The Design:

This "Senior Showcase" show featured two different musicals. Act I was "The Last Five Years" and Act II was "35MM." As Scenic Designer, I was challenged to work with two different directors and create a set for two different shows with a budget of only $300.

The solution we decided on was to use pre-existing wall flats and use the back side of them as the front to resemble shelves in an apartment for "The Last Five Years" set. We then dressed those walls with miscellaneous items that are mentioned throught the show, such as, a Duran Duran poster and musical theater records. As the show went on, the actors would add various props and decor to the walls and tables eventually creating a completed timeline of Cathy and Jamie's relationship.

35MM is a show with songs based off of a series of photographs. It has darker themes and the director wanted a more abstract set. We decided to paint a canvas backdrop incoorporating the different photographs. We then cut the drop into three parts, each the size of a flat. We rolled and tied the canvas to the tops of the flats at the beginning of every show, then at intermission, the actors would untie the rolled canvas, covering the apartment walls of "The Last Five Years" set.