Arts and Entertainment

Theatre Design Faculty Exhibition in Borland Gallery

"Recent Work by the Design Faculty," an exhibition featuring examples of work by the School of Theatre design faculty, will run through Oct. 14, in the Borland Gallery on the University Park campus. Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The exhibition demonstrates the diversity of talents and stylistic capabilities, as well as the broad connection to the professional theatre and opera fields outside of Penn State, by some of the design faculty: Curtis Craig, assistant professor and head of sound design; William Kenyon, associate professor of lighting design and head of bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A). program, design and technology; Milagros Ponce de Leon, assistant professor and B.F.A. adviser of scenic design; Daniel Robinson, associate professor and head of scenic design; and Richard St. Clair, associate professor and head of costume design. In the last year, the design faculty has produced shows not only in State College, Pa., but also in Dallas, Knoxville, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Portsmouth, N.H., and North Carolina. Styles included opera, musical theatre, children's theatre, Native American dance, and various forms of drama.

Robinson was responsible for scene design for two local productions: Peter Pan and Radio Golf. In Peter Pan, there were five sets and six locations that had to be changed in full view of the audience as the spectacle of shifting from one set to the next is part of the entertainment written into the show. “Radio Golf takes place in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, a real and recognizable location,” Robinson said. “It was important to get the specifics of the Hill District correct.”

In addition to his work at Penn State, Craig is the co-commissioner of sound design for the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and is responsible for the musical accompaniment and underscoring, along with the sound effects and ambient noises. Two recent productions at University Park include Wait Until Dark and Pentecost, for which he was awarded the World Stage Design Gold Medal.

The Borland exhibition offers a vivid and eloquent display of St. Clair’s costume work for the character Mordren from Sleeping Beauty, performed at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia. The production won the Barrymore Award for Outstanding Costumes. St. Clair also displays production photos and sketches from Terrence McNally’s play, Golden Age, and the opera Ainadamar.
 

Set design for Peter Pan - pirates Credit: Dan RobinsonAll Rights Reserved.

Last Updated October 4, 2011

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