| Sarah L. Hunt-Frank  |  | School Tours The Magician's Nephew |
| HOME | Director: | Jeff Frank Designer: | Sarah L. Hunt-Frank Costumes: | Audrey Stables   spacer Uncle Andrew's Attic This school tour was a challenge. How do I create three completely
different worlds and still have them fit in the van? The worlds were created with three drops attached to a single rod that
spanned the top of the frame. The transition to the next world was
accomplished by the actors grabbing the bottom of the drop and swinging
it over the rod, revealing the next drop. In order to add support to
the heavy rod and supply a step for the actors to flip the drops, two
small boxes were disguised as the golden dwarf and maiden that decorate
the cover of the books.
|  spacer Lost in Charn 
Each of the drops was compiled from the artwork in the Narnia books and
other fantasy sketches. The uncle’s black magic is brewed up in the
attic where he has his cluttered disorganized collection of potions and
books of spells. Then, the children are sent unwillingly to Charn where
the evil queen spreads the death and destruction of her world. Then
they travel to the beautiful land of Narnia where they meet Aslan, the
lion, whose world is lush and green. The gentle lion teaches the queen
a valuable lesson and sends to children back to their own world with an
apple that will cure their ailing mother.
|   spacer The Land of Narnia The other props that had to travel with the show were the queen’s
throne, the black magic cart, a pedestal and gavel, and the golden apple
tree. Everything fit easily in the van and adhered to the credo of the
director and myself — simple, high-quality, essential elements.
| Scars and Stripes | Director: | Jeff Frank Designer: | Sarah L. Hunt-Frank Costumes: | Audrey Stables 
I remember the first time I visited the Vietnam Memorial. In the cool
evening darkness, the can lights shone dimly up onto the wall. I could
hear the soft weeping of a woman as a man comforted her. I noted all of
the flowers and memorabilia left along the shining black stone as tokens
of remembrance to those loved ones long gone. As I slowly descended
into the depths, I felt a sense of awe come over me. Suddenly I turned
and looked back at all the names that I had walked past and realized
that at this point in the War, all these men and women had died. Then I
looked forward, toward all the people yet to die. I wasn’t even at the
turn in the wall, yet. What a solemn experience. I didn’t know of
anyone who fought in the War, but I felt that familiar sting in my eyes
as I looked at the dim reflections of the wall. I was thankful when,
once again, I began to rise out of the valley. --- Sarah. L. Hunt, 1990
|
Scars and Stripes is a play about two young people who each have
traveled across the US to visit the Vietnam Memorial to come to terms
with the loss of their fathers. When they meet at the Memorial,
conflict and racial issues arise from their different backgrounds and
the angst and despair of each of them. In the end they start a
friendship based on acceptance of each other and mutual grief over their
losses and with an understanding of their fathers’ sacrifice.
|  
This was another school tour with a large challenge. How do we create
any sense of the wall and the awe that it had inspired in myself and the
others who have visited it? Attempting to create the wall, practically,
would not be acceptable and would certainly lead to staging problems.
| So I chose a much simpler approach. The wall was simply suggested by the
scattering of memorabilia that lines the Memorial. The actors put out
their hands to touch the invisible stones where each of their fathers’
names were engraved. This way the actors were always facing downstage
and the audience could see their reactions as they placed a hand on the
name and a hand on their heart. The actors endowed that space with the
sense of importance and awe that the director and I sought. |  Journeys |
| Director: | Jeff Frank Designer: Sarah L. | Hunt-Frank Costumes: | Audrey Stables Journeys was a school tour that was a compilation of Americana pieces,
such as the Grapes of Wrath and O! Pioneers. The design was a collage of early American life and events on a
background of the American flag. | 
The drop was lashed to the frame with
rope to replicate the canvas lashed to the frames of Conestoga wagons. The props were mostly crates and barrels that could transcend the 100
years covered by the play. Once again, these simple elements
transformed easily into different formations for the specific scenes. | The Irish Chord | Director: | Kassie Misiewicz Designer: | Sarah L. Hunt-Frank Costumes: | Christine Schultz 
“Reveal” was a big word for the director and I concerning this show.
The young angst-ridden teenage girl, Aine, has the Irish history
revealed to her by the sprite, Ruary. As he playfully tells the tale,
Ruary spins the first panel and sings about the fair island and the
Firbolgs. Cuchulain and his vultures are revealed on the next panel,
along with the Danaan king. With the next panel, Ruary tells of Saint
Patrick and Nile of the Nine Hostages. The song ends with the revealing
of the ship’s race to claim Ireland and Cromwell’s oppression of the
Irish. | Ruary ultimately reveals himself as the spirit of her father, and he helps Aine to begin to find her peace as she prayes for a similar peace in Ireland. There was also a strong desire to show the change that has come over Aine after Raury’s visit. The play starts in Aine’s room with very angry posters and frighteningly violent newspaper notices of bombings in Ireland. As the scene is returned to Aine’s room after Ruary’s departure, the angry posters are replaced with beautiful landscapes and promotional posters for Ireland. As her friend, the Irish-culturally-challenged young man, returns to bring her green milkshakes from McDonald’s, she is a little more accepting of his celebratory mood for St. Patrick’s Day. This page designed and built by Aaron Orear - SpookyNet, 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||