Another great production this fall at the University of New Haven…

This year’s design for “Cabaret” was ambitious. Seven doorways with doors on one side swinging out and curtains on the other. Two large staircases. Some fun softgoods and lighting practicals. And, oh yes, eleven orchestra members and actors singing and dancing full bore on a second level with nowhere for horizontal or diagonal cross-bracing on the lower floor (because of entrances and exits)! Did I mention the doors also had secret “window” panels that lowered?

Lastly, because of stock storage issues, everything on stage had to be built from scratch by student labor and then broken down to bare parts after the performance. It was a very interesting (and busy!) build but the show was really beautiful. This is one of my favorite Cabaret scenic designs, done by the talented Portia Elmer (Yale MFA). It was a lot of fun!