Getting ready for action: Scenery and Costumes

27.07.2013

What do we need needed for a successful musical? Witty dialogues, a creative title, original music, talented performers, energetic dances… Wait! You forgot about the scenery, which greatly influence the perception of the performance, an attentive reader who regularly follows our website might notice.

Not really! Set designer (Dmitry Gorbas) and prop master, who doubles as a costume designer (Anna Gorbas) have been working their magic on the sets and costumes since the first days of the project. In just three days, the audience in the city of Keszthely will be able to appreciate the staging of the NucKids 2013 musical on the stage of the ‘Balaton Theatre. In addition, we will lift the veil of secrecy today by inviting you to the workshops to learn about the most spectacular visual solutions of this anniversary project.

A WORLD DRIVEN BY CHILDREN

According to production designer Dmitry Gorbas, this year the creators of the scenery faced a challenging task. On one hand, due to the numerous flights during the NucKids tour, decorations needed to be as mobile as possible and easy to assemble. On the other hand, the stage scenery had to be in line with  the global scale of the musical.

“This year we decided to make screens the main element of the decoration, which are moved by the so-called “black figures”, or stage keepers. The kids move the decorations, creating new scenes and helping what is happening on the stage. This is the first Nuclear Kids Project where the children’s role in making and managing decorations is so significant. And the kids are doing an excellent job! We should especially mention our main helpers: Andrei Korchukov, Sasha Kochergin and Vanya Litvinov”, says Dmitry Gorbas.

It seems that the director and choreographer have thought out the “dance” of the screens to the music no less than the choreography of the main characters itself. With the change of scenery, the inner space of the performance comes to life. The black-and-white world of school days is replaced by bright children’s fantasies embodied in spectacular musical performances.

“Visually we wanted to achieve maximum contrast between the two worlds. The real world is a combination of white and black colors: the black box of the stage, “black figures” that move the decorations. As soon as the music starts, the colors appear. Bright decorations work towards the main idea: every child has his own inner magical world, which helps him/her to color the gray everyday life at any moment”, – explains the production designer.

“The kids are dancing “suspended” on elastic bands, which are controlled, by children under adult supervision. This structure is attached to crossbars, and to my knowledge, this is the first time in a NucKids musical that the upper part of the stage is being used. I think this will be one of the most grandiose performances in the history of the project,” Dmitry is confident.

According to him, another interesting part that the audience will see is during Olya Borodina’s performance. The screens will turn into canvases, on the back of which the stage keepers will draw graffiti right during the performance. The audience should get the impression that the drawings appeared on the white wall at the wave of the actress’s hand.

ABUNDANCE OF IDEAS AND CARDBOARD SHORTAGE

Digital voice recorders, mobile phones, and tablets have long been the best friends of media employees. However, in the play, the props artist Anna Gorbas decided to return to the Watergate era, when reporters scurried around the city with massive film cameras and huge microphones.

In addition to the tools of the writing and filming fraternity, many other decoration “tricks” will appear on stage: masks of teachers, police officers, thieves, aliens, and a figure of Godzilla. The artists of “NucKids” had so many ideas that the Hungarian cardboard industry faltered.

“Last week, work slowed down because we couldn’t find enough cardboard and plywood in the stores. But now the problem is solved, and there will be enough props,” Anna smiles.

In addition to the devices for journalists, there will also be ethnic props in the play. The kids from South Korea drew and colored the fans themselves for their dance number. Minso Cho got the neatest drawing. And the most cheerful participant of the Korean group, Danbi Lim, was the most eager to share her impressions of the creative process.

On the fan that we painted, our traditional symbol is depicted. The blue color here means the sea, and the red means the sun,” said Danbi.

“The Korean participants will not only have unusual props but also bright national costumes,” explained Anna Gorbas. “However, not only they will look creative, but many characters as well. For example, our ‘black figures’ look very impressive in ninja costumes. There are also interesting costumes in the number with “shorties” dancing on huge heels. Ozorny has an Elvis Presley costume. In general, I think the audience will have something to look at. Be sure to come,

Natalia Gubareva