Philadelphia Story

By Phillip Barry

Produced: July, 1986
West Hartford Summer Arts Festival
Scenery: Arthur Dirks
Facility: Hall High School Auditorium

This show was designed for an extended apron. I had to figure out how to work in everything on only 2 walls. I invoked an approach I've used before, stepping back walls to open up the angle and allow good bracing with short sections of wall. I liked the result, especially the way the curved cornice pulled it all together. That was a fairly high craft piece for the crew to create. The center unit also allowed me to set strong entrances and improve sightlines. One minor challenge was painting a copy of Gilbert's "Skater". A major challenge was finding the period furniture that looked rich enough. I think we draped that steel-based table to the floor.