Summer and Smoke part deux

Here is a slide show from our production of Summer and Smoke. It really turned out well, and although the audiences have been small so far, I am glad we did this show. I think we all learned from the experience.

For those of you that don't know anything about it, it is a Tennessee Williams play. The following is our press copy. A lonely minister's daughter, Alma Winemiller, is a spinster living in a rural Mississippi town. She finds her only solace in a secret lifelong love for the boy next door, now grown into a handsome ladies' man. Eventually, Alma is tortured by her unrequited love and begins to make desperate attempts to get his attention. But her repressed nature clashes with his wanton ways, leading to a climactic battle of wills that changes both of them forever. Riveting and intense, this sultry production transports you to the oppressive and sweltering world of Tennessee Williams in this classic piece of American theater.

Summer and Smoke

I haven't posted for quite a while, but those of you that follow would already know that. I have been quite busy as always with school, work, family, and the theatre, and I sometimes wonder if I will ever not feel sleepy again, but it's all good, and I am actively working towards paring down a few of the activities in my life so I can breathe.

I finished my second semester at Clemson with another 4.0, which I'm proud of considering I mounted 2 1/2 shows at the theatre during the course of the semester, with the other 1/2 show going up now. I start summer semester next week with 3 classes, two of them are online classes, and the other I have to go to twice a week, so I don't have much of a break. In addition, we open the play Summer and Smoke on Friday, which is just two days away. Not only am I acting in it as the crazy Mrs. Winemiller, but I have been painting and decorating the set, and I am quite proud of what it looks like.

Here is a picture of the angel I sculpted for the set. She is about 6 1/2 feet tall to the tops of the wings. I made her by building an armature of wood and window screening, and then using muslin dipped in a mixture of glue and paint I sculpted the rest. I am really pleased with how it turned out. You can't really see in the photo, but the fountain has real running water in the basin at the bottom. Austin and Alexis are sitting on the "stone" steps which are made out of foam insulation scored to look like stone and faced with the muslin and glue/paint mixture. It has been labor intensive, but it really looks neat. I am currently looking for greenery to add to it to make it look more like a park. I will post more photos of the completed set when I am able.