small cast of 15, with another 14 dancers and singers. The overall team numbers about 60, consisting of a combination of set design, construction, mechanical construction, lighting, props, wardrobe, hair, make-up, fly crew and stage crew. I'm sure I have missed out a vital section of the team, but everyone comes together to put this or any production on. The scene is set on the revolving stage and consists of many quick scene and costume changes. I love shows where the revolving stage is used because you get to see a hint of what happens behind the scenes as stage crew move about and rearrange or completely change the set. I think it makes you appreciated just how live theatre works. It is a complete experience rather than one of just sitting watching a recorded show.

I was first involved in Amdram in my late teens to early 20s for about three or four years, when I was involved with wardrobe. This time working behind the scenes helping with a bit of construction and painting had me even more intrigued with how it all works and I saw a totally different perspective of a show.

I've been to many shows and had never noticed the black trolleys (trucks) that the scenery gets transported on and is sometimes built on. Because the stage is black and the trucks are also black they go unnoticed. I saw "flats" for the first time, the huge framed canvases that form the walls of a building, boat or a backdrop all stacked neatly ready for use again or to be reinvented.

We are lucky enough to have working at the Opera House Doug Simpson, who trained as a traditional scenic artist. Doug has worked extensively in amateur and professional theatres creating scenery or buildings for shows. I didn't realise just how big the flats were until I stood next to them. They are basically huge canvas stretched over frames and hinged together. Some are freestanding but for Young Frankenstein all are on trucks and become standalone pieces or form part of a room or village scene. It was interesting to see the transformation from a bare flat to a stone wall or a ship or railway station.

To get the full picture you need to stand back and see the full canvas, they are so large it is hard to see what the image is about at close quarters. One of my favourite walls is the bookcase wall, which is a flat wall with the illusion of a built-in bookcase. It is actually wallpaper but on either side of the bookcase there are real bookcases with candlesticks and holders screwed to the wall. The books are part of the useable props and removed from the shelf. From a distance, it actually looks like a large bookcase with individual books. But it is just an illusion and I love it.

I love the laboratory wall as well. This is on a large truck with another set on the other side, maybe the ship scene, so when it is turned around you are in a completely different scene. The laboratory scene the actors enter at a higher level and step down a staircase on to the stage. The ship scene is reversed, stepping up on to the ship. The illusion in the laboratory is a large stone wall but it is actually individual flats fixed together to form one piece. Once the scenery had been applied, you are none the wiser. The artwork is clever and effective. To fully understand, you really need to see the show, I'm sure you won't be disappointed as it is fast moving and fun. Our next show is tonight, with a matinee on Sunday and shows throughout the week, with final night on the July 26. To the cast and crew, it is pure pleasure to be involved with you all. Enjoy.

I am available for speaking engagements for small groups or larger organisations or if you would like to make an appointment for a consultation or have a query about product discussed you can contact me on 027 602 3298 or terry@terrylobb.com or like me on Facebook.

Terry Lobb is an interior/kitchen designer and personal colour and style consultant who takes a holistic approach to living with colour, texture and style.