Details
After showing my brother some of the more ridiculous set and prop pieces for this show, and thought – PERFECT! I will blog about this. Cause otherwise, all I’d really have to say is HOLY CRAP MY PLAY OPENS IN 15 DAYS and wow, I’m busy, and wow, I have a full length script to memorize in one week and what was I thinking writing SO MUCH and what was I thinking having so many movement/dance pieces in this show? Where did they all come from (note: I totally wrote them into the script) and thank god I have a choreographer on the job. Oh, and we have our last fundraiser, a karaoke soirée tonight.
And what I meant by ridiculous set and prop pieces is that they exist in their current state because of my hardened will to make this show as immersed with the reality of Vincent as possible. A few things the audience won’t even notice, a few things they simply couldn’t know.
I just took this photo a half hour ago in the apartment/performance space. Will this chair look familiar to any of the audience members? Maybe, but within my play, it’s never directly referred to as any chair in particular.
Van Gogh’s Chair, 1888.
thanks to vangoghletters.org
Of course, it’s Vincent’s chair (almost). Of course I spent a bunch of time searching on ebay to find it (as did my props mistress). But you know, whatevs.
See that canvas stretcher hanging in mid-air? Looks about right in size as far as Vincent’s paintings go, right? Well, it’s actually a very precise size…
“Yes, during the autumn I’d very much like to do a dozen or so square no. 30 canvases, and that may very well be achieved, as far as I can see.” September 25, 1888
“And so I have 7 square no. 30 canvases on the go. […] More than once I’ve done a no. 30 canvas in a day, but then it was the case that from morning till sunset I didn’t move from the sitting except to eat a bite.” October 2, 1888
“I’m behind myself as far as croquis go, being so totally absorbed these recent superb days with square no. 30 canvases, which wear me out considerably and I intend to use to decorate the house.” October 3, 1888
Basically, this “no. 30” canvas size was what he got very into using for awhile (and interestingly enough, it was during the part of his life that I would totally set the time machine at, if I had one: early autumn of 1888, before Gauguin got there). So yeah. I made sure the canvas stretcher was his favorite size.
Also, how amazing does that painted wall look behind it?
And that couch looks awfully comfy, doesn’t it? You’ll probably wanna sit there sometime soon, so I’d recommend buying tickets (yes, click on those purple words) cause there’s only room for 20 people in the audience at each show. :)
Alright, I’ll do my best to update over the next two weeks, but life might be too crazy, so bear with me? Don’t abandon me? Because if you’re reading this, I love you. At least a little bit. Thank you for reading.
I bet more people than not will recognize the chair as being like Vincent’s! My first thought see the photo was “where on earth did you get his chair?!”.