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In an unusual pairing of students with theatre design elements, seven St. Mary's Academy students will collaborate to complete the design elements for the school’s upcoming fall production, Antigone, on the weekend of November 17-19.
“It’s not often that students have the talent to design, so I was especially excited to collaborate with these girls on the design elements for Antigone,” says Shannon More, theater director at St. Mary’s Academy. “I am continually surprised and amazed by the skill and abilities of my students. It was a privilege to collaborate with these artists. ”
Following is a list of the student designers:
Brigid Bello, Set Designer.
Bello is a junior at St. Mary’s Academy and has been heavily involved in the theatre department from the start of her freshman year. She has worked behind the scenes in various capacities including Assistant Stage Manager, Props Designer, and Backstage Crew. To date she says her biggest claim to fame is shellacking a turkey for the production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
“Having the responsibility of making crucial decisions about the set was nerve-wracking but rewarding,” says Bello. “But seeing our designs become a physical reality was an amazing experience.”
Malachi Graham, Sound Designer
Graham is a junior at St. Mary’s but prefers to be called the “follow spot operator extraordinaire”. Malachi has worked the follow spot backstage for many productions, including the Wizard of Oz and the Classical Ballet Academy.
Graham sums up the process of design really well. “Before working on Antigone I had little to no experience with sound design,” says Graham. “Getting the chance to try something completely new was really liberating! Being involved with the design process in addition to the implementation of the design was considerably more stressful, but also considerably more rewarding.”
Maddy Kramer, Costume Designer
A junior at St. Mary’s, Kramer has jumped whole heartedly into theatre this year. She serves as the thespian club historian, the theatre auction committee procurement head and now a co-costume designer. As can be seen in her display sketches, Kramer is a very gifted visual artist as well. “The design process itself is simply exhilarating; however, bringing those designs to life has been a real challenge,” says Kramer. “This process has greatly encouraged my growth as a student of theatre.”
Lilly Nage-Deak, Costume Designer
When Nage-Deak is not at St. Mary’s you can find her directing Shakespeare. She has a strong sense of functionality and what the design needs to work properly on stage. This probably has much to do with her directing background. Nage-Deak also is a playwright and her one act was featured at the St. Mary’s New Play Festival last spring.
“I enjoyed designing costumes – trying to represent characters through color and mass, but it posed the challenge of making our ideas compatible with the production concept,” says the student. “I learned a lot about the design process by serving on the production team.”
Grace O’Malley, Lighting Designer
O’Malley is a junior at St. Mary’s Academy and when she’s not in class you can find her in the theatre. She is often taking on odd jobs such as organizing the orchestra pit to sorting color gels. O’Malley has worked behind the scenes in props, costumes, and as an Assistant Stage Manager. “This experience was incredibly beneficial to me,” says O’Malley. “It took a lot of work, but it’s what I love and I’m dedicated to anything that is involved.”
Bridget Underwood, Mask Design
Underwood is a junior at St. Mary’s and her gifted artistic mask sketches for the production will be featured in the lobby during the weekend. Underwood has worked both on and offstage. She worked as an assistant to the sound designer for the Wizard of Oz and then took a leading role in one of the St. Mary’s New Plays last spring.
Underwood has an amazing capacity to take inspiration and turn it into viable visual elements. “Mask design was an interesting challenge,” she says. “We had to consider everything from how to represent the characters’ deeper personalities to what materials to use to create them. It was a fascinating and broadening experience to be a part of the design process from its infancy to its realization.”
Carson Whitelemons, Mask Design, Scene Design
A junior at St. Mary’s, Whitelemons could not decide which element of design she wanted to be involved in, so she decided to do two. She has worked both on and offstage, working on stage as a chorus member and as a lead in the St. Mary’s New Play festival. Offstage she has worked on props and follow spot and any other job she sets her mind to. “Cooperating with my fellow designers has been a rewarding experience, something that has taught me much about designing and myself,” says the talented student.
Seventeen actors and 7 designers from the St. Mary's Academy student community will unite to produce the renowned Greek tragedy Antigone on Friday, November 17, Saturday, November 18, and Sunday, November 19. Prices will be $8.00 general admission and $5.00 for students. For tickets or more information, call the St. Mary’s theatre department at 503-721-7712. St. Mary’s is located downtown Portland at 1615 SW Fifth Ave.
Required reading for all St. Mary’s sophomores, Antigone is a translation of the ancient text written by Sophocles and the school will present a traditional approach with the use of masks. Although ancient, Antigone remains a dramatic treasure after 2,500 years, because it continues to pertain to the present day, presenting a lasting argument for civil disobedience to follow a higher law.
Founded in 1859 by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, St. Mary’s Academy of Portland, is Oregon’s oldest continuously operating secondary school and one of 716 all-female schools in the country. The student body represents a diverse background of young women from over 30 urban, suburban, and rural communities in Oregon and Southwest Washington. St. Mary’s Academy is distinguished by its development of the whole person, and is the only school in the state to receive three U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Schools awards.
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