May 2024
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Watts Theatre
I worked on this spiraling ramp as Assistant Technical Director for A Midsummer Night's Dream. The ramp was made up of CNC plywood slices, supported underneath by angled stud walls that gradually increased in height to give it a smooth curve. I drafted it fully in 3D AutoCAD and worked with the other ATD on the production to make sure that it fit perfectly with the fabric arch behind it, which was suspended from the fly system.
There were small puck lights embedded in the surface of the ramp. I had to work closely with the lighting designer and electricians to make sure that they could be properly powered and that they could access them for maintenance. The sides of the ramp were covered in removable chicken wire and ply slices for this purpose.
The scenic designer wanted a lush and whimsical look for the sides of the ramp. We decided to cover the chicken wire in muslin and crochet flowers, created in collaboration with the entire company of the production. It ended up looking beautiful and the community aspect of all learning to crochet created more collaborative relationships during tech.