Editor’s note: This is the second in a three-part series on the Albany Civic Theater’s efforts to produce “Witness for the Prosecution,” which opens next week.

By Heather Crabtree


Albany Democrat-Herald

When the grand curtain opens, the audience in a theater is taken to another world, place and time. The actors may tell the story, but the illusion can only be complete with the help of the dedicated people back stage.

During the three months between auditions and opening night on Friday, Feb. 16, it is up to the crew to design and build the set.Before the set for “Witness” could even be built, it was up to Ross Jackson, the set designer, to plan how the stage was going to be used with one goal in mind: Director Jackie Tasker wanted to use the revolving platform ACT acquired from Corvallis Community Theater, and there were going to be two complete sets on the platform — the law offices of Sir Wilfred Robarts and the Old Bailey Courthouse.

Because of its size, the “revolve” allows for the different sets to be built upon the same platform and then rotated around during the set change. It also means that every inch of free space behind the curtain to the back of the stage has to be utilized to accommodate the two full sets, which can be a challenge for the designer.

Jackson, who holds a degree in education and computer science and studied 3-D art while in school, began the process around the end of December. He mapped out the set on grid paper with a general idea on what needed to be included in the individual sections and knowing he had to accommodate existing exits to the green room at stage right. (Note: Stage locations are defined by an actor’s position. Stage right is actually the audience’s left.)

Once he had an idea of how to lay out the double set on the revolving platform, he turned to a model of the ACT stage he built 15 years ago, just after the theater added its orchestra pit. The functional, to-scale model can be taken apart in the same fashion the ACT stage can be dismantled. It also allows for repositioning of the stairs leading down to the theater floor and accounts for exits and the location of the grand curtain.

Because of its functionality, the model allowed Jackson to further tweak the design to fit better before the show took stage.

“What it takes is building something, seeing that it doesn’t work, bashing it and restarting, using what I can out of it,” Jackson said about working with the model. “I rebuilt the office piece probably two times. The courtroom went together pretty well. I thought that through enough that when it came to constructing it, it wasn’t an issue.”

Since the stage is shared with other productions, the crew had about two months to plan before “Witness” but could take stage only at the end of January, a mere three weeks before opening.

The Sunday after a show closes, the previous play’s crew “strikes” the set for its production, dismantling it so the new set can be built. The striking process can be tedious and time consuming, depending on a set’s size and complexity.

Luckily for John Sams, the assistant director, and John Elliott, the person in charge of set building for “Witness,” the set for the previous show, “Extreme Theater 2,” was a fairly quick one to strike.

The size of the “Extreme Theater” set also made it possible for Elliott and helpers to assemble the pieces — shaped like slices of pie — that make up the revolve on the stage while the previous production was still showing.

“It looks like a lot of work, but when you really enjoy it, it doesn’t seem like it,” Elliott said after his first 12 hours of working on the platform, during which just two of the eight pieces were in place.

In hand with designing set layout and construction is how it will be decorated.

Carrie Moffat, the head decorator, searched the Internet looking for pictures of the Old Bailey Courthouse and the law offices in England during the 1950s, the time period of the play, in order to give it a realistic feel.

“When you think of England, you think of dark wood and color,” said Moffat. “But, you also have to keep in mind lighting and costumes. You don’t want everyone to blend into the background.”

Because of that blending issue, designing can be tricky. Moffat has planned a white and yellow marbleized floor for the courthouse and wood accents on the flats that will help lighten the set.

It’s not just the crew that works diligently to bring the set to life. The cast, the director, family and friends join in and do what is needed to ensure the set is finished enough by the Saturday after the previous show’s striking to do the first full run-through.

“It takes everybody’s cooperation and patience, the whole nine yards to get it done, because there isn’t a lot of time to get it done,” said Kay Roth, who plays the Woman Juror in “Witness.”

Roth has also directed, handles the lobby board photos for productions and will be the propmaster for “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.”

Cooperation also comes in the form of community involvement. ACT operates solely on ticket sales, fundraisers and donations.

Typically, a set the magnitude of the one for “Witness” wouldn’t be possible because of the cost, but Albany dentist Patrick Hagerty contributed funds to help produce the whodunit. Hagerty’s donation enabled Tasker to utilize the revolve and also to invest in lighting and costumes.

Next week — Part three: With one week to go, last-minute details from costuming to lighting are ironed out.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for “Witness for the Prosecution,” a mystery by Agatha Christie, are on sale at Sid Stevens Jewelers in Albany and Rice’s Pharmacy in Corvallis. Any unsold tickets will be available at the box office at Albany Civic Theater, 111 First Ave. S.W., 45 minutes before each show.

Show times are 8 p.m. Feb. 16-17 and 23-24 and March 1-3 and at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 25.