A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder

Malt House Haylofters -Summer 2022

Summer of 2022 I realized my true passion. And no, I’m not referring to murder. This was the first time I dipped my toes back into theater since high school and was a wonderful way of combining my many passions within a new setting. Through this experience I was able to utilize my knowledge of working with various building materials gained from previous jobs in signage and exhibit fabrication, my graphic design and logo background, and my passion for storytelling through the physical space.

I was given carte blanche to design the set and posters for “A Gentleman’s Guide” and learned so much about not only what is required to make a show a success, but the time management, communication and collaboration involved within community theater that are essential for a quality production.

Dysquith Family CrEst

My biggest challenge in this production was the creation of the 7 foot Dysquith family crest that hangs above the stage. In the final scene the piece needs to break open and reveal one of the characters, and the final joke of the show.

For this set piece to succeed it needed to be pliable and break easily every show without fail, while still appearing solid for 99% of the show. I treated the middle like shutters and the banner at the bottom like swinging panels. Using plywood, purple insulation foam and 1/4” craft foam for the details. Something I didn’t plan for was the way spray paint ate away at the foam and made it look antique and eye-catching. A happy accident!

Planning Set Design Elements

The aesthetic choices I made for this show were informed by the greed and sliminess of the characters as well as the name Dysquith. To me, Dysquith sounds like a squid and I elaborated on that with the use of gold and green and a sea creature theme.

Wallpaper Designs