
Everybody was my first time being a Technical Director. As Technical Director, I budgeted, drafted, scheduled, and supervised the build of many scenic pieces, including flats, platforms, soft goods, a kabuki drop, a winch, and other custom elements. This show was an excellent opportunity to continue honing my drafting and budgeting techniques for more advanced elements, as well as focus on my time management and collaboration skills.




The challenge of this show was to design safe and efficient systems to achieve the director's vision: an actor-motivated raising of a large and heavy wall. These visions were exciting to design and draft, with the actor's safety and crew's ease of use at the forefront of the design process. The winch had two independent locks, which kept the Grave Wall from falling as it was slowly being hoisted into the air by the actors. The kabuki was designed to hang from a custom-made nylon rope rig, which allowed for easy resetting of the kabuki throughout rehearsals and performances.




Additionally, I worked closely with the Scenic Designer and Director while doing foam detail work to achieve the artistic vision for the Grave. Also, I built, prototyped, and tested the winch, eventually achieving a design in which one person could safely lift 150 pounds, achieving the vision of the show.
Photo: Mason LoPiccolo