1. What do you enjoy most when contributing your talents to stage productions? 

Anne Willingham: There is a moment of magic in the production process.  After months of design meetings and weeks of rehearsal, there is a point when it all comes together. There is a moment when all of the elements meld and you have a show. Sure you might have to tweak things, repair this or change that. But it goes from being a mishmash of personalities and ideas to being a single entity. You quit seeing the parts and get pulled into the whole.  It becomes alive. That moment is an intoxicating rush.  All of the headaches and late hours fade away. You get drawn into this world you have created and you believe fully. What a great thing to be a part of that!

Billy Ditty: Many things. I like seeing the actors eyes glow when I’m able to bring the final puzzle piece to the character they might not have expected, but needed. I also enjoy when ordinary citizens (not other creatives) find a subtle connection between a character and their clothes.

2. Is balance between the various elements of a production the most important aspect of stage artists’ collaborations?

AW: Certainly if the production elements aren’t balanced the show suffers.  There is a tension onstage when the production elements are independent of each other.  The audience might not be able to say, “Hmmmm, the lighting and the scenery/costumes don’t seem to mesh,” but they will certainly know that something is off.  It will be visually uncomfortable.

From a lighting standpoint, the balance is important just to make it work.  If I have not communicated with the costumer, my color choices might ruin the costume color palette.  If the set designer and I have not played sweetly, it might be physically impossible to light the stage appropriately.  And it is completely possible for my lighting design to visually eliminate elements of the set.  The collaboration is essential.

The best part of working with other designers is the ability to feed off of each other.  With the best productions there is a lot of give and take in design meetings.  The set designer might say something that sparks the costumer’s imagination which in turn creates an element the lighting designer can play with.  The director is there to guide the process down the right path and to maintain the overall picture.  With the best of collaborations there is an excitement about the whole visual package.  The process is great fun!

BD: One of the most important aspects of stage artists’ collaborations to me is knowing when to push your area to the front and when to hold your area to the background. The give and take. Of course every artist wants their work to be strong the whole play, but there are times when it’s important to see the actor and not notice the clothes, set, lights, etc. I also think sometimes think the “stuff” can be the focus that manipulates the actor, and the audiences focus. The director is ultimately the conductor.

3. What is the difference for your work in doing a show outdoors as opposed to indoors?

AW: Working outside is somewhat limiting.  Obviously nature factors in.  Inside a theatre I can usually go to complete dark.  For Coriolanus dark is a moving target.  During techs it was getting dark around intermission.  By the end of the run it will be getting dark sooner, so there was some guessing about appropriate light levels. You can’t see the theatrical lighting when the sun is out.  It kind of kills the subtlety and art.

In addition, the park facility is limiting.  Inside a theatre there are lighting positions everywhere- above the stage, behind the stage, to the front and to the sides.  There are usually lots of places to plug things in.  The park has limited power and few places to hang the equipment.  You have to get creative with what you have and be willing to let go of certain looks you might want.  You have to balance what could be with what is physically possible.  There is some creative frustration involved!

Another factor in the park is that much of the lighting equipment must be put away every night.  When I work inside a theatre I know that the lights will maintain a focus.  They don’t move around a lot.  In the park the lights get bounced and jostled as they are re-installed nightly.  You just never know if things will be aimed correctly from night to night.  More creative frustration!

BD: The process is the same - make everything useable for the environment.

4. Does Shakespeare in general present different challenges from the other stage projects you’ve been involved in?

AW: I love doing Shakespeare!  I love that the language is strong enough to allow you to mess around with the environment.  I love that people in 2008 can understand and enjoy a work created hundreds of years ago.  In our present culture of “15 minutes of fame”, the endurance of Shakespeare’s works is phenomenal.

The real challenge of Shakespeare is for the director.  As a designer I simply go along with the directorial concept and work to support it.  That is no different from any other stage project.  The director, however, must create a world that is plausible and acceptable to a modern audience, while not compromising the integrity of the play.  Thankfully that is not my challenge!

BD: No. The challenges are surprisingly similar for most types of plays. In overly simple terms, the actors need clothes that help them tell a story that fits the director’s vision.

5. What are some of the specific things you’re doing in concert with Mark Cabus and the rest of the production team to bring this version of CORIOLANUS to fruition?

AW: A production is only successful if the director has a strong vision of the final product.  The director’s job is to herd the rest of us down the chosen path.  It’s a tricky and delicate job to be sure, as you have to deal with artistic types and wildly creative folks.  I imagine it is often like herding cats.  Not only do you have to get them where you want them, but it must also seem like their idea as well.  Indeed, we are a temperamental lot!

This play is successful because Mark came into the process with clear ideas.  He created a framework for us from the very beginning and then allowed us to play with it.  Mark has juggled our ideas and thoughts and still maintained the integrity of his initial vision.  His guidance has allowed all of us, production team and actors alike, the freedom to expand and explore and create.  The final product is stronger for it.  This obscure tragedy has morphed into a beautiful, powerful piece with contemporary relevance.  It has been a great experience.

BD: I think we have all worked hard to not pinpoint a specific date in time by mixing periods in a subtle way. Also, showing a society rebuilding itself by using incomplete parts and pieces was a specific choice.

Below are some costume renderings by Billy Ditty: