George Hamrah – Analog Artist Digital World

The Orlando Shakes will present Intimate Apparel by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage from October 27 to November 20, 2021.

Set during the turn of the twentieth century, the drama, deftly weaves together a story that explores the complexities of identity, vulnerability, and human resilience. Sewing exquisite lingerie gives Esther, an African American seamstress, an intimate look at the love lives of her diverse clientele, but leaves her yearning for a romance of her own. When a letter arrives from a stranger, she embarks on a journey to build the life she’s longed for.

In my first sketch for the show poster, I identified with the seamstress as a creator. She had a family heirloom which was an intricate quilt. In the Disney animated short John Henry a quilt was used to introduce the characters and begin to tell the story so my thoughts wandered in that direction. I fell in love with painting her at her turn of the century sewing machine.

The cursive type I chose was a bit hard to read from a distance and though the seamstress was intimately involved in her craft the image was somber.

My second sketch was more on the mark being an intimate portrait of the creator fitting her clientele. This image had the added benefit of having some sex appeal. These two woman would talk during the fittings and the friendship became one they both relied on.

The cursive type remained the same so I turned my attention to refining that on the next pass. I tried variations with a needle and bobbin. The type became more delicate and also more bold so it could be read from a distance. I also needed to make the author’s name bigger which would require a few adjustments. I was getting close. Though everyone seemed happy with the staging of the scene, I felt the need to tinker. There had to be a way of posing the tow characters to expose the fact that they were close but also a bit separate. They could be friends, but not close friends. The client could not invite her seamstress out to the theater for instance.

I decided to turn the client from the audience a bit to show the laces on the back of the corset. This made more sense with the position of the character to the mirror but it detracted from an intimacy with the viewer. I went back to the frontal view for the final image and worked on reposing the seamstress’s reflection in the mirror. Pam and her niece posed to help me figure out what the pose would look like reversed in a mirror.

Jean-Édouard Vuillard is a french artist that I love. He lived from 1868 to 1940. His painting inspired what I tried to do in painting the parlor interior. He used subtle greyed colors with bright notes of color in the lights.

Anyway, I identified with the creative journey of this seamstress as she embraced hopes of a future only to find those hopes were hung on an illusion. Despite this she could return to her creative endeavors which offered meaning when love was elusive.

Director: Shonn McCloud
Scenic and Lighting Designer: Stephen Jones
Costume Designer: Dana Rebecca Woods
Sound Designer: Britt Sandusky
Intimacy Coordinator: KJ Gilmer
Dialect Coach: Vivian Majkowski
AEA Stage Manager: George Hamrah
Production Assistant: Nahaira Morales

The cast includes, Lilian Oben as Esther, Trenell Mooring as Mrs. Dickson, Laurel Hatfield as Mrs. Van Buren, Adam T. Biner as Mr. Marks, Martine Fleurisma as Mayme, and Chris Lindsay as George.

The Shakes requires all patrons to bring a vaccination card or proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test for admission. Masks are required for all audience members. All Shakes actors and staff are fully vaccinated. The theater provides a special section in the upper mezzanine for patrons who wish to be distanced from other parties due to COVID-19. When purchasing, seats for this section is indicated in bright red. I vastly appreciate their consideration, and it is there in the Phantom’s upper section that I sit to sketch.

I had a blast designing posters for this season’s shows at The Orlando Shakes (812 E Rollins Street Orlando, FL 32803). The first show now on stage is Every Brilliant thing by Duncan MacMillan with Jonny Donahoe. The show stars Suzanne O’Donnell as the narrator.

Laughter is the antidote to all things. When mom is depressed, a young child sets out to assemble a list of all the things that make life wonderful. From “ice cream” to “sunshine” to “laughing so hard milk shoots out your nose”. The list grows as the child progresses from adolescence to adulthood. Told in collaboration with the audience, this uplifting story explores resilience, and the lengths we will go for those we love.

The creative team consists of, Director: Anne Hering
Scenic Designer: Kurt Bippert
Lighting Designer: Delonte Smith
Sound Designer: Britt Sandusky
AEA Stage Manager: George Hamrah*
AEA Assistant Stage Manager: Anne Hering*

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association

The Shakes will require proof of vaccination or a negative test result for audience members. This brave move puts my mind at rest. They are also providing a special section in the upper mezzanine for patrons who wish to be distanced from other parties. When purchasing, seats for this section are indicated in bright red.

The poster underwent a series of adjustments and explorations and I will share the sketches leading up to the final version shown above.

The first version consisted of colorful post it notes being covered with children’s drawings. I loved the idea of a large children’s drawing of the sun being the idea that encircles the title. The child’s hands drawing gave off the vibe that the show might be for children. It needed a touch of darkness to balance the light. The child’s hands had to go.

The next ides as to show the mom and to paint her in black and white to contrast the colorful sun and post it notes. I planted a post it right over her face, as if to protect her identity. Part of the challenge is that we did not know who would be playing the lead roll in the production yet. We were not sure of the lead would be male of female. I liked the notion of portraying the mom but anyone who does not know the show would likely think the person portrayed was the lead actor. That presented a new challenge.

Next I made it clear the yellow post its were falling from the sky with the children’s drawings on them. I removed the post it not covering the mom’s face and had to lean her head back in such a way that it would be difficult to tel if the person portrayed was female or male. I failed. she clearly looks female. I would have to try another tack.

Since the show was running in September and October I decided to try changing the vibrant sky to a view of fall foliage with the post its falling like leaves. A thicker fall coat and scarf might help further make the sex of the character less obvious. I tilted the head even further back to dance on the end of the pin. The fall scene however evoked a bit of menace that I didn’t intent. Since the first production of the play had a male actor in the lead roll we decided I should do a version with a man where I wasn’t tilting the head back as much.

So this version with the man shouting for joy was considered to be the best option at the time. I did an earlier version where he had closed fists but that was interpreted as showing hints of protest rather than joy. For me this worked because the face was clearly visible and his joy radiated from his expression. Months passed and then I heard that Suzanne O’Donnell was cast in the lead roll. We decided to have her pose in the same way and she was worked onto the poster at the last moment before marketing began for the season. I turned that painting around in one day but it was so worth it. Her expression exuded a pure serine joy that was truly needed.

I can’t wait to see the show. I will be sketching from the socially distanced seats but I am so happy the Shakes is bringing live theater back to Orlando responsibly. Hopefully others fill follow in their footsteps.