Poster Evolution: Christmas Carol Final

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This is the final version of the poster. The actress for the Ghost of Christmas Past was changed and some new faces were added to the cast dancing in the background. Other than that everything remained the same with the blue glow, lens flairs and general festive spirit.

This poster n part helped inspire the poster for my film with the old wooden floors and spotlight effect. Each poster I do helps inspire the next.

I have experienced A Christmas Carol several times in past years at the Shakes and I am always impressed with the high production values.

One of Orlando’s favorite holiday traditions! The miserly and miserable Ebenezer Scrooge greets each Christmas with a “bah humbug,” until he is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Witness the classic, heartwarming story of Orlando Shakes’ holiday tradition, in a magical and musical spectacle for the whole family.

A Christmas Carol is a holiday story with an uplifting theme of generosity toward others. It is most appropriate for 3rd graders and up.

Poster Evolution: Christmas Carol 2

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Strange that the Photoshop crop tool stopped working this morning. I use that tool every day of the week but now it is no longer an option. Adobe products sure are glitchy.

For the second pass at the Christmas Carol poster, I decided that Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past could dance but they would be ethereal and invisible to the others dancing. Just because you cant be seen doesn’t mean you cant celebrate.

To make them stand out from the crowd I painted them blue with a glowing aura.

The only change that still needed to be added was to replace the Ghost of Christmas past with the actual actress that might play the roll. One aspect of the poster that most probably don’t realize is that the couple behind Scrooge and the ghost as the young Scrooge and his lovely girlfriend.

Christmas Carol is playing at the Shakespeare Center through December 24, 2023.

Poster Evolution: Christmas Carol 1

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Last year the Orlando Shakes reused the Christmas Carol poster I had created the year prior. That decision makes perfect sense since people are used to the image and might want to return to see the show again with the whole family. The image for that poster had Scrooge holding up Tiny Tim among a cheering crowd. The positive image resonated.

The decision was made to create a new poster image with the same positive energy. The other scene in the play that is the most vibrant is the dance scene with the Fezziwigs. As I remember the scene, Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past observe the dancing from a distance. I decided that for this poster Scrooge would need to dance. In this image he is dancing with Mrs. Fezziwig. Granted this might not happen in the play, but it was the positive vibe that we were looking for.

As often happens with the posters, the issue becomes and uncertainty of who might be playing the role. Jim Helsinger suspected however that the actress who played Christmas past would be returning to the show. We decided to put her in place of Mrs Fezziwig.

With this first pass of the poster I was the most pleased with the golden treatment I did for the title. Christmas Carol runs through December 24, 2023.

Comedy of Errors: Poster Evolution 3

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The final version of the Comedy of Errors Poster involved removing the winged lady or just clipping her wings, and adding more parade revelers. One of the twins was removed, and the whole focus became the parade. I added sparks falling from the sky as if from fireworks.

The third pass at the title treatment worked best. It was hand drawn for added control over the letters. Copying some letters saved time. Thank goodness there were so many Es and Rs.

I learned quite a bit about using elements from one poster and adding new elements as the poster evolved. Each character was kept on their own layer in case they b=needed to be moved. People were indeed moved multiple times to fill out the scene.

This might not be the final pass a the poster but it was the one I could locate on my hard drive. I just noticed I had already signed the original poster. I threw another signature on this post since it is kind of a habit.

Comedy of Errors: Poster Evolution 1

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With the first pass at A Comedy of Errors poster for the Shakes, I played with twins imagery. The show is set in New Orleans during Mardi Grass so masks and vibrant colors were incorporated. I used an abstract peacock imagery as a backdrop which was also symmetrical.

It was decided that the twins imagery wasn’t needed. What did stand out was the hint of a Mardi Gras parade in the background. The parade was to be the focus.

Comedy of Errors was performed at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater from September 6 to October 1, 2023. Since I have been so focused on my film, I didn’t get to the theater to sketch. Photos I saw on Facebook clued me in to the fact that I was missing a fun time.

Apologies to Lorraine Hansberry

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With the film wrapping up, I am realizing there are many images I have not shared here yet. I wanted to back up some files into the portfolio section but this first image could not be found on this site. I will share the evolution process for this poster over the net few days. This is the final version of the poster. The director of the play sent me some magnificent reference material that sent me in this direction.

In wandering Times Square when I lived in NYC, I used to sketch the intricate patterns created by layers of theater posters being ripped off of the billboards. I can’t imagine any other artist has ever paused in Times Square and sketched these patterns while the crowds rushed past. I used that sort of abstract layering of posers for the background for the final poster. I felt it gave the urban vine I needed.

I did get to sketch the play itself and I am glad I did because I fell in love with the cast and the message of perseverance they all shared. As an artist I identified with their strength of spirit. Seeing the play inspired me to keep pressing forward.

Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill: Poster Evolution

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This was my favorite painted version of the poster for the Orlando Shakespeare Center. Lady Day stood in a strong spotlight that broke her into an abstraction of lights and darks. Pinks and blues work together like bold puzzle pieces. The bottle on the table stands as erect and proud as the singer herself.

For the final poster however I needed to move in closer to the singer. Tymisha Harris was likely to be cast in the roll but that had not been established yet. I danced a line between making the singer look like Lady Day and Tymisha. I did like the chance to rework the microphone adding it metallic sheen.

Performances continue through March 5, 2023. I will be sketching a performance next week and I can’t wait.

Noises Off

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I got in to sketch a performance of Noises Off at the Orlando Shakes (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL). Pam requested tickets a the back of the theater house right so that the glow of my iPad wouldn’t be noticed by anyone in the audience. We had a guest from France so this was her chance to see what Orlando culture was all about. I was a little concerned when someone sat right behind me. As it turned out that was the actor who plays the director in the show. Withing minutes of the show opening he was shouting at the top of his lungs to stop the action on stage. In this regard we were actually in the best seats in the house.

To say the show is fast paced an hilarious is an understatement. The stakes are high because this is a final dress rehearsal and none of the actors are 100 percent sure of their parts. The polite yet condescending conversations between the cast and the director hit the mark. The show at all time was a run away train of hilarity. Nothing went to plan and if something could go wrong it did go wrong. That my friends is theater in a nut shell.

The second act was set back stage. The entire set is on coasters and the stage hands rotated all the elements as the audience was in the lobby getting drinks. They kept the inner working of the set swap somewhat secret before the second act but they kept the curtain up so everyone could see the magic for the final act.

While I was working on the poster for the show, Someone mentioned that there was no plan to have a curtain. I painted a red curtain on the poster regardless and sure enough there was a red curtain in the show. Life imitates art imitating art.

Noises Off ran through September 25, 2022. So if you missed the show, you missed an amazing hilarious night of theater.

 

Poster Evolution: Noises Off

Posted on by Thor

Noises Off by Michael Frayn will run at the Orlando Shakespeare Center from September 7-25, 2022.

One of the funniest plays ever written, this hysterical play-within-a-play is filled with screwball antics, prat-falls and sight gags. A professional theater director must prevent his half-baked actors and an overworked crew from sabotaging his production with their off-stage shenanigans – and on-stage bedlam! This side-splitting comedy proves the adage – The show must go on!

I watched a movie,  based on the play to get a feeling for the show before I started work on the poster. Every scene is incredibly fast moving with doors slamming off stage and on stage. I became intrigued by a scene in which a beautiful woman looses hr contacts and the actors all struggle to find in on stage. It is a very meta moment in which life and art combine in a hilarious moment.

My first pass at the poster was of the curtain falling on that scene as the actors struggle to find the contact lens. Granted the Shakes will likely not have a curtain in the Margeson Theater, but it offered me an opportunity to show the chaos of the scene as just a thin slice. It leaves much to the imagination. The notes were pretty straight forward and make sense, “More legs, less curtain.” That in itself could be a guiding principle of any theater production.

I always do two sketches of each poster to make sure I am exploring different options. I had heard that there might be a spinning stage that shows back stage as well an the forward facing stage set. I wanted to explore a back stage scene that faces out towards the audience. One of the actors has a drinking problem and to keep the production moving forward, the cast has to hide his bottle. There is an upper balcony on the set with multiple doors, so back stage these would have to be a staircase to get the actors up to those imagined and never seen rooms. The problem with this poster is that the show had not been cast yet.

The final poster was a simple revise of my first concept. I had to get rid of a few actors legs but the idea certainly holds up with everything bigger, larger and better. I am excited to see the show. Several of the actors I have seen in other productions and they are absolutely hilarious. Tickets range from $26.25 to $36.76

Beauty and the Beast: Poster Evolution

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Beauty and the Beast opened at the Orlando Shakes on June 23, 2022. This show isn’t based on the Disney version of the fairy tale but on the original book. In this tale the relationship between the sisters becomes as important as the relationship between the Beast and Beauty.

Written by local play write and actor Brandon Roberts, this show is an interactive joy for the kids in the audience as well as for the kids at heart. The play runs through July 24, 2022.

The first poster design I did for the show was build around showing the rose that is symbolic of the curse of the beast. However this rose is only hinted at in this theater production and I am told it is more of a Disney thematic invention. That idea had to be scrapped.

A second pass at the poster involved showing a mysterious castle in an enchanted forest. In the play, children are invited onto the stage an given fairy wings. As promoted fairies they have control over the inner workings of the castle. Unfortunately the audience members seldom know how to work their magic. It creates charming and delightful moments.

So the second poster idea had a fairy flying through the forest with plenty of pixie dust illuminating the scene. I knew it was a long shot, and it didn’t fly. I liked the blue lighting and yellow illuminated title, but bottom line, I had to figure out how to show Beauty and the Beast in a way that was unique to this production. I watched last year’s production  to get a feel of what I should do for the poster and I can say, you are guaranteed to laugh when you go to this show. The author of the play is one of Rolando’s funniest actors and this production highlights that strength splendidly.

After seeing these two posters I was given photos of past productions and therefor I had an idea of what beauty and the beast looked like in the production. That   mad my job a whole lot easier. I had specifically avoided sketching the beast since his appearance could vary widely. There was a request for some more swirly title treatment, so I had fun getting lost in researching fairy tale style typefaces.

My castle research turned to interiors and the concept developed of showing the beast as a dark silhouette against a light background column of light and beauty would appear a a bright color against the castles darkness. I used the actors from the previous production but they were not re- cast. So I had a last minute request to replace the beauty I had painted with the new actresses. I also did horizontal compositions of each of the posters since most social media use is rather horizontal. This involved giving the art department the ability to isolate sections of each poster and to allow them to create horizontal versions.